Annapolis, MD – With Earth Month coming to a close, Crab Creek Conservancy today announces it has hired the law firm of G. Macy Nelson, LLC., to appeal the recent decision by the Annapolis Planning Commission to approve The Villages at Providence Point, a proposed 36.2-acre senior housing development to be owned and managed by Frederick-based National Lutheran Communities & Services. We believe there are significant issues of merit that need to be considered with regard to the project’s impacts as well as the approval process. Crab Creek Conservancy is joined by several others in our petition for judicial review.
The contested project would destroy over 27 acres of the last Priority Forest in Annapolis. Located along the traffic-choked Forest Drive, if allowed to go forward, this project would greatly increase traffic along the already failing road as well as worsen the effects of climate change in our area exponentially. Other impacts include the loss of 59 significant trees larger than 2 feet in diameter; pollution and run-off into the Chesapeake Bay via the Crab Creek tributary; a significant decline in the type and amount of wildlife that currently call the forest their home, including loss of several habitats that are rare in Annapolis. In addition, the re-routing of Forest Drive traffic along an extension of Skippers Lane would send high volume and commercial traffic through a minority and low-income residential neighborhood, creating significant safety issues for the local community. All of these impacts would result in a reduction of neighboring home values while also taxing area infrastructure and governmental resources beyond current capacity. It is our contention, backed by experts, that the mitigations proposed by the developers and the City of Annapolis cannot resolve these issues.
For all of these reasons, Crab Creek Conservancy and our cosigners choose to stand and defend our community against the proposed project.