Be Part of the Conversation
There is a myth circulating that senior housing at the Crystal Spring development will be affordable. The following information should dispel any notion that this is true.
The largest of the 33 single-family cottages for seniors, at 2,884 square feet with a two-car garage, would sell for nearly $1 million, an amount intended to give the buyer a return of 90 percent of this amount at resale. In addition, there would be a monthly fee of $7,000.
A six-story building is also planned, with 289 apartments. The smallest of the apartments, a one-bedroom unit with 893 square feet, would cost $450,000, which would be 90 percent recoverable upon resale, and have a $3,000 monthly fee. The larger apartments would go for up to $900,000, with a $6,000 monthly fee.
Also, despite repeated filings, National Lutheran Communities and Services, the group in charge of the senior housing part of the Crystal Spring development, has failed to gain approval from the Maryland Department of Aging on the economic feasibility of this project. This is partly due to the very high prices for the homes and apartments planned for Crystal Spring.
If the Crystal Spring development goes forward, older Annapolis citizens, along with the general population, will have to deal with increased traffic on Forest Drive and its feeder roads, destruction of what should be an environmentally protected area, the overcrowding of public schools and no affordable housing for seniors.
JOANIE BRONSON, ANNAPOLIS