The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission has removed a restriction requiring senior housing on half of a subdivision in Hollywood. The planners at their Oct. 22 meeting made the change for the Virginia Knolls condominium apartment project on Greenery Lane off Mervill Dean Road. The restriction that required half of the 100 units to be senior housing was imposed in June of 2008.
The planners deferred a decision in August because several members, especially Susan McNeill and Shelby Guazzo, were concerned that the developer may have had no intent to build age-restricted units for persons 55 years of age and older. The developer was not in attendance and they wanted to hear from him about who senior housing wouldn’t work.
At the time of the approval in 2008 there were issues with adequate public facilities, especially schools. The senior housing appeared to be the developer’s only option and the commission’s only option to give approval. Since the approval the housing industry tanked and the county changed its definition of adequate public facilities for schools.
Now the county considers half of the county to determine whether there is space available for elementary school students. Although the school served by the development, Hollywood Elementary, is close to capacity, there are spaces available elsewhere in the northern part of the county. That count, however, includes spaces in the new elementary school in Leonardtown, for which ground hasn’t even been broken and an opening is at least three years away. The planners were advised the project was not in the Evergreen district, which is operating now overcapacity.
Representative of developer Sonic Properties, LLC Benny Potter assured planning commission members at Monday’s meeting that he had intended to build the senior housing but has been unable to interest either banks or a partner to go forward with the project. He said there is more interest in assisted living facilities and that Wildewood and Asbury were filling the need for senior housing. He also said it would work better being within walking distance from shopping. Instead, he said, “We have two bars across the street.”
Potter said the current housing need was for adults who are still living with their parents and not the parents. “The need is for housing for adult kids looking to buy a $150,000 condo,” he said.
Commission Chairman Howard Thompson said his concern in 2008 was traffic from the development. At that time, he said, a traffic light was a possibility at Clark’s Landing Road, the closest access to Route 235 from the development. The traffic light was ultimately constructed at the next intersection to the south. But Potter said he was proceeding with approvals from State Highway Administration.
Board member Hal Willard noted, “The planning co
