Press Room

Bayfront park or condos?
City wants park, owners want to build 42 units

By E.B. FURGURSON III, Staff Writer

A group of Annapolis residents and city officials are rallying to save a swath of bayfront land from development by turning it into a city park.
About 80 people packed into a meeting Thursday night organized by Alderman Sam Shropshire, D-Ward 7, to muster interest, and eventually funds, to buy what is known as the Rodgers property, a little over 5 acres adjacent to Chesapeake Harbor that has commanding views of the bay, Kent Island and the bay bridge

"Our goal is that the land be preserved and become an extension of the Back Creek Nature Park. It would be Annapolis's first park on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay ... a park from Back Creek to the bay," Mr. Shropshire told the crowd.

But achieving the goal will require an uphill battle.

The waterfront property has the zoning and the most intensive Critical Area development designation allowed under law. The owners, represented by attorney Alan Hyatt, already have rejected an offer from the city and have talked to city planners about a plan to build 42 homes, a mix of townhouses and condominiums.

And a pool of money from the state, originally meant to help the city buy the property, is likely to be spent on something else before the money is lost for lack of use.

"Over a year ago, the city got an appraisal on the property which said it was worth $7.5 million," Mr. Shropshire said. "We made an offer to the family, and did not get much response. They seem to be interested in developing it.

Steve Carr, special assistant to Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, put it more succinctly Thursday night.

"The mayor asked the property owners if by no, do they meant no? Or if by no, do they mean hell no. They responded, 'Hell, no.'" he told the audience.

The property owners said they thought the land was worth double the offer, or more, Mr. Carr said.

Mr. Hyatt said yesterday his clients got more of a feeler than a formal offer from the city. But they were not interested.

The property owners include millionaire Baltimore developer Theo C. Rodgers, co-founder of A&R Development, which would develop the property.

Mr. Rodgers' company has built commercial and residential properties throughout the metro area. He sits on the board of trustees of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Fund and is a director at T. Rowe Price.

"The owners are not a family looking to develop the property then retire," Mr. Carr said.

"They are interested in making a profit," Mr. Shropshire underscored.

Nevertheless, Mr. Hyatt indicated his clients were not interested in entertaining an offer at the time.

"I would not close the door on it, but it is my understanding our client does not want to sell the property, " Mr. Hyatt said.

And the proposal to build is in its infancy.

"There has been no formal submittal to the city," Mr. Hyatt said. "There have only been very preliminary, conceptual discussions."

But there were some flickers of hope at the meeting held at Baywoods, the high-end senior housing community next to the Rodgers lot.

The appraisal was done in 2006 and since then market conditions for new developments have changed.

Mr. Hyatt acknowledged as much responding to a question about when a formal plan will be submitted. "Our client continues to evaluate what to do in this different development environment we are in."

After the plan is formally submitted to the city there will likely be a reduction in the number of units allowed, because of density, environmental and other regulations, Mr. Carr said.

There are wetlands on the property, which might limit building options.

"And as the number of units comes down, the (price) comes down," Mr. Carr said.

He and Mr. Shropshire also noted the historical value of the property with help from local historian Janice Hayes Williams.

The property in question sits next to the famed Carr's and Sparrow's beaches where African Americans romped by the bay and stomped through the night at weekend shows featuring the best entertainers around, acts like Ray Charles and James Brown to Lionel Hampton and Billie Holliday.

"The first musical act I ever saw was James Brown at Carr's Beach," Mr. Carr, no relation, said. "There is a lot of history here. But now that has been reduced to a sign in front of the sewage plant."

Those beaches, long since closed, were gobbled up by present day Chesapeake Harbour.

The only undeveloped land along that bayfront stretch is the property in question.

"We can't build on every piece of land in Anne Arundel County or our history will be gone," Ms. Hayes-Williams said.

There is hope the preservation drive will be as successful as a similar effort by nearby Bay Ridge residents years ago. They managed to buy and preserve some 20 acres.

The city annexed the Rodgers property in 2005 and changed the zoning on it from the county's R10, allowing 10 units per acre, to the city's R3 designation, which allows up to 12 units per acre in single-family or multi-family buildings.

Several people stood at the end of the meeting to sign up for the committee to try and tackle the task. Their hope is that the property owners will tire of having to struggle to get their project built and come to the table willing to sell.

Then, all those hoping to preserve the property for future generations have to do is find the money.

"We will try federal, state, county, city, private funds, grants anything it takes to achieve the goal," Mr. Shropshire said.

In the meantime, Mr. Carr said the city will make sure "every I is dotted, every T is crossed and every hoop is jumped through" to ensure the project will meet every law applicable.

"We won't hold them to a higher standard, but we will apply every rule," he said.

Published March 22, 2008 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2008 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.