June 2006

It’s been quite busy in the past few weeks as our community finds itself dealing with threats from both within and without. The threat from within is, of course, the ongoing beach strip lawsuit. The threat from without is from the city of Annapolis and their plan for the Hillsmere Multi-Use Center. Both are going to affect each and every resident in our community.

As you know, the three plaintiffs in the beach strip lawsuit have been threatening to sue every property owner in Hillsmere in their quest to seize community property for their own gain. The Court of Special Appeals ruled that they must sue all of us because we all have an interest in the property and their taking it may diminish the value of our properties while increasing the value of theirs. We had hoped that the plaintiffs would realize that this attack on their neighbors was morally wrong and that it would be better to work with the community to address their concerns. Unfortunately, it appears that greed has taken the upper hand. A few days ago our lawyer received a copy of an amended lawsuit that lists the names and addresses of 1,976 Hillsmere property owners. As of this writing, no one has been served with the lawsuit but we expect it won’t be long before we are all defendants. If you feel strongly about this lawsuit, no matter who you think is right, then I urge you to let the plaintiffs know how you feel. The three plaintiffs are:

Gregory & Susan Singleton, 117 East Bay View, (410) 263-6664
Edward & Leah Hertz, 129 East Bay View, (301) 229-0791
Parviz Sahandy, 133 East Bay View, (410) 269-0735

The Hertzes actually live in Glen Echo, MD. Their property on East Bay View is currently for rent. As we have explained before, Hertz and Sahandy have relatively small pieces of community property they are trying to seize. Mr. Singleton is trying to take nearly a fifth of an acre of community property.

Once residents are served, we will immediately setup a community meeting for all Hillsmere lot owners to let everyone know what their options are and how you can respond or opt out of the lawsuit. Our lawyer will be present to answer your questions. The meeting will be announced on the community bulletin board, on our web site, and by email. If you are not on our email list please visit our web site at www.hillsmereshores.net , click on the “Join the HSIA Email List” link. You don’t have to be a member of HSIA to be on the list.

The threat from without that I mentioned above is the city of Annapolis’s plan to develop the Hillsmere Multi-Use Center. This plan covers the area from Hillsmere Drive to the Mexican Café on both sides of Bay Ridge Road (Forest Drive becomes Bay Ridge Road after Hillsmere Drive). The plan, a copy of which is available on our web site, calls for extensive mixed use development including commercial buildings built right up to the property lines, residential units, new access roads behind the development connecting to Hillsmere Drive, and a reduced speed limit on Bay Ridge Road of 25 mph. Of particular concern to Hillsmere residents is the re-connecting of Old Annapolis Neck Road crossing Hillsmere Drive at the entrance to Quiet Waters Park. This would have grave consequences for traffic in and out of our community. One version of the plan even showed a traffic circle at our entrance. A public meeting was held at Georgetown East Elementary School on May 24th. When I got there they had about 40 chairs set up in the cafeteria but people just kept coming. By the time the meeting started they had opened the entire gymnasium to hold the approximately 200 people that showed up. About two thirds were from the county with the rest from city neighborhoods. The overwhelming sediment from the entire crowd was anger that the city would plan such a development with no input from the residents that would be affected and the fact that the plan completely ignores the traffic implications. Many of the people who spoke were Hillsmere residents. Most of the county residents were also upset with the urbanization of the plan area. The result would look a lot like West Street where the new development is taking place near Chinquapin Round Road and at the Taylor Avenue circle. I have had several conversations with Virginia Burke, the city planner in charge of this project. Virginia, at least (I don’t know about the people above her) is very interested in how we feel and how we would like to see this development plan proceed. There is a follow-up public meeting on Tuesday, June 13th. By the time you read this it will have already taken place but we will let everyone know about it via our web site, email list, and community bulletin board. I hope we get the same or better turnout at that meeting. This is a very important issue that everyone in Hillsmere and the whole Annapolis Neck should be very interested in.

Speaking of the community bulletin board, you’ve probably noticed that we recently had a new one installed. Thanks to “Designs & Signs” and owner, Brendon Brandon (a Hillsmere resident) for the good work.

Due to some scheduling conflicts at the Key School our June and July board meetings and our July and August Piers & Harbors meetings will be moved to another room. Our September general meeting may also be relocated. There will be signs and announcements letting you know where the meetings will be held.

Finally, lets talk about some really good things going on in our community. As you know, Deb and Jim Sagerholm of 329 Edgemere Drive lost everything in a tragic fire on February 13th of this year. Our community rose to the occasion with an outpouring of support and donations to help them get back on their feet. Finally, the old house has been torn down and a new house is being built. Deb and Jim have put together a web site for anyone interested in tracking the progress of their new home. They also invite anyone to stop by and say hello. The web site is http://home.comcast.net/~jimsag/NewHouse.html. This whole situation, as tragic as it was, shows how wonderful our community and the people who live here really are. Deb called me to make sure people understand how grateful they are and how much they really don’t mind if you’d like to stop by and talk. After all, that’s what neighbors are for.

Bill Shuman
President, HSIA