Letters pour in on Four Seasons project
By MARGOT MOHSBERG, Kent Island Staff Writer

Margie Houck has given up counting how many letters the county commissioners have received either protesting or supporting the Four Seasons project on Kent Island.

All she knows is that it's in the thousands.

"We got something like 180 letters in one week once," said Ms. Houck, clerk to the Queen Anne's County Board of Commissioners. "Some weeks are bad, some weeks are not."

Last week, with two full weeks left before the deadline for the commissioners' to vote on the project, only four letters were received, all of which were against the project.

The commissioners ended up voting to give preliminary approval for growth allocation yesterday -- a week early -- for the Four Seasons project.

This allows the project's developer, the K. Hovnanian Cos., to build half of the planned 1,350-home complex off Castle Marina Road in the environmentally sensitive Critical Area.

But the letters that still trickle in won't fall on deaf ears. The commissioners still have to vote whether to grant the project final approval this summer.

County Commissioners President George O'Donnell said that he and Commissioners John McQueeney, R-Stevensville, and Marlene Davis, D-Queenstown, read all of the letters.

"A lot of them are against," said Mr. O'Donnell, D-Queenstown.

That's partly due to the efforts of the Kent Island Defense League, which spearheaded a letter-writing campaign against the project last summer.

"In each flier, mailing, postcard and presentation that we have done, we have asked concerned citizens to write, call and fax the commissioners and express their opinion," said group President Rick Moser. "The letters... were intended to reinforce the message delivered to the commissioners (at public hearings) that many citizens of Queen Anne's County oppose the granting of growth allocation for the Four Seasons project."

Project opponents indeed make up the majority of the letter-writers.

"We got letters from the same people seven or eight times," said Mr. McQueeney said.

However, last month, K. Hovnanian made an effort to tip the scale more in its favor by sending a letter to Kent Island residents asking them to voice their support of the project.

"Those who oppose our community have a well-organized letter-writing campaign targeting the local newspapers, and we have attempted to balance that by encouraging our supporters to do the same," said Mark D. Stemen, K. Hovnanian's area president.

He said 400 signed cards registering support for the Four Seasons project were recently sent to the county commissioners.

"This is necessary so we can clear up any misinformation and confusion about the community. More importantly, it allows readers to get a balanced portrayal of how all residents really feel about the proposed community -- not just a vocal minority," Mr. Stemen said.

Once the letters come into the commissioners' office, they are copied for the commissioners and then put into a box and stored for safekeeping.

In recent weeks, Mr. O'Donnell has announced at the commissioners' weekly meetings how many letters they received that week. He breaks the number down into those for and against the project.

He said the Four Seasons project has generated the largest number of letters on any issue that he has seen taking office in 1994.

Published April 11, 2001, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2001 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

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Four Seasons gets first OK
By MARGOT MOHSBERG, Staff Writer

The Queen Anne's County commissioners gave preliminary approval yesterday for a proposed 1,350-home community on Kent Island, bringing a massive project that has polarized the community one step closer to reality.

But it's hardly a done deal, as the Board of County Commissioners tacked on 34 conditions the developer must meet to receive final approval for the Four Seasons project.

K. Hovnanian Cos. needs the county to grant "growth allocation," or rezoning to allow intense development in the half of its 562 acres in the critical area.

"Without these conditions, the project would not get growth allocation," board President George O'Donnell, D-Queenstown, said during the meeting in Centreville. "It would not even be considered."

Among the conditions, the developer of the age-restricted and gated community must:

Dedicate 27.5 acres of parkland, in addition to the 5.5 acres it already has in its plans, for the use of all county residents and visitors.

Cluster development and increase open space in the interior of the project.

Return the 80-bed assisted-living facility to its plans.

Increase the buffer along the Chester River from an average of 100 feet to an average of 150 feet.

"We want to see more open space in the interior of the project," said Commissioner Marlene Davis, D-Queenstown.

Most of the conditions were based on recommendations from the county planning staff and thousands of residents who wrote letters to the commissioners.

Many residents asked for larger buffers because they were concerned that the project -- the largest development ever proposed for Kent Island -- would destroy wildlife, sensitive wetland areas, and waterways surrounding the property. They were also concerned that the thousands of new residents would tax an already burdened sewer and water system and add more traffic to roads that are bursting at the seams.

However, the developers argued that K. Hovnanian, with its deep pockets, is one of the few companies that could afford to properly improve the water and sewer system as well as its roads.

Company officials argued that an age-restricted community would not put additional pressure on the schools and would only add to the tax base.

"The most popular request was to increase the buffer (required along the waterfront area)," said Commissioner John McQueeney, R-Stevensville. "We've done that."

The project must now go before the county Planning Commission and the state Critical Area Commission for final approval.

People on both sides of the issue responded to the decision yesterday with guarded optimism.

"We are not sure what all of the conditions mean," said Robert Karen, president of active adult community development for K. Hovnanian. "With 34 conditions, there is still a lot to understand. Some seem stringent and a bit strict, but to their credit they are taking everyone's input into account."

Robin Flounlacker, a member of the Kent Island Defense League, said she wanted to review the conditions carefully before giving her opinion.

"It certainly looks like a good start," she said. "My only comment at this time is that I don't see any reason why they have to destroy any mature woodland. There is 89 acres of woodland on the site. Saving 89 acres of 562 acres does not seem like that much."

To accommodate Kent Island residents' requests, the commissioners also required the developer to put the assisted-living facility back into its plans.

"An assisted-living home will create more living spaces with less traffic," said Winn Krozack, also a member of the Kent Island Defense League.

K. Hovnanian had trimmed the number of proposed homes by more than 150 and eliminated a shopping center, the assisted-living home and rental apartments.

The company also promised the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department a one-time payment of $438,750 to buy new equipment and $100,000 annually for continuing service.

"We have really worked hard to modify our (project) and have made many, many changes," Mr. Karen said.

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