From: P. J. Hansen, Jr.
Sent: Monday, November 01, 1999 4:55 PM
To: robert.karge@eastonmd.com
Subject: Big Box Comments

My comment may not appear to relate directly to the Big Box Issue, but I think it does. . . . .

Everyone loves Easton, including me. It has a very, very nice flavor and ambience, especially for a small town. The difficulty seems to be that "Everybody" (whoever that may be) would like the town to retain its small town atmosphere and charm, and at the same time have many (if not ALL) of the shopping conveniences of the big city. This does NOT seem to be possible. If you have the big boxes and big stores, you get the big traffic problems and crowding that make more for a big city than the small town.

Perhaps the Town has done this unto themselves. Please refer to the "Annexation" box on p 1 of the 11/01/99 Easton Star Democrat. The fifth paragraph of that article is quoted here for your information:

"The town has annexed more than 650 acres of land in the past two years, including 200 acres at Trippes Creek/Cooke's Hope, 75 acres for the fifth phase of Matthewstown Run and 386 acres at Ratcliffe Manor/Glenwood Farm."

It seems conservative to me to 'guess'timate that these and other already planned and approved real estate developments will generate more than 1,000 new homes in the Easton area in the very near future.

Hopefully, they will be tasteful and beautiful and duly conform with the County Code, but their arrival signals the end of the "small town atmosphere and charm". I do not advocate the big boxes, but those people who move to Easton from Washington, Baltimore or Annapolis, or from any other big city area, will want them.

The Town has already opened the doors to growth and expansion in a very big way. About all we can hope for, is to try to limit their numbers and control their placement so as to minimize the impact on traffic and congestion.

Let's try to control the damage.