Gambrills development criticized at hearing

Residents with contaminated wells in Gambrills and community activists yesterday questioned a proposed 128-home project, arguing that the developers had not considered traffic, impact on schools or contaminated groundwater in the area.

The hearing at the Arundel Center in Annapolis was for a special exception for a planned unit development, or PUD, a type of subdivision with design features that differ from usual housing developments.

Summerfield LLC — a company that includes partners from Reliable Contracting, BBSS Inc. and Sturbridge Homes — wants to build 126 new homes on 26 acres behind the Village at Waugh Chapel.

When completed, the new neighborhood will include 31 new single family homes, 95 condominium units split between four buildings and a clubhouse with a pool and a spa. Two existing homes will also be included in the PUD, said Vernon Hustead, an engineer hired by the developers.

The project requires a special exception from the county. If it is denied, Summerfield LLC can just build 128 townhouses on the site, said Michael DeStefano, president of Sturbridge Homes.

“I find communities with rows and rows of townhomes to be plain and ordinary,� he said. A variety of homes, including the high-density condos, will allow for more open space in the development as well, he said.

Because nearby schools are filled to capacity, the new homes will be age-restricted, meaning residents must be over 55 years old and can’t have children living with them.

But the proposed development irks its future neighbors. They say it will compound existing traffic congestion and crowding in schools. And, they charge that the developers are turning an environmental problem into a profit.

In October, the county Health Department began investigating private wells off Summerfield Road after Constellation Energy said they had found traces of heavy metals, some carcinogenic, in the water supply.

Six months later, county health officials said that at least 23 wells were contaminated. And fly ash, a by-product of burning coal, that was dumped at a nearby BBSS surface mine by Constellation, was to blame.

Since October, Constellation has provided residents on Summerfield Road with bottled water. Recently, the utility company revealed plans to extend public water to those with contaminated wells.

Development plans show that these same waterlines will serve the 126 new homes. The arrangement will save Summerfield LLC money, critics of the development argue. The new public water lines are supposed to help the owners of contaminated wells, not make a profit, they said.

“They are seeking to build on that and make a profit. If (the contaminated groundwater was) a criminal matter, they wouldn’t be allowed to do it,� said David Daughters, an activist from the Four Seasons community.

Mr. Williams, the company’s attorney, told the Greater Crofton Council last week that Summerfield LLC will reimburse Constellation Energy for the cost of including the new development in its waterline extension plans.

Mr. Daughters also said that the new homes will generate additional traffic on Waugh Chapel Road. He has counted cars for years and discovered that traffic volume increases by 20 percent a year, he said.

Torrey Jacobsen Jr., president of the Greater Crofton Council, said that about 2,300 age-restricted homes are planned for the area, and there is no need for more.

“We feel that the market is getting oversaturated with over-55 developments,� he said. But Mr. DeStefano said that age-restricted homes, especially condos, are in high demand. “In this Gambrills and Crofton area, there are plenty of buyers,� he said.

Mr. Daughters said that the base closure and realignment process, or BRAC, won’t create a demand for age-restricted houses.

But Mr. Williams said that such concerns don’t apply to the PUD approval process. “The issues about traffic, the issues about schools, the issues about age-restricted developments are not relevant to the PUD,� he said.

The design of the project and proving that there is a need for a variety of homes are the key points in meeting the county’s requirements for a special exception for a PUD, he said. Mr. LeGendre said he doesn’t plan to issue a decision to grant or deny the PUD anytime soon. Under County Code, he has 30 days to make his ruling.

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jstewart@capitalgazette.com