Walter Vasquez’s guest column promoting the development of Crystal Spring (The Sunday Capital, June 11) distorts reality and attacks opponents and city officials — even resorting to allegations that the mayor and some aldermen are making backroom deals to block the development.

He alleges that city elected officials are blindsiding the developers and bullying them and that by allowing public input and transparency in the development approval process, they are resorting to a “politically driven side step”!

Obviously, he has lost touch with reality in acting as a shill for major development projects. City officials for too long in the past have let developers and their attorneys run roughshod over the public and laws designed to protect the environment and prevent overcrowding of our roads and schools. The results have been much worse for the economic climate and quality of life in Annapolis.

Mr. Vasquez wants to expedite projects like Crystal Spring and bring more traffic and environmental problems. The current proposal is for nearly 400 new housing units, a 48-unit assisted living facility, 500 new parking spaces and a new road.

The director of planning and zoning and his top planners should be commended for their thoroughness in reviewing the development proposals to assure compliance with the laws and for valuing public input, unlike in the recent past.

Annapolis is not bad for business, as Mr. Vasquez alleges. If that were, in fact, so, why are so many developers trying so desperately to develop here and why are so many businesses still opening here?

Let’s bring sanity to the development process, especially with more than 1,000 more housing units under construction or planned for the Forest Drive area.

QUE BRONSON, ANNAPOLIS

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