ST. MARY’S TODAY

LEONARDTOWN —— Tana Glockner hit the St. Mary’s Board right between the eyes on Tuesday night at the public forum, accusing the county of ignoring the plight of small property owners while favoring large big-box stores and big developers.

Glockner is one of about a dozen property owners of parcels on the north side of Rt. 235 in California who have been requesting commercial zoning for their land for more than ten years. Their properties line Rt. 235 from the old Lowes Store, which is now the BAE office, across from Wal-Mart and Laurel Glen Shopping Center and continuing north to the area across from First Colony.

The small property owners have been through the mill with St. Mary’s County, watching as big developers and big box stores have marched into the county and obtained everything they wanted while Glockner and her neighbors have been jerked around, given commercial zoning, then having it yanked back.

"We have heard every excuse, every empty promise," Glockner told the board.

She told the board that at one point, the county planning department told her and her fellow Rt. 235 property owners that they could not use the planned First Colony project as a reason to seek rezoning of their land.

Now, she told the board, the plans for proposed office buildings is being used to deny her and her neighbors commercial zoning and they are being told that planned office building projects should be used to determine the category of zoning which they will be allowed.

"We were not allowed to use planned projects in our pursuit of commercial rezoning," said Glockner, "now the county uses planned projects against us."

"You will force some of these property owners to sell out at reduced values and then the big developers will end up getting what they want," said Glockner. She asked why Wal-Mart and other developers get everything they want while small property owners get nothing.

Glockner noted that one property owner threatened a lawsuit in order to get fair treatment.

"Why does it take the threat of a lawsuit?" asked Glockner. "Why has our local government behave like the federal government; for and by big business?" Glockner asked the Board. "I request your support for commercial zoning."