Islanders for Responsible Development launch website

Opponents of a new shopping center on High School Road have taken their criticism of the proposed project to the World Wide Web.

Opponents of a new shopping center on High School Road have taken their criticism of the proposed project to the World Wide Web.

Islanders for Responsible Development have launched a new website to rally others in opposition to the development. The bare-bones website, www.environmentalbainbridge.org, includes links to submit comments to the city about the proposed retail center. It also explains why the group opposes the development.

Demonstrators have lined the corner of High School Road and Highway 305 — the site of the proposed shopping center — every Tuesday for one month now.

More recently, they have begun a petition of opposition to the shopping center. More than 400 signatures have been collected so far.

For their demonstration on Tuesday, July 9, protestors plan to take their signs to the ferry terminal during rush hour from 5 to 6 p.m. and gather more signatures.

Visconsi Companies of Ohio have slated the island site for a six-building retail center anchored by a Bartell Drugs store. The nearly 8-acre development will also include a bank, retail and restaurant space and a 20,000-square-foot medical center.

The project is currently going through the permitting process. The comment period ends on July 19.