Elkridge Residents Pick Up Steam, Signatures in Opposition to Proposed Rail Facility

Elkridge residents are organizing their opposition to a freight operation at Hanover Road at Race Road, a development proposed by CSX Transit and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT).

In the weeks since , GECA formed a committee to discuss the project further—and the discussion has snowballed.

Patapsco Ridge, one of the neighborhoods closest to the proposed site, started its own coalition of residents who first gathered on April 2.

Sam Karas, who hosted the meeting, said that like many residents, he was unaware of the proposed intermodal facility. He is now among a dozen Patapsco Ridge homeowners who began distributing 500 educational fliers last night outlining which houses would be affected by what the fliers state is "trains running in a 24/7 rail yard, stacking containers with 100-foot cranes, 100-foot light towers in your backyard."

Patapsco Ridge homeowner Mitch Buchman, whose house overlooks the tracks where the proposed facility would be placed, estimated the value of his home would plummet should the site be selected. “It’s already decreased in value,” he said, because the proposal is on the table.

To help coordinate research efforts, Buchman created a Wikipedia page where people can find out about the project. In addition to mobilizing those in his neighborhood, Buchman is on the GECA intermodal subcommittee.

Another member of the subcommittee, Drew Roth, created a Facebook page called NoElkridgeIntermodal, so residents could have a dialogue on the $150 million project residents first learned about on March 24 when MDOT announced via a press release that it had four locations in mind for the rail facility where CSX could stack and transfer freight. Since the Facebook page went live on April 2, NoElkridgeIntermodal has gotten 49 posts and 79 members.

County Councilwoman Courtney Watson is among those who have joined. On April 7, Watson said: “…Of the 4 sites, why Elkridge? Elkridge has 365 homes nearby and the other sites do not.”

The other three sites under consideration are on Montevideo Road (Howard County), Brock Bridge Road (Anne Arundel County) and Beaver Dam Road (Prince George’s County). The four sites were selected because they met criteria established by CSX and state and federal agencies, according to MDOT Chief of Staff Leif Dormsjo.

Kelly Koch, responding to Watson on the Facebook page, said, “Funny how they researched a whole bunch of things before announcing the ‘finalists,’ but one of the things they didn't care to research until after they picked the site is whether there were any residences around...”

Initially, 12 sites were proposed, but those locations have not been made public. An MDOT official told Patch he would attempt to get a list of those sites.

"All they care about is that it's a piece of land in the shape and size they need next to the tracks they want to use,” continued Koch. “Oh, and it doesn't need to be re-graded.”

Throughout the next 12 months, officials will be evaluating the site in accordance with the National Environment Policy Act, which stipulates the need for public input and analysis of environmental, economic, social and transportation impacts.

Elected officials, including Watson and Sen. Edward Kasemeyer, have gone on record opposing the Hanover site.

“(Howard County) Executive (Ken) Ulman has made it clear to MDOT and CSX that they must show they can adequately address community concerns regarding any proposed Howard County location,” said Howard County’s Public Information Officer Kevin Enright in an email to Patch on Thursday afternoon.

Enright noted that Ulman “is a strong supporter of the Port of Baltimore and understands this project’s importance—both in terms of the jobs it will create and the statewide economic development opportunities it presents.”

Elkridge residents have put together an online petition that has gotten 74 signatures since it was made public on April 4.

There will be a public workshop for residents to discuss the project with MDOT officials on Wednesday, April 27, from 7-9 p.m. at .

This article has been updated to include MDOT's response to Patch inquiries (paragraph 11).