Voters defeat Aberdeen annexation

In what might be a sign that making room for BRACers might not always make Harford County residents happy, voters in Aberdeen yesterday defeated an annexation that would have brought more housing to the area. According to the unofficial vote published in Wednesday's Baltimore Sun, the plan was defeated by a 1,340-745 vote among city residents and a 19-18 vote among residents in the annexation parcel. Developers of The Wetlands project wanted the City of Aberdeen to annex more than 500 acres where the developers wanted to build upscale housing for more than 1,000 homes including townhouses, garage villas, condominums and houses at an average sales price of $350,000. The Sun story reported that a $20,000 impact fee would be assessed on each home to help offset the infrastructure costs of roads, schools and water services. The federal government's Base Realignment and Closure plan is expected to add approximately 8,200 jobs to Aberdeen Proving Ground and additional thousands throughout the area. The City Council unanimously approved the annexation in June despite the objections of hundreds of residents who attended meetings on the matter. Residents then forced a referendum on the issue with a 2,500-signature petition. Although they defeated the annexation plan, the developer has already submitted a revamped plan to annex 28 acres in the Locksley Manor community, according to a story in the Baltimore Examiner. That annexation plan is expected to come before the city council sometime between January and March, the story said. The growing pains are unlikely to go away any time soon.