I attended the planning & zoning meeting Sept. 17 in Georgetown, where many residents expressed serious concerns about the potential impact of the proposed Atlantic Fields shopping center on traffic congestion and emergency response times along Mulberry Knoll Road and Cedar Grove Road.
During the meeting, there was a discussion regarding a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Mulberry Knoll Road and Cedar Grove Road, which the applicant would be responsible for constructing. The concern raised was that the existing roadway is not wide enough to accommodate the roundabout, and this intersection is not adjacent to the applicant’s property. A planning & zoning commissioner explained that if additional property were required to build the roundabout, adjacent land would need to be purchased or obtained through eminent domain, a process that would involve the courts and could take years to complete. This explanation was intended to reassure residents that roadway expansion would not occur in front of their properties without due process and public input.
My understanding from that exchange is that if Atlantic Fields is approved, the applicant will be required to construct the roundabout and undertake associated road widening as part of the project. It was unclear, however, whether this widening would be limited to the area surrounding the roundabout or extend beyond it. Regardless of whether this particular development moves forward – and I sincerely hope it does not – any significant project along Route 24 will inevitably increase traffic on Mulberry Knoll and Cedar Grove. In their current state, these narrow two-lane roads with no shoulders cannot safely or efficiently accommodate the additional volume.
Respectfully, if land acquisition alone could take years, then planning to widen Mulberry Knoll and Cedar Grove must begin now. Waiting to address this critical infrastructure issue until after a development is approved would likely result in a period of severe congestion, significantly slower emergency response times and further strain on the community during the subsequent construction phase.
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