Shaping future development around transit: Spotlight on Charles County

The Cross County Connector Extension is a proposed four-lane highway that would cut across the heart of the Mattawoman watershed in Charles County. A coalition of concerned citizens and groups called the Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County is working to stop the project, and to promote a more economically and environmentally sustainable plan that focuses growth in the county’s mature towns, such as Waldorf and La Plata.  In April, their efforts got a boost when American Rivers, the nation’s leading river conservation organization, highlighted the Mattawoman in its annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers.  

Nestled among still-extensive forests in a fast growing region, Mattawoman Creek sustains a thriving recreation industry and is one of the region’s largest tourist draws.  Anglers from around the world are drawn to the creek, which abounds with migratory fish and largemouth bass. 

But the county’s current plans for transportation and growth would imperil this unique destination and one of the Bay’s few remaining healthy streams. In the rural community of Bryans Road, the county has plans to build a new “town center” with more than 8000 residential units. The proposed highway would connect Bryans Road with the malls of Waldorf, making land in the watershed far more vulnerable to development while discouraging future development in the county’s already existing urban communities.  

The new highway and its development impacts would also affect the area’s scenic beauty. Maryland and U.S. leaders have gone to lengths to preserve the forested viewshed from Mount Vernon, which lies across the Potomac River. The Cross County Connector Extension is aimed squarely at the viewshed. If it’s built, visitors to Mount Vernon would be greeted with a scar of ungainly highway-triggered sprawl.   

County leaders and residents have other choices for growth and transportation. The county is studying a light rail link from Waldorf to the Washington Metro system. The Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County is asking why the light rail link is not on a faster track. “This is the 21st century, and we can have transportation options that don’t compromise our clean water, quality of life and the health of our Chesapeake Bay,” says Bonnie Bick, a member of the group.  

Because the highway project would destroy valuable wetlands and affect streams and the forests that support their water quality, the county must receive permits from the state and federal government before the project can proceed. The next key decisions on the highway rest with the Maryland Department of the Environment, which plans an announcement on June 1 2009.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has an open deadline and will follow its own process. The Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County, along with American Rivers, is urging denial of the permits.  

For more information and to get involved in the Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County, contact Bonnie Bick at bonniebick AT gmail.com