Letter to the Editor - Annapolis Roads – Published 2/21/05

Congratulations to Annapolis Roads on successfully blocking the developers and preserving 33 acres of woodlands.  All of Annapolis can be proud of this preservation effort.

Now how can we all help the Annapolis Roads Property Owners Association continue to block the developers?

Indeed, it would be a shame if the remaining 80 acres of historic open space, which has served greater Annapolis as a golf course since the 1920s, was to be so callously thrown aside.  It is one of the most historic golf courses in Maryland, and is a delightful open-space area that all in the community, young and old, continue to experience and share.

Many a grandfather, son, grandson and granddaughter have treasured this place over the years.  Even Babe Ruth is said to have walked there.

THOMAS GREEN, Annapolis

Letter to the Editor - Annapolis Roads – Published 2/20/05

The hostile takeover of Annapolis Roads is an attempt to restructure this quiet community - 

and never mind the environment or the infrastructure of the Annapolis Neck or the quality 

of life of the majority.

The public record shows that Paul Lerner, developer and head of BankAnnapolis, purchased

some 36 acres from the Rosensweig Trust for $155,000 in December 1999.  Mr. Lerner

sold off 3.5 acres in January 2004 for $435,000.  Details of the current deal with Ribera

Development and John Stamato, St. Mary's Church and Annapolis Golf Club are un-

disclosed.

Clearly, residents of Annapolis Roads consider athletic fields and the accompanying traffic

and noise inappropriate additions to this residential community.  Apparently, St. Mary's

doesn't care.  Residents have written letters to the Rev. Denis Sweeney and the 

Archdiocese of Baltimore explaining their opposition to the proposed plans and urging

an end to involvement with the developers.  There has been no response.

St. Mary's has been portrayed as a witless accomplice and a pawn used by developers. 

Really?  Mandrin Homes donated $1 million to St. Mary's land acquisition effort.

Residents are positioning themselves to preserve these properties with cash and loans.

The community should be given the opportunity to preserve its golf course.

An annexation filing is anticipated this month.  In a guest column (The Sunday Capital,

Dec. 12), Jon Arason, the city director of planning and zoning, implied that there must be

valid reasons for the city to annex county property and that public hearings are required.

Residents of Annapolis Roads as well as Annapolis Neck will be at the hearing.  We are

counting on the county and city administrations and the city and county councils to do

the right thing.

CORINNA MAGEE

Annapolis

Letter to the Editor - Annapolis Roads – Published 12/14/04

Where I grew up, we referred to the little areas in which we lived as "neighborhoods."  

When we first moved here, I was struck by the local use of the term "community."

I looked up both words in the dictionary.  While they both refer to a distinct geographic area, 

only community describes a sense of identity, sharing, participation and fellowship.

I guess that's why I like Annapolis Roads so much just the way it is.  And why I feel so

sick each time I think about what is about to befall our community.

I was excited when I found a house in Annapolis Roads.  We liked the quiet, the curving

roads, the woods, and the access to the bay and Lake Ogleton.  I knew immediately this

was the place for us.

These feelings haven't changed.  We like walking the two-mile circle around the community.

We like taking the time to visit the beach and the bay.  We like the friendliness of the

neighbors.  We like it that the other night one of the foxes was coming up the road at 

dusk at the same time we were.

I invite the people from St. Mary's Church who are looking to turn the golf course into

playing fields to come over and visit our community.  I invite County Executive Janet

Owens and Mayor Ellen Moyer to come here, too.

They should come over on their own, walk our roads, reflect at the side of the bay,

contemplate our woods.  Then they should imagine this quiet little community with the

proposed development - the playing fields, the houses, the traffic, the lights, the noise.

Please helpd us keep our community from being turned into just a neighborhood.

RON LUDWIG

Annapolis

Letter to the Editor - Annapolis Roads – Published 11/1/04

The proposal by St. Mary's High School to buy Annapolis Roads golf course

and bulldoze it to build lighted athletic fields is ludicrous. At a spirited

meeting recently, residents of this quiet community made it clear that they

won't stand for it. We're going to fight this to the bitter end, hammer and

tongs.

You couldn't pick a worse place: Forest Drive is one of the county's most

treacherous arteries, jammed with traffic mornings and evenings. Bad crashes

occur regularly.

There's one way in and out of the community - crossing two busy lanes. Can

you see a couple hundred teenagers in hopped-up Jeeps making that trek five

times a week for football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey practices and

games? It's a formula for disaster.

Add to that the disruption of a peaceful community and you have the

definition of a bad idea. The people in Annapolis Roads prize our peace and

quiet. That's why we live here. Its mind-boggling that a community church

wants to ruin that peace and quiet.

That's not going to happen, period. If the church wants war, we're ready.

ANGUS PHILLIPS

Regarding the story headlined "St. Mary's, developer work on Annapolis Roads

deal" (The Capital, Oct. 23):

Annapolis Roads organized the community meeting held on Oct. 21 some time

before St. Mary's Church announced its land deal. We learned of the new

landowner only 36 hours prior to our discussions.

About 160 people attended the meeting and learned that the Bay Ridge Trust

has been actively working with Annapolis Roads to engage in discussions with

the developers in an attempt to purchase the land to preserve.

The residents of Annapolis Roads are galvanized, organized and committed to

maintaining our community, environment and amenities for future generations.

By no means do we plan to stand aside for a land deal that will forever

change life as we know it.

I am always happy to welcome any new neighbor to my community with open

arms. But I will never welcome the complete destruction of this historic

community, created by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted (the designer of New

York City's Central Park) in 1920. As a lifelong resident, this concerns me,

and it should concern all other residents of Annapolis as well.

Our community intends to demonstrate that we are qualified buyers. We are

organized, serious and willing to take on an effort to purchase the land for

preservation and to vigorously oppose any development that encroaches on our

quiet community. Currently, community leaders are seeking a meeting with the

new owners and we hope the discussions will yield something positive.

There is much at stake for everyone who lives on the Annapolis Neck

Peninsula. Make no mistake, if we fail, so does everyone else. And, worst of

all, so does the environment.

KARA FLYNN

Annapolis