Walmart associate Mike Mensah delivers 2,000 signed petitions to Council members George Leventhal and Marc Elrich. (from l-r: Mike Sensah, Mat Hanson campaign coordinator of Raise Maryland, Council member George Leventhal and Council member Marc Elrich. Photo by Karlyn Williams.
“Why would you fill one hole only to dig another?” wondered Montgomery County Councilmember Marc Elrich. Elrich and fellow Councilmember George Leventhal on Tuesday morning accepted petitions bearing signatures from more than 2,000 county residents opposed to a proposed Walmart in Aspen Hill. The big box giant is trying to push through a zoning change for the Aspen Hill site, but opponents are concerned about the effect on the entire area, pointing out that an Aspen Hill Walmart would likely force the Aspen Hill K-Mart to close a long with the small businesses, which has been the national trend in areas surrounding Walmart stores. Leventhal said that he and Elrich next week “will make a recommendation that instead of a single plot zoning, or just rezoning of one parcel at the request of its property owner we should instead analyze the net effect on the entire commercial area of Aspen Hill.”