We have a new comment from David Malkin on Bait & Switch, which was posted on 17 Jan of this year.
Month: April 2017
No Quitting
It’s not easy to go on fighting when it appears the outcome is already determined. But the Eastport Shopping Center development is NOT yet determined. If you have not yet signed the petition to oppose the project please do so now.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/eastport-shopping-center-no-apartment-complex
We’ve been hearing from a lot of people about how frustrated they’re becoming with the whole P&Z process. People assume Eastport Shopping Center is a done deal since the City has had P & Z staff show up at numerous town halls and marketing meetings too and not say anything to clarify that the density for residential is actually 52 NOT 127. It appears 127 is not possible unless they build over the ENTIRE square footprint of the existing commercial on site. So what are we doing here?
Commentary by people like Mr. Frenaye who don’t even live in Eastport is extremely annoying to those of us who do, and who oppose the project, but we posted his opinion because that’s what we do on this site.
We need continued turnout at meetings AND signatures on the petition.
Any ideas on what else we should do to keep up the pressure on the City?
Eastport Landing
And now for something completely different. Here’s a viewpoint: Podcast, John Frenaye
The Eastportaricans are all fired up. Someone has proposed building 127 apartments adjacent and attached to the Eastport Shopping Center and they are up in arms.
The end of the shopping center under consideration is largely vacant and the developers, Solstice Partners, are looking to include (in addition to the 127 apartments) a marketplace, some retail shops, gathering places, a LEED building, landscaping and an improved runoff situation.
The opponents are upset that the traffic will be too much. They are upset at the height of the building. They are upset that there will be 127 more residential units in Eastport. Everyone has a solution.
So, we sat down with Jeff Jacobson and asked him the questions. We listened to his vision. The work that has been done so far, and how they plan to engage the community to make it a true community development. And we asked about other uses for the property. It should be noted that Solstice Partners is an EQUITY partner with the center’s owners. They are not going to build and run. They are part of, and will remain part of the community.
Take a listen and learn. In our opinion, this has the potential to be a fantastic addition to the Eastport community with very little downside.
Link for petition Eastport Shopping Center
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/eastport-shopping-center-no-apartment-complex The above link is still open for you to sign in support of stopping residential development of the Eastport Shopping Center.
We Can Do Better – Improve Eastport Shopping Center!
Improve Eastport Shopping Center!
What is proposed for the Eastport Shopping Center redevelopment?
- 127 apartments in 4-5 story building on the Post Office end of the property, with current theater & Adams Ribs demolished
- No net retail/commercial space gain, and rehouse Adams Ribs
- No change to the remainder of the shopping center buildings
What are community residents’ concerns?
- Apartment building too tall and massive, and lacks sufficient set back from street
- Increased traffic and resulting safety issues
- Inadequate parking for the apartments and shopping center, resulting in more cars parked on streets
- Permanent loss of zoned retail/commercial space changed to residential use
What do we want from the City?
- Comply with zoning Code for density of residential consolidated on one end
- Follow the Comprehensive Plan for traffic, height/mass and character of Eastport
- Consider comprehensive effect of traffic resulting from other projects (expansion of Watergate Pointe; renovation of HACA properties; etc.)
- Require sufficient on-site parking for retail/commercial and residential
What are we asking from the developers?
- Reduce number of residential units, height and size of new building, and set it back from the street
- Increase ground level redeveloped space for retail/commercial space (not parking and residential)
- Sufficient on-site parking for retail/commercial and residential
- Recruit a small grocery chain to address Eastport’s “food desert,” not a market house
What can you do?
- Send your comments to the City (Mayor, Planning & Zoning, & Alderman):
mayor@annapolis.gov; pgutwald@annapolis.gov; aldarnett@annapolis.gov
- Attend meetings to make your voice heard:
City Town Hall meetings; Planning Commission meetings; developers’ meetings; etc.
- Join “Improve Eastport Shopping Center” to stay informed/involved by emailing:
Improveesc@gmail.com
“Improve Eastport Shopping Center” is a group of concerned residents who
support a redevelopment of the Eastport Shopping Center in keeping with
the property’s zoning and height, mass and character of the community,
and therefore oppose the current proposed plan by the developers.
Eastport Landing/Eastport Shopping Center
This communication is from the developers of the proposed project for the Eastport Shopping Center, to be called Eastport Landing.
Eastport Landing’s Happy Hour Project Update
Join us for drinks and light refreshments at the Maritime Museum on April 19th. Jeff Jacobson and Alex Kopicki of Solstice Partners, as well as the other members of the project team, will present and answer questions on the most recent plans for the new, revitalized Eastport Landing. For more information or for questions, please email us at info@eastportlanding.com. We look forward to seeing you there! It’s from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
From the project developer
That’s Just the Way it is
If you were not at the 5 April Eastport Town Hall meeting, you missed a lively discussion on matters that will impact you. There were actually three meetings in one. As I see it, the three meetings were:
- A re re review of the Eastport Shopping Center Plan/Proposal
- A tutorial on the Comprehensive Plan of 2009 and associated traffic study issues
- A discussion of the Planning & Zoning process
As a general observation of the meeting dynamics, many strong opinions were presented by the attendees, concerns were expressed and confusion was noted about the community’s role in many of the matters presented. There was concern expressed over the Comprehensive Plan and associated inadequate traffic study results related to the Eastport Shopping Center proposal and the potential Watergate project.
Where was this level of concern with the AYC project? (My observation.)
The AYC project will involve development on both sides of 6th Street at the bridge. Cars, delivery trucks, trash trucks turning left and right using the AYC facilities plus summer traffic plus emergency vehicles (police and fire) and frequent bridge openings are a mix of factors that could bring our transportation system to a halt. That’s why I have raised the issue of the cumulative impacts of multiple projects and the 2nd and 3rd order effects on our region.
The other aspect of the Town Hall meeting that I consider important is the matter of the P&Z process. We have devoted a number of our posts to the need for us to be involved in that process early and often. The results of the P&Z process lay the groundwork for our ability to manage the future.
As it was clearly stated at the Town Hall meeting, if a project proposal meets all of the minimum requirements in the zoning codes it will be approved no matter the community’s issues. That is why we need to ensure that the current flawed P&Z process is changed at the point in the process where we can help shape the future of our community. Once the process gets to the project stage the parameters are already set, and our ability to influence the outcome is reduced to tinkering around the margins, like having input into what color to whitewash the walls of the buildings.
Towards the end of the Town Hall meeting, the Eastport Shopping Center proponents appeared to become increasingly frustrated. Their response to specific questions from the audience about the proposed number of units, retail services, building massing and traffic seemed more than a bit defensive. They even began to resort to the ‘used car salesman approach.’ If you don’t get on board with the proposed project you may be stuck with even worse down the road.
Sort of like, ‘Hey, you need to make a decision now or the good deal on the table may expire.’
I have some basic questions. If the Comprehensive Plan (CP) is the source document for P&Z, and the source document is incomplete in that it’s lacking an adequate traffic study, shouldn’t that render any determinations based on the CP null and void? Do we just ignore that situation and move on? Since many of the considerable number of comments at the Town Hall related to the traffic study, I don’t think the community will be satisfied by a ‘that’s just the way it is’ response by P&Z and City Government.
Two
One
http://eastportlanding.com/faq, Is the link to Hammond Wilson info on material to be discussed at
Two
You may want to familiarize yourself with this information before this evening’s (Ross’s) Wednesday’s Town Hall meeting about the Shopping Center project (at Eastport Fire Station at 7 PM).
What! Do They Think We’re Stupid?
We have multiple conflicting actions converging in a flawed Planning and Zoning process.
The cumulative impact and individual effects of each development in and around Eastport must be reviewed with reference to the City’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan and with information provided to, and feedback from, the residents of Eastport. We can’t allow ourselves to be taken out of the planning process by any manipulations by developers who would rather we not have any say in the review process.
At a recent Eastport meeting there was overwhelming concern that the existing comprehensive planning process is incomplete. The concern was expressed by well-informed members of our community that the City and County need to complete the comprehensive planning and implementation process before any of the substantial projects before P&Z can proceed. The level of concern rose to the point where consideration of legal action was mentioned. Issues like quality of life and limits on growth helped to fuel concerns.
The Annapolis Comprehensive Plan 2009, requires the city to develop, within 3 years, new regulations to replace conventional methods for evaluating a development project’s traffic impacts, create a Site Design Manual to replace the outdated 1986 Parking and Landscape manual which calls for 1.4 parking space per residential unit (who owns 1.4 cars?), and spells out the need for 3.2 officers per every one thousand City residents. We have not done so.
In addition, the Comprehensive plan designates 4 “opportunity areas” for growth: certain portions of West Annapolis, Bay Ridge, Forest Drive, and Outer West Street. Eastport is notably NOT a growth opportunity area but is being treated as a growth opportunity area without the benefit of the requisite sector studies that must be completed before projects are approved.
With that in mind we must call for a moratorium on all projects currently under review along with recently approved projects to include AYC and SAYC. For projects currently under review, we might ask if proponents think the public is stupid and will fall for attempts to deflect from project deficiencies by changing the project name. Or by talking about how many community or private meetings they held in an attempt to ‘sell’ their project.
Why not just draw an imaginary wall around a project and claim that whatever happens outside of that wall is of no concern to the people inside?
That’s meant to be laughable.
On second thought, maybe ‘laughable’ just isn’t a strong enough word.
The public’s concern about the combined impact of all the proposals and the 2nd and 3rd order effects certainly appears to be growing. It would be smart if our elected officials listen, and do the right thing.
What progress have we made?
Link from Leo
Request from Leo Wilson to share link about
which is a new website where you can go to see the plans for the Eastport Shopping Center development project. You may want to familiarize yourself with this information before this Wednesday’s Town Hall about the Shopping Center project.
eastport defined 