No Kohl's in Forest Hill
Tell Kleins...No Kohl's in Forest Hill
Current News
THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER!!!
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PUBLIC OPINION!!!
Planning and Zoning has approved the site plan and it is pending Klein's/Kohl's countersignature.
HOWEVER WE STILL PLAN TO FIGHT. WE CAN APPEAL THIS APPROVAL AND KEEP GETTING OUR MESSAGE OUT!! WE ARE PLANNING UPCOMING RALLIES WITH MEDIA COVERAGE!!!!
PLAN TO SEE US AND JOIN US AT OUR NEXT RALLY...TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, VOTING DAY, AT THE FOREST LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL POLLING SITE.
WE NEED PEOPLE THERE THROUGHOUT THE DAY, PLEASE EMAIL US AND LET US KNOW WHEN YOU BE THERE.... nokohlsinforesthill@gmail.com WE NEED YOU...Remember this is YOUR community!!!!
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Another No Kohl's Rally! 7/10 6 p.m.
There will be another "Tell Klein's... no Kohl's in Forest Hill" rally Thursday July 10th @ 6 p.m. Meet at the entrance of Forest Lakes, bring signs that say "Tell Klein's... no Kohl's in Forest Hill" and remember This is your neighborhood! See you at 6!
KOHL’S IS NOT A DONE DEAL!
NO KOHL’S IN FOREST HILL movement still in full effect!
We need YOU to attend a community meeting to discuss the progress of the "No Kohl’s in Forest Hill" movement!
Tuesday, July 8th @ 7:30 p.m.
Christ Church Rock Spring - Parish Hall
2100 Rock Spring Rd
(From Forest Lakes, turn left on Rt. 24, make a left on Rock Spring Rd.)It is very important that everyone attend to try to make a difference! Learn about what has happened and what is planned for the future of OUR neighborhood.
Remember this is your neighborhood!
See you at the meeting!
A copy of the follow up letter sent from the DAC meeting on May 13th can be found here.
Development Advisory Committee Meeting Summary:
The different agencies
stated their positions on the zoning requirements. The Sheriff's department
stated concerns regarding the location so close to the school, the increased
congestion and added traffic onto
There were numerous comments regarding the safety of our children, the increased traffic,especially tractor trailers, and concern over property values. People in the community telling Kohls and Kleins very clearly that this plan is not appropriate for this location. The biggest concerns expressed are for child safety and increased traffic to the neighborhood, including tractor trailer and holiday traffic. A question was presented to the committee whether the sheriff's deputies comments and concerns would have any impact on the approval of the plan, and the answer was 'no'. If the plan fits all of the zoning regulations, the sheriff's safety concerns would not stop approval. There was discussion that the property has been zoned B2 since 1982 and that its fate has been sealed since that time. Response to that statement was two fold: first, when the property was zoned the school and the neighborhood were not built yet and that county has changed since 1982; and second, that when you look at the Harford County Master Plan for Greater Bel Air it states that the commercial development was to be at the intersection of 24 and Red Pump and Bynum Run and not to expand North of that intersection. It was pointed out to the committee that this is in opposition with the Master Plan for the area. Prior to the meeting ending, the Kohl's representative was given a binder with petitions, rally information, and pictures of our school, our children and the traffic surrounding the school at drop off and pick up time.
The community asked Kohl's and Kleins to reconsider the plan. The hearing ended around 12pm.
Another incredible Rally! See the news footage here:
Be sure to attend the DAC Meeting Wednesday May 7th at 9 a.m. at 212 South Main Street.
Important Reminder!
The "No Kohl's" movement does not support or encourage rude or threatening behavior in our communications, rallies, etc. We encourage reasonable dialog in an attempt to stop Kohl's, a big box store, from building next to our community school.
The Five Most Important Things You Can Do To Help
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Come to this week's Rally. We had over 250 people show up last week and we need to try and double it. May 2nd at 6:00 p.m. at the corner of Osborne Parkway and 24.
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Attend the The Harford County Development Advisory Committee (DAC) meeting on May 7, 2008 at 9 a.m.! We need to have strong numbers here to show just how much we are against this project. Please note the new location: 212 South Main Street
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Sign the online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nokohls/. Your voice counts!
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Forward this information and a link the website to absolutely everyone you know!
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Send letters as described on the "What can I do?" page
April 25th NO KOHL'S Rally Huge Success!
We had a tremendous turnout to rally against Klein's putting a 2-story Kohl's next to OUR Forest Lakes Elementary School. Over 250 people turned out and shouted, "Tell Kleins, No Kohl's in Forest Hill" while waiving our "No Kohl's" Yard signs. We even received news coverage from Channel 11.
Click below to see news/video coverage:
No Kohl's in Forest Hill Media Coverage
No Kohl's Community Meeting
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 7:30 p.m
Forest Lakes Elementary School Cafeteria
The meeting was a HUGE SUCCESS!!!! We had over 180 people turn out to a packed Forest Lakes Cafeteria. Everyone was in support of banning together to prevent Kohl's from being built directly next to OUR Forest Lakes Elementary School!! Most of your neighbors took signs and bumper stickers to put in the yard and on their cars. Let's keep up the momentum and let our voices be heard.
Dear Neighbor,
I live in the Forest Lakes community. I have been attending a number of public meetings regarding the development of the field by the Forest Lakes Elementary School (at the corner of Route 24 and Osborne Parkway). From about a year and a half ago to the present, the public meetings that I attended discussed the idea of upscale shopping and small businesses (such as restaurants, a coffee shop, a small scale gym, etc.) occupying the land next to our school. The community seemed in general pleased with these ideas since we want to remain free from chain stores and preserve our neighborhood charm. Public attendance at future meetings became less frequent as we were assured that the idea of small businesses was intended for the land. We trusted in what we were hearing.
I was shocked while attending a public meeting on February 21st upon hearing that a two-story Kohl’s department store is now planned for the area. No small businesses or no restaurants. Looking at the diagrams, I saw the plan consisted of a huge parking lot with a boxed 2-story building on it. Tractor trailers will enter and exit off of Osborne Parkway right near our school.
I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that the safety of our children (most of whom are walkers to the school) is at risk due to increased traffic (not to mention those additional tractor trailers). And what about the increased traffic congestion on and around Osborne, especially on weekends (prime shopping times), when we are taking our kids to the Forest Hill Parks and Recreation fields?
In this current economy, the last thing we need is to decrease our Forest Lakes property values by turning our once-pleasant neighborhood into a gigantic shopping district. The nearest Kohl’s is only 10-15 minutes away. Do we really want to trade aesthetics for convenience?
Don’t we have a right to voice what our community – the space that we live in – should look like? Why are our wishes being ignored?
If you are as concerned as I am about these latest plans, please e-mail me at:
Nokohlsinforesthill@gmail.com
and I will put together a list of those of us who want our voices to be heard. As I hear more or learn of any other plans for future meetings, I can e-mail you so that you can attend and have a voice in an issue that affects us all.
If the Forest Lakes community ignores the proposed building of Kohl’s, then we will all suffer the consequences by having a chain store spoiling the character of our neighborhood.
Please get involved before it is too late!