Speaking before the Greater Crofton Council, members of a panel that advises the county as it revises the plan - the county's guidebook for growth - said the goal is to slow building along the state-owned road.

"If you take a look at what's taking place on Route 3, you have Carver Square that has magically appeared, you had the whole issue with the Wal-Mart further down, and you have what's going on with Waugh Chapel II," said John Hollywood a Greater Crofton Chamber of Commerce board member. "The issue on the Route 3 upgrade . . . which isn't going to take place until around 2030."

Mr. Hollywood is not a member of the advisory panel.

Additionally, a new Wawa is under construction at the Route 175 intersection and a new auto shop is planned for just south of that. Several other properties on Route 3 have signs announcing developers' intentions to build. And tenants have moved into the Princess Shopping Center at the Route 3 and Conway Road intersection.

The plans for a Wal-Mart across the street from the Jasper's restaurant were canceled in March 2007, but what landowner William Berkshire now wants to do with that property and others he owns in the area is not publicly known.

"There is a little bit (of discussion) of how to slow things down," said Anthony Savia, who serves on the advisory panel.

People who live in the thousands of homes in the area often complain the road is clogged with traffic, a problem they blame on growth along the road. Some have gone so far as to push legislators to enact a moratorium on new developments until traffic issues on Route 3 could be resolved.

Mr. Savia could not mention specific policies the committee will recommend to county officials, but he said they are intended to keep tight reins on growth in the area while keeping the blueprints from the Crofton SmallArea Plan intact.

Madonna Brennan, co-chairman of Crofton First, a group that monitors development and other issues along Route 3, said that if development can't be slowed, it should at least be controlled so that what is built is a boon to the area. Ideally, it would put no new strains on Route 3, be easy to enter and leave and be pedestrian friendly, she said. Smaller, freestanding developments are generally not preferred, she said.

"Smart growth in that area means friendly access and you're not putting yourself at risk from the raucous drivers on Route 3," she said.

Wendy Cozzone, who also sits on the advisory panel, said there are some concerns the area could become overbuilt with office and retail space that will ultimately sit empty because businesses can't afford to move in.

"Overdeveloped and then underoccupied would be horrible," she said.

Recently the Eastern Automotive Group car dealership shuttered its Crofton store. In <i>The Washington Post</i> last week, the owner of the dealership blamed it on the poor economy; the dealership, which specializes in selling cars to people with poor credit, had trouble securing loans for it's customers.

The Base Realignment and Closure process, or BRAC, and growth at Fort George G. Meade also has been discussed in the General Development Plan revision process, but not much.

"It hasn't been our priority," Mr. Savia said. "It's not our mission."

A draft of the plan is expected to be complete by this winter and must receive approval from the County Council for it to become effective.