What do you think?
In the last several months, I have enjoyed walking around Annapolis, reflecting on the colonial capital, the country town that used to be. The cars, the noise, the pollution, the tourists were gone, replaced by bird song and the chance to once again feel Annapolis of past times, full of buildings reflecting three centuries of life and beauty. There is also the urban forest that still remains, mostly surrounding the churches, the State House, the Naval Academy, and St. John’s College.
Other generations who came before left us peace and beauty. What will we leave for those that follow us?
It is the quality of life in our town that concerns me. In every Ward, for every citizen, we need to support the community. Are there parks and playgrounds, and open spaces filled with trees? Are there buildings that inspire and delight? The changes along West Street and Spa Road—the new homes and stores that now cover every vacant lot and land parcel all over town—rarely show a commitment to anything beyond square footage on the available land. There are now three hotels on West Street and several subdivisions along Spa Road; just a sample of what has happened all over town. As development intensifies, of course, one would expect to see public squares with benches, small parks for children, and land left to provide habitat for birds and small mammals. I am a resident of Ward One, but I look at all of our Wards for amenities that demonstrate the City and its Planning and Zoning department cares for its citizens. So much development, so many changes, but are they for the better, and do they leave significant gifts to our children and grandchildren?
I have loved living here, and I have been active in the community, volunteering in civic organizations, supporting preservation, working on plans for Annapolis, and supporting the arts. Many people have loved Annapolis and volunteered in every imaginable way to conserve and improve the beauty that came to us, a gift from other times.
The virus, the shutdown of our economy, and the need to recommit to civic justice for all gives a pause, a chance to consider what we want for Annapolis, for ourselves, and for our children.
I want trees. There are places where an actual commitment is made that a percentage of the land, say 30 percent is left as habitat. Imagine that. As far as I can tell, habitat comes down, it does not go back up. I had a developer tell me recently, “I would have had to do more planting in the county, hardly anything here.” Oh, okay.
I want citizens to be protected, whether it’s from underfunded facilities in need of renovation like Stanton Center, or, residents in the historic district, now feeling surrounded by investment properties held for short term rental. Our community should be able to say “No.” How about air and light and views? Wouldn’t it be nice, if, when you bought your home, you could count on the city thinking about how new development would affect you. If you are a new resident or you have been here for many years, you probably came here to enjoy this community, and a quality of life that you expected to continue.
I want us to leave behind a beautiful place, that is working now for all of us, and that will continue for many years to come.
How will this happen? We need elected officials that realize their job is to protect us, the residents of Annapolis, not the developers. All the residents, in every Ward. We need planning and zoning to use the legislation that we have now in the zoning code. And if the legislation is inadequate, it needs to be changed.
I want events that are for the people who live in our town. We need ceremonies and events that will bring our community Wards together, not festivals to make money from outsiders.
I want the old public works area on to Spa Road to be a park. It is too valuable to be developed. It needs to be protected from development.
The virus, the issues of fair protection under the laws for all people, and the economic collapse, are an opportunity to pause and reset our civic commitments. We need to commit to Annapolis, to each other, and to our environment, both built and unbuilt, so that what we leave will be as just and beautiful as what we have had in our time here.
Editor’s Note: Readers, if you have a compelling viewpoint or idea for this column that you’d like to share with fellow What’s Up? Annapolis readers, please write to us at: editor@whatsupmag.com and include “What Do You Think” in the subject line.
