Annapolis, MD (10-4-16) Annapolis Mayor Michael Pantelides announced that a conservation easement will be put on one half of the property where Bay Village Assistant Living will be developed. Once the project is completed, the easement will encompass three acres of forest and include a small wetland area on the site.
“This is the first conservation easement since 2003,” Mayor Pantelides said. “I am grateful to the Annapolis Conservancy Board and to the applicant for creating a process that combined considerable outreach to the community and for gaining valuable input from the residents. Today is about reclaiming a dump area so it can be improved and preserved as a natural resource.”
The Annapolis Conservancy Board, Bay Village Assisted Living representatives, local environmentalists, and project supporters were at the planned construction site where hundreds of tires have been illegally dumped along with other debris. Bay Village developers and the Annapolis Conservancy have been working with the city and community members to develop a substantive conservation easement to protect three acres from any future development, which will include removing the tires and debris, restoring the non-tidal wetland.
“Retention of natural resources is key to our quality of life in Annapolis,” Annapolis Conservancy Chair Karen Jennings said. “Natural areas and open space protect our water quality, provide habitat for birds and animals, and create recreational opportunities for residents. The Annapolis Conservancy Board is proud to manage these resources on behalf of Annapolis residents, and to include the Bay Village easement in this legacy.”
City staff worked with the applicant to take additional measures to preserve more environmental features than originally submitted.
“We met with community members, City leaders and City staff several times, and identified a clear, protective path forward, said John Degen, Bay Village Assisted Living Partners, Co-Developer and Executive Director.
“Our site plan met the Forest Conservation Act requirements for the entire 10-acre development, not just our 6.3-acre parcel. We met all these requirements on site and when this project is completed we will have preserved 2.54 acres of forest, added another 0.47 acres through reforestation, and planted another 0.92 acres of trees and canopy along the public right-of-ways.”
Other preservation features include:
- reducing building footprint by almost 50%, adding second story
- putting parking, storage and laundry below grade
- moving the building footprint out of the stormwater pond and constructing a storm water vault under the building
- shifting building on the site to increase wetland buffer
- reducing units from 90 to 88
“We really worked hard to make this a model project and a win-win for all the stakeholders,” Degen added. “Our project will deliver a badly needed service to the City of Annapolis, conserve 3 acres of forest, meet the canopy goal, have no significant impact on traffic, greatly enhance the attractiveness of the Bay Village area and only lose 0.35 acres of trees.”
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