Developers buying community support in west county

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Who wants a swimming pool? A high school? New uniforms for your child's soccer team? Or shiny new instruments for the band?

What's the price, you say? Why, only a landfill down the street or hundreds of new homes across the highway.

In Crofton and parts of west county, it's a bargain many residents and developers are striking.

Led by the Greater Crofton Council and its president, Torrey Jacobsen, several deals negotiated in recent months promise millions of dollars to community groups in exchange for their support - or at least their tacit approval - on plans to further develop this...