AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi
and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services
High-rise apartments, townhouses and high-density development areas resembling Annapolis Town Center (seen in the photograph above) could be in the near future for Severna Park if a bill being debated by the Anne Arundel County Council is passed.
We were alerted by friend and Severna Park resident Amy Badger Laque’s repost of a Magothy River Association Facebook post notifying the public that the Anne Arundel County Council is debating Bill 2-25 which would fast-track such high-density construction in several locations throughout the county including the Route 2 (Ritchie Highway) corridor.
Badger’s repost urged her friends to view the MRA post (including the map seen below) showing the area of the community affected and then reach out to the County Council. Like many residents who moved to Severna Park for good schools and a high standard of living, she’s disappointed and disillusioned by the overdevelopment of the area.
“For example, there are five public storage facilities within half a mile of my home off Jumper’s Mill Road, none of which are at capacity,” she said. “The amount of building is unconscionable and completely contradicts County Executive Steuart Pittman’s purported stance. It’s also a bit ironic, considering the Green Infrastructure Master Plan.”
In addition to opposition from the Magothy River Association, Bill 2-25 has also been a topic of concern at two successive meetings of the Greater Severna Park Council according to board president Maureen Carr York.
“We first met two weeks ago to discuss the matter after which board members Craig Meyers and Doug Nichols wrote up a statement of concern regarding the bill which was proposed by County Executive Pittman,” Carr said.
She further noted that, because the Council has existed since the 1960’s to preserve the character and small town feel of Severna Park, similar issues have come up before. The members are overwhelmingly convinced that Bill 2-25 and similar proposals would be overwhelmingly bad for the community and residents feel the same way.
In 2012, Carr was a member of a Citizens Advisory Committee regarding the Transportational Functional Master Plan for 2040.
“At that time, the planners were advocating for transit-oriented development and high-density housing in areas they described as ‘much bigger than Annapolis Town Center’ with high-speed buses,” she said. “We didn’t favor the plan.”
The GSPC board’s second meeting, with Amanda Fiedler, Anne Arundel County Council member for District 5 in attendance, was held February 11. Fiedler, who strives to preserve the character of the community while protecting the environment of her district, was working on an amendment to Bill 2-25.
Fiedler told us that Bill 2-25 allows an area labeled a Critical Corridor to be redeveloped, skipping “both the sketch plan and preliminary plan steps of development.”
The councilmember says “she doesn’t have as much concern with this” as there would still be public meetings about the redevelopment and the two steps apply primarily to development on undeveloped tracts of land.
The Pittman administration said the bill was intended for more blighted areas with vacant retail space, Fiedler explains.
“The bill increases the potential residential units for a multi-family dwelling (apartment type complex) from 15 units per acre to 22 units per acre, if a commercial property is redeveloped,” she says.
It also does away with the requirement to have half the floor area of a redevelopment on a commercially zoned property actually be commercial.
“This means the redevelopment doesn’t have to have any commercial space at all,” she adds. “It could be redeveloped to all residential.”
Bill 2-25 also subsidizes development forcing local taxpayers to foot the bill for a 50% reduction of connection fees (water and sewer) for developers, presumably as a spur to development.
“The Pittman administration stated that the bustling retail space in Severna Park is unlikely to be appealing for redevelopment, so it probably won’t take place in the near future,” Fiedler says.
“My position is that, if the bill was not intended for an area like Severna Park but more blighted areas, then let’s remove the bustling commercial and residential areas from the bill. We most certainly do not need to have established active and robust communities identified as properties that are ripe for redevelopment.”
“I am working to identify amendment language that would remove the Severna Park area from Bill 2-25,” Fiedler concludes.
Having previously discussed challenges firefighters face in dealing with high-rise buildings with Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company Chief Dave Crawford, we also sought his input.
“The upper floors of some three-story assisted living homes in areas we’re responsible for are a struggle to reach with our current equipment,” Crawford says. “Aerial platform firetrucks are going for $2 million today. When I first priced the firetruck we need, it was going for $731,000. Just a year later, the price has risen to one million dollars.
Crawford, in the midst of organizing EHVFC’s annual Bull & Oyster Roast taking place this Saturday, February 15 (announcement below), hopes for a good turnout for the fundraiser. The volunteer fire department is self-sustaining. Thus, it receives no money from Anne Arundel County taxpayers and must raise funds for operating expenses, equipment and a new firehouse. The chief offers some food for thought. “
“A legislator mentioned to me that 8,000 high income tax bracket homeowners have moved away from Severna Park recently. No one wants to live in a metropolis considering the examples we have of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. So, they move here and are entirely unaware that our services are not supported by taxpayers,” he says.
“We have to raise money. We sent out mailers asking for donations to 27,000 homes. Only 4,400 sent back a donation. We also sent mailers to 200 businesses and only two came back with donations…and some are huge businesses that are fully served by us.”
Crawford feels that, though not unexpected, the prospect of even denser residential development will add to the expense and burden of serving a nighttime population of 25,000 to 27,000 people that swells to a daytime population of 60,000 or 70,000 counting the workforce and students.
While more appropriate for a location within the boundaries of an already existing city, projects like the Annapolis Town Center tend to be a magnet for similar high-rise construction. Multiplex buildings are visible beyond the center in the photo below. Newly completed construction of additional high-rises can be seen nearby on Riva Road.
The Anne Arundel County Council meeting concerning Bill 2-25 is being held on February 18 at Arundel Center at 44 Calvert Street in Annapolis for those who’d like to attend. For those who wish to make their feelings known to the Council, they may submit online testimony or comments by visiting County Council Meeting – February 18 | Anne Arundel County Government (aacounty.org).
Reminder: Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company Bull & Oyster Roast this Saturday
Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company’s annual Bull & Oyster Roast takes place Saturday, February 15 at the firehouse at 161 Ritchie Highway from 5 pm till 10 pm with food, music and fun. The menu is terrific with pit beef, ham and turkey and raw oysters, oyster stew, and oyster fritters plus all the trimmings and dessert. There will be 50/50 Boards, Big 6, Showdown Poker, Pull Tabs and Lottery Board adding to the fun. For tickets which are $50 in advance or $60 at the door see Earleigh Heights VFC (ehvfc.org).
Unity Gardens annual Spring Lecture at St. Phillips Epsicopal Church on February 22
Magothy River Association member Karen Royer tipped us that Unity Gardens has scheduled its annual Spring Lecture for 10 am on February 22 at St. Phillips Episcopal Church, 730 Bestgate Road, Annapolis.
“Unity Gardens is a small nonprofit that gives grants to civic organizations across Anne Arundel County to plant native trees, shrubs and perennials,” Royer says. “These grants help to control stormwater as well as provide habitat for birds, pollinators and wildlife. The Magothy River has benefitted from grants given to schools, churches, libraries, HOA’s, garden clubs and Scout projects in our watershed.”
This year’s lecture, titled “Nature’s Blueprint: Designing for Resiliency with Native Plants” features Ryan Drake, McCausland Natural Areas Manager of Morris Arboretum & Gardens, University of Pennsylvania. The lecture is a good way to learn about native plants and support the ongoing Unity Gardens grants. Tickets are $40. For information or tickets, visit Unity Gardens – Unity Gardens.
The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center.)
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.
