Sunday, September 23, 2012
Here's a quick look back at the biggest headlines of the week in Annapolis.
No. 1—Appeals Board Axes Quiet Waters Development In a surprising 3-1 vote the Annapolis Board of Appeals struck down the construction of approximately 160 homes on a lot adjacent to Quiet Waters Park. The board members cited concerns offer traffic and whether the number of homes would go against preserving the natural characteristics of the development. Jerome Feldman, an attorney representing on of the developers, declined to comment on the board's decision, but Assistant City Attorney Gary Elson thinks the case is headed to Circuit Court. No. 2—Police Raid Annapolis Home, Find $8,600 in Ecstasy Annapolis police raided a home blocks from Georgetown East Elementary on Monday evening and found 432 Ecstasy pills and Diazepam—a prescription …
Thursday, September 20, 2012
The Board of Appeals voted against allowing the development of 39 acres adjacent to Quiet Waters Park.
The Annapolis Board of Appeals voted 3-1 to reject the plan to build 160 new homes near Quiet Waters Park at its Wednesday night meeting. The Reserve at Quiet Waters project would have built those homes on 39 acres adjacent to the county-owned park—a fact that upset Annapolis environmental groups who believe the project would have destroyed old growth forests and animal habitats. Board Chair Christian Elkington and member Christian Zazzali said they believed the developer's proposal failed to adequately address concerns about traffic along Forest Drive. "I didn’t hear a lot of evidence that strongly swayed me," Zazzali said. "There was not a lot of evidence that suggested it would be safe." Elkington added that he believed—through no fault…
Thursday, August 23, 2012
After months of negotiations the developers for the Reserve at Quiets Waters and the city are still arguing over construction details.
City officials and builders of a proposed development adjacent to Quiet Waters Park spent most of their four-hour Board of Appeals hearing talking about trees—specifically those in the southwest corner of the 39-acre property adjacent to the county-owned park. Annapolis' Planning Commission approved a site plan for the Reserve at Quiet Waters, which includes 160 residential units, in September 2011. It did so after hours of heated debate, and only after it placed a near record 48 conditions on the project. The developers, QW Properties and Chesapeake Realty Partners, testified to the Board of Appeals that they have agreed to potential compromises on all but one of those conditions. The planning commission placed a requirement on the …
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Aldermen approved the group after a contentious 5-4 vote on Monday.
The City Council laid the groundwork Monday for a work group charged with brainstorming ideas for forest preservation. The group was formed in the midst of planning for two proposed residential developments along Forest Drive–Crystal Spring, a retirement community, and The Reserve at Quiet Waters, a 150-home project approved by the city earlier this year. Environmentalists in the area have opposed both projects, saying they encroach on the city’s forests. Mayor Josh Cohen read from a letter drafted by the Department of Natural Resources, which noted deficiencies in the city’s policies for forest conservation, saying they did not match up with the state's Forest Conservation Act. The changes Cohen proposed would have developers survey the …
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Just in case you missed something this week, Patch brings you the week that was in Greater Annapolis.
Patch articles always stay on the site, even when they're not posted as a top story, so we encourage you to explore and read some of the older articles if you're new to Greater Annapolis Patch. We have some more information if you'd like to know more about how to use the Patch site. And to ensure you don't miss anything, we'll do reviews each week to point out stories of interest you may have missed. Remember that you can sign up to receive daily or weekly updates from Patch. We're also active on Facebook and Twitter, too. This week Patch took to a birthday party at the Anne Arundel Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It was the specialized center's Sweet 16 and about 500 people, former patients and their families, came out to …
Friday, September 16, 2011
The controversial development received an approving vote from city planning commissioners Thursday night.
A new residential development adjacent to Quiet Waters Park received reluctant approval from the Annapolis Planning Commission Thursday night. The Reserve at Quiet Waters, a 158-unit development off Annapolis Neck Road, was approved by a 5-1 vote, with Chairman David DiQuinzio dissenting. The measure passed with a near-record 48 conditions, including a requirement that the developer foot the bill if a traffic light on nearby Forest Drive is needed within the next five years. Commissioner Robert Waldman said the decision did not come easy for him, but he had to abide by the terms of the City Code, which The Reserve’s plan followed. “This is not something I’m happy to see built in the city of Annapolis,” Waldman said. “But I don’t have any …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
City Planning Commission to take up the Reserve at Quiet Waters for the third time at a meeting Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The Annapolis Planning Commission has twice before taken up the proposed Reserve at Quiet Waters housing development, each time postponing a vote after its meeting ran past midnight. The commission is scheduled to vote at its meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in City Council chambers. Previous meetings attracted many Annapolis Neck residents who said they were concerned over increased traffic on Forest Drive, as well as potential environmental impacts in Quiet Waters Park. The Reserve at Quiet Waters, or the Preserve at Quiet Waters as it appears in some documents, is proposed on a 40-acre property along Annapolis Neck Road. The development is slated to include 158 residential units, scattered in an inverse S-curve, all adjacent to the north …
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Just in case you missed something this week, Patch brings you the week that was in Greater Annapolis.
Patch articles always stay on the site, even when they're not posted as a top story, so we encourage you to explore and read some of the older articles if you're new to Greater Annapolis Patch. We have some more information if you'd like to know more about how to use the Patch site. And to ensure you don't miss anything, we'll do reviews each week to point out stories of interest you may have missed. Remember that you can sign up to receive daily or weekly updates from Patch. We're also active on Facebook and Twitter, too. Even though Tropical Storm Irene had blown through the region and the threat had passed, the storm stole must of the attention this past week as residents were left to clean up from the storm or make due without power. …
Friday, September 2, 2011
Planning Commissioners again delayed a vote over a hotly contested development off Annapolis Neck Road.
A vote over the proposed residential complex near Quiet Waters Park was again shelved by city planning commissioners after lengthy discussion on Thursday. The Reserve at Quiet Waters is proposed on a 40-acre property along Annapolis Neck Road. The development is slated to include 158 residential units, scattered in an inverse S-curve, all adjacent to the north end of the county-owned Quiet Waters Park. The development’s proximity to the park and its potential impact on nearby Forest Drive have made it a sensitive issue for the Annapolis Planning Commission. “This is a damned difficult site,” said Commissioner James Urban. An alternate entrance or exit was originally proposed at the entrance to the park, which would have spit traffic out …
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
City Planning Commission meeting at 7:30 p.m. to continue discussion on the Reserve at Quiet Waters and vote on the proposal. Annapolis Neck residents are mounting a opposition to the development.
Updated 12:45 p.m. Tuesday: Anne Arundel County Councilman Chris Trumbauer, D-District 6, said he spoke with the developers Wednesday morning concerning access to Hillsmere Drive. He said he was told by the developers that they are not going to pursue any access to Hillsmere Drive for the development. That includes a traffic circle or an access road near the entrance to Quiet Waters, he said. Instead, access to the Reserve at Quiet Waters will be from Forest Drive, he said. Trumbauer said representatives for the devleoper said they are waiting to see the results of a traffic study before deciding whether they consider installing another traffic signal. __________________________ Original: The last meeting on the proposed 158-home …
nichole sampson
6:55 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
Yes...way to go is right in this day and age the pen is indeed mightier than the sword with all this social media...twittering and facebooking and petitioning!!! Yes!!!!!! more ›