A group of residents opposed to a recently approved grocery store expansion in Turf Valley is hoping to block the larger store through a voter referendum.

The group, calling itself Howard County Citizens for Open Government, wants a voter referendum on Council Bill 58, which was unanimously approved by the County Council Nov. 3. The bill allowed Greenberg Gibbons Commercial, the developer of a commercial center at Turf Valley, to bring in a grocery store of up to 55,000 square feet instead of the 18,000 square feet previously allowed in the area.

The developer has proposed creating a town center, anchored by a grocery store and including other retail shops to serve residents at Turf Valley, located east of Marriottsville Road and north of Route 40.
 
At public meetings, residents have been split on the project, divided between those who said they want a convenient, nearby grocery store and those worried about the effects of added traffic and possibly drawing customers away from other stores.

Opponents also said the company was trying to slip the measure past the public by filing it under the Greenberg name rather than Turf Valley.

The shopping center is set to open in 2011, but the drive for a voter referendum could stall those plans.

Marc Norman, a vocal opponent of the project who is spearheading the referendum process, said a referendum would delay the project long enough to allow time for additional studies.

“I think this was a rush to judgment,” he said of the council’s approval. “It’s an issue that deserved far greater consideration.”

Norman declined to say how many members are in the newly created group but said it includes residents from around the county.

This past Monday, Board of Elections Director Betty Nordaas approved the petitions that referendum backers will use to collect signatures. Norman had sought the approval before his group began collecting signatures.

With a few exceptions, county laws can be challenged through the referendum process, county spokesman Keven Enright said, as long as enough signatures from registered county voters are collected.

In this case, the grocery store opponents can stop the bill from becoming law if they collect 5,000 signatures within 60 days from when the bill was passed.

If that happens, the grocery store expansion will be put on hold at least until after the November 2010 general election, when the referendum will appear on the ballot.
 
Nordaas said referendums are unusual in the county — but not unheard of.

The last referendum campaign, challenging the so-called “Comp Lite” rezoning bill in 2006, never made it to the voters after an appeals court ruled that the signature petitions did not adequately describe Comp Lite.

A representative from Greenberg Gibbons could not immediately be reached for comment on the Turf Valley referendum.
Council member Courtney Watson, who was council chairwoman when the bill passed, said she was disappointed to hear about the referendum.
 
At the time of the approval, council members said they thought allowing the expanded store was consistent with past zoning decisions and would not have a negative impact on businesses on nearby Route 40.
 
Gina Ellrich, a spokesman for Mangione Family Enterprises, which owns Turf Valley, said the referendum attempt “is extremely surprising as (the bill) received unanimous support from the Planning Board, the council and a tremendous amount of support from the surrounding communities.”
 
As part of the approval, Greenberg Gibbons agreed to limit the size of any other individual tenant businesses in the center to 20,000 square feet and to create an architectural review committee to review design plans.
 
Helen Carey, chairwoman of the steering committee for the Legends of Turf Valley Homeowners Association and a supporter of the project, said she was disappointed to hear about the referendum, saying it appeared to be a delaying tactic.

“Obviously we would like (the store) sooner rather than later,” Carey said. “Two years is a lot of time.”

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