The Prince George's Planning Board, a pushover for developers, is RIGHT NOW considering Walmart's bid to expand its Capital Plaza megastore to dominate the site and preclude better options for the community and county. Opponents are attending the hearing to make their voices heard -- join them.

RIGHT NOW: Today, Thursday, May 5, starting at 10 a.m. the Prince George’s Planning Board is considering Walmart’s plan to enlarge its Capital Plaza megastore, dominating the site even more and crowding out alternative possibilities for mixed use in an area that badly needs a diverse stock.

The hearing began at 10 a.m. in the County Administration Building (14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772), with neighborhood activists in attendance hoping to make sure our communities’ interests are considered. The planning staff has recommended approval of Walmart’s rapacious plan -- with some conditions, but it’s basically a green light for greed. More about the plan’s effects and community resistance here.

If you are in the area you can drop in and join the activists trying to hold back the pro-development tsunami that is the Planning Board. The Walmart item is not likely to come up immediately – the Planning Board’s usual procedure is to delay controversial items toward the bottom of the agenda to wear out opponents.

Here are other things opponents can still do:

>> Email the planning board, even during the hearing: Email letters should be sent to Susan Lareuse:   [email protected] --  Application Number: DSP-15020-01; Application Name: Capital Plaza Walmart

>> Sign the Petition.  Add your name to those who have already signed to let the Planning Commission know that you are opposed to Capital Plaza Walmart’s proposed expansion. Sign the petition at:  http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/no-super-walmart-in-capital-1

>> Contact county officials like your County Council member or County Administrator Rushern Baker ([email protected]), a resident of nearby Cheverly where resistance has been strong. If you are a Twitter user he is at https://twitter.com/CountyExecBaker

>> Tell your friends, neighbors and other county residents: “We Deserve Better!”