This is part nine of nine in the Paving Paradise series. To read the full article click here.

Perryman and other communities dealing with the consequences of warehouse development sit at the intersection of logistical happenstance, environmental racism, and pro-warehouse development governance. Their proximity to rail and highway infrastructure and the few remaining tracts of open land make Perryman a target for developers. Long term, residents are working with state and county officials to gather funds to purchase the Mitchell property and turn it into a park and historical site but are concerned they’ll fall short of the Mitchell family's asking price. 3P highlights the long and often troubled history of colonization, slavery, and 20th century exploitive labor on the peninsula and is eager to learn more through archaeological discovery and preservation. The oldest Episcopal parish in Maryland, founded in 1671 with the current structure erected in 1851, sits on the north side of Perryman, just a stone's throw away from Clorox's second warehouse. Historic Victorian homes and the Mitchell canning facility may remain if more development occurs, but the landscape on which they sit, and Perryman’s identity, will change irreparably. When WBAL, a local Baltimore TV station, raised the resident’s concerns with the Mitchell family, they responded, “They don’t own it.” While technically correct, harm from the development and distribution centers in Perryman bleeds well beyond property boundaries, leading one to ask: shouldn’t developers own the damage they cause to others?

Despite the uphill battle, 3P and concerned residents have great resolve. The community continues to organize and fervently advocate for the land and its legacy. The story of distribution centers in Perryman and across the region is still being written. Grassroots organizing and advocacy has the power to effect change. A three hour drive south from Perryman on Interstate 95, a historically Black community outside Richmond has made strides in delaying a Wegmans distribution center set to be built on historic grave sites. However, these communities deserve more, especially from their elected leaders and democratic systems created “by the people, for the people.” A moratorium is just the first step in addressing the human and environmental impact from expanding industrial warehouse development. Comprehensive legislation at a state and county level is needed to regulate distribution centers to protect communities from their myriad of social costs. Without such plans, areas like Perryman may continue to see declines in quality of residents’ life, destruction of the environment, and erasure of its complex history.

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