Thank you for joining my email list. As the new alderman for Ward 5 (as of Jan. 14), I am interested in having a continuing dialogue with Ward 5 residents in particular, and Annapolitans in general. Please contact me by email, Facebook, Twitter, phone, or in person when you have a question or issue about city government, and to let me know how you feel about existing issues.
This rest of this email is specifically about the Crystal Spring project. If you'd like to hear about other issues, please consider attending one of these upcoming events.
On Jan. 8, representatives of the Crystal Spring proposed development presented the current status of that project to Hunt Meadow residents and others tonight. I am interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions about the project, and what issues you are concerned about. To that end, I present to you below the issues discussed at the meeting, and ask for your thoughts. By doing so, I am aiming for a non-biased tone, waiting to reach an opinion after I have gathered more facts and opinions, including yours.
Some highlights from the meeting:
1. Acreage. The entire property includes 180 acres. The owner allocated 75 acres to a protective easement. Of the remaining acreage, about 80 acres are forested, of which 36 acres will be cleared and developed.
2. Traffic. On average now, Forest Drive gets 40,000 cars per day. The project envisions 3 entrances, from Spa Road near Forest Drive, from Forest Drive near Hilltop Lane, and from Forest Drive onto Crystal Spring Farm Road. The developer would widen Spa Road by one lane exiting onto Forest Drive, and Forest Drive may be widened in the area.
3. School capacity, parking at Annapolis Middle on Saturdays, low water pressure in Hunt Meadow. The developers responded to these questions by saying the current plans were preliminary and those issues would be addressed as the project proceeded. In addition, the developers pointed out that the project called for mostly age restricted residences, except for 130 townhouses that would not likely contain large families because of their size.
4. Vacant properties. Questions were asked whether all of this retail space (over 130,000 sq. ft.) would be necessary. The developers suggested that the primary anchor, expected to be Harris Teeter, secondary anchor, and supporting restaurants and other shops would primarily support the local community of the development, so that there would be a need.
5. Impact on wetlands and the environment. The developers described a plan to contain all of the development's storm water on the property using bioswales, plus extra efforts to treat existing storm water coming onto the property from AMS and across Forest Drive. Erik Michaelson, from the South River Federation, spoke positively of this effort.
I'll be your alderman for 2013, so please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
I'm looking forward to working together with you! Sincerely, Jared Littmann Alderman, Ward 5, Annapolis
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