City failed to address weaknesses in Eastport Shopping Center plan
You would think with all of the time that has passed, that Solstice Partners and Annapolis would have been putting the finishing touches on an excellent proposal to develop this small corner slice of the Eastport Shopping Center.
Unfortunately, you would be sadly mistaken. Theglaringweaknesses of this project have only become more apparent as more time elapses.
The Board of Appeals recently concluded that the majority of legal requirements (five of nine) havenot been met. As a result, the city has been holding private “mitigation” meetings with the developer without public input. They seem intent on cutting as many corners as this hidden process will allow.
In following these developments, I’ve come to the following conclusions:
This site needs to be developed. For some reason, the current owner has allowed the movie theater end (the only part of the site that plans to be developed) to deteriorate.
The intersection of Bay Ridge Avenue and Chesapeake Avenue between the shopping center and a bank across the street is the leading traffic bottleneck in Eastport. It is a danger to bikers, pedestrians and an impediment to public safety vehicles. It needs widening to accommodate a separate bike lane, wider sidewalks, and a crosswalk where people already jaywalk. The intersection at Americana Avenue is a nightmare when someone is trying to turn left. Adding density without addressing improvements to this intersection will make mattersworse.
Mayor Gavin Buckley campaigned on expanding bike lanes but appearsAWOLon this project.
ThePlanningandZoning folkshave been intellectually dishonest when describing how this project will not increase congestion on these roads without incorporating improvements. It’s shocking how they support the developer at every turn.
The developer has refused to acknowledge the congestion this project with cause nor offer any real solutions towork with the city to address them.
The Board of Appeals members have been professional in their deliberations and have been very patient as they attempt to parse out the relevant issues in this case. However, as the process has dragged on, there is a fear thatwe are losing sight of the forest for the trees.
When this project was first proposed, a petition garneredover 300signatures. Then the project was scaled back to 98 units, but is now stripped of promised community amenities.
Contrary to the developer’s claims before the Board of Appeals hearing earlier this monththat it is just a handful of peoplewith objections to this project, is it any wonder that a new petition on Change.org within the first hours garnered nearly 200 signatures?
In thewords of Alderman Ross Arnett to the Board:
“I agree with appellants that the new mitigations offered are inadequate and not fair to the residents who will bear the impact of the development long after the investors have departed. City Staff need to be more sympathetic to the needs of, and impacts, upon residents. It is residents that must live with and bear the burdens brought on by this proposed new development. All real costs; policing, traffic and stormwater management, and recreational needs that are not borne by the developers, will be passed onto the residents of the City. The City should make every effort to protect the interest of the residents, not minimize the cost to the developers.”
Ironically the City Planning Department just held a webcast on the future development of Annapolis. It emphasized bike lanes, sidewalks and other attributes of walkable livable communities. The area in front of theEastportShoppingCenter could serve as an ideal candidate to put words to action.
Buckley and his administration must do better. Hopefully, the Board of Appeals will hold them accountable. The residents of Eastport deserve no less.