A company that is planning a mixed-use development near Baltimore- Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport has floated the location as a possible venue for a slots casino if a nearby site at Arundel Mills mall falls through.

Linthicum Heights-based Heffner & Weber has offered to sell a parcel of more than 50 acres of undeveloped land near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and the airport to a slots developer, presumably Baltimore-based Cordish Cos., which is seeking a state license and county zoning for its project at the mall. The site is part of the proposed "Aerotropolis," a transit-oriented development that could include housing and entertainment.

President Mitch Weber characterized his firm's proposal as alternative that could break a stalemate on the Anne Arundel County Council, which has delayed voting on a zoning measure as some residents balk at having slots at the mall. Council members are weighing two zoning bills, and the state slots commission that is handling licensing has given them until mid-December to resolve the issue.

"We're not trying in any way to be a spoiler; we're trying to put on the table a site that might make good sense if other proposals fail," Weber said. "From our perspective, we believe this site does have some attributes that would not cause it to be a lighting rod like the site has been at Arundel Mills."