Root Cause Analysis Client: NoRoFo Hamilton, a community organization Background: There is a block on Harford Road in northeastern Baltimore where a very large Royal Farms gas station and convenience store have been proposed. On the north side of the block is a 5-way intersection that has been the site over over 120 car crashes in the past 5 year. Additionally, over the past year, over a million dollars has been spent by the city on traffic calming efforts, including making the street two-lanes rather than the four lanes it previously had been. NoRoFo Hamilton is concerned about the increased danger of additional traffic going through the intersection and danger to pedestrians who travel through the area. They are also concerned about noise and light pollution, increased litter, and negative effects on property values. NoRoFo would prefer not to have a Royal Farms built at all, however, that is not what they are fighting for because Royal Farms can build a convenience store "by right." (They own the property and it is zoned for that level of business.) They are trying to stop them from building the 12-pump gas station because of the impact on vehicle and pedestrian traffic. In order to combat this proposed development, NoRoFo Hamilton works to educate local residents as well as organize letter-writing campaigns, protests, and participation in meetings with the Baltimore City Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals (BMZA). Methods: Data was collected through interviews with NoRoFo leaders, review of NoRoFo informational documents, and a survey posted in an active community group on Facebook. Problem statement: Too few local residents are participating in the letter writing campaign, resulting in a weak message of opposition being sent to the BMZA. Potential causes: Structure and Processes There is a core cohort of residents who are active in the community. Many of the informational efforts take place at community events with the same base of people; as a result there is a bit of “preaching to the choir,” because those in attendance are already supportive.
Informational Resources In reviewing NoRoFo’s informational documents, it is clear that there is a bit of information overload. Too much text is included, resulting in residents ignoring flyers and other informational documents which give instructions for the letter writing campaign.
Motives Through interview and the survey, it appears that there is a degree of exhaustion among both leaders and residents. This campaign began eight years ago and has gone back and forth for so long that people are losing stamina for keeping up pressure on officials.
Physical Setting While the proposed development will have wide-reaching effects on the atmosphere of the community, many residents are apathetic because they do not live adjacent to the site; the further away they live, the less invested they tend to be.