Amber Ridge Shopping Center

The Rappaport Co. has put forth a new proposal for controlling traffic at Pointer Ridge Dr., Pointer Ridge Place and 301.  The developer is proposing a new half light traffic light at the entrance of the shopping center on U.S. 301 South with left in and left out on U.S.301 North and a right turn on to U.S. 301 South .  This must be approved by the State Highway Administration.  In the past the State Highway Administration has been against it.  At the present a letter to Senator Douglas J.J. Peters is circulating through the City Council in support of the light and asking him to ask the State Highway Administration to approve the light.  With this light the developer is not going to request the use of Pointer Ridge Place as an access to Pointer Ridge Drive.

The Amber Ridge Shopping Center has been a battle since 1989. The site is a 19 acre plot on US 301 land locked by the Crown Gasoline Station on the south, the city of Bowie on the west, and Maryland National Park and Planning on the north. The contention on this project has been and will continue to be the traffic congestion which will accompany this development. The original developer wanted access to Pointer Ridge Place from his development so that traffic leaving the shopping center wishing to go north on US 301 could use Pointer Ridge Dr. to cross over to the northbound lanes of US 301. Pointer Ridge Dr. would become gridlock with the added traffic as it is already heavily used by traffic cutting through from US 301 to go to MD 214, traffic wanting to go north on Mitchellville Road to proceed to Amber Meadows and other communities to the north on MD 197. In addition, Pointer Ridge Place was built as a secondary road and the City of Bowie would be obligated to upgrade the street to handle the commercial and added retail traffic.

Our Association, with the assistance of the City of Bowie, has been able to block the building of this development. During this time we have been active in placing language in the new Bowie Master Plan that will help us in our endeavors to obtain better development on the property. We have met with the new owner, Mr. Gary Rappaport, and we have been appraised of his preliminary views on his concept for Amber Ridge. We will keep in contact with him as plans progress.