On March 23 I attended the first public meetings being held by Crystal Spring developers National Lutheran Communities & Services about its new plan.

It is proposing to clear 27 acres of forest to build almost 400 senior residences. National Lutheran is using the name Providence Point in an attempt to separate itself from the controversy surrounding the previous plans.

My biggest fear is the traffic generation from the new National Lutheran project. The developer admitted that the nearby intersections are already over capacity.

My fear is a re-occurrence of situations like the April 1, 2014, incident in which an accident at Forest Drive closed an intersection for more than 17 hours. Forest Drive cannot handle more traffic. Emergency equipment cannot get around traffic gridlock.

The developer made it clear it is unwilling to budge on any of its plans in order to minimize environmental impact. It is unwilling to submit a master plan for the entire property.

I am very concerned about its plan to seek approval under a special exception process. National Lutheran wants to keep its building under 45 feet in height to avoid Planning Commission review and thereby limit public input.

National Lutheran needs to reconsider the tack it is taking with the community on this proposal. It should show some good will toward Annapolis residents over its bottom line if it wants our support. It should consider raising the building to reduce the footprint and go through Planning Commission review.

NICK KYRIACOU, ANNAPOLIS

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