ANNAPOLIS, MD – July 8, 2025
The Stop The Tower Annapolis Coalition remains firmly opposed to Anne Arundel County’s proposed construction of a 200-foot industrial water tower at the Moose Lodge property located at 1890 Crownsville Road. Despite recent County responses and public engagement, significant concerns remain unaddressed. This statement outlines our Coalition’s position and provides a fact-based summary of the unresolved issues.
Our Coalition’s Position: We fully support adequate water infrastructure for the Heritage Harbour community. However, we remain firmly opposed to the Moose Lodge site. Alternative sites would achieve that goal and also avoid serious harm to our community. The site selection process has lacked transparency or a genuine consideration of other viable sites.
We urge the County staff to adhere to their own Master Plan recommendation and relocate the proposed new tower to the site of the existing tower or another suitable County-owned property nearby.
The many members of the Stop the Tower Annapolis Coalition will remain actively engaged as we approach the upcoming public meeting scheduled for early Fall 2025.
Our concerns, supported by documented evidence, are outlined below:
Flawed Public Process and Transparency Violations
- Invalid Public Notice. The initial public notice for the March 25th Public Information Meeting contained a critical error, listing an incorrect address. This mistake potentially misled residents and significantly limited community participation. Moreover, many residents living immediately adjacent to the proposed site did not receive any notification at all.
- Delayed MPIA Response. A Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request submitted on April 21st, 2025, experienced substantial delays, remained unanswered for two and a half months due to the County’s acknowledged technical issues. Only after sustained community pressure did the County respond, pledge greater transparency, and reschedule the public meeting for early Fall 2025.
- Conflict of Interest Concerns. Our MPIA request sought clarity on potential conflicts of interest involving a DPW employee reportedly connected with the Moose Lodge. The County’s response notably omitted this individual’s name from the communication searches, leaving transparency questions unresolved.
Fiscal Irresponsibility and Questionable Land Acquisition
- Inflated Costs. The project’s budget has escalated from an initial estimate of approximately $10 million to over $13 million, primarily driven by questionable land acquisition expenses.
- Excessive Land Price. The County budget allocates $785,000 to acquire just 2.5 acres of the Moose Lodge property, despite the entire 11.34-acre property’s official state-assessed value being only $337,500. Notably, the entire property was purchased by Moose Lodge in 2003 for $492,000, raising concerns about the fairness and rationale behind the proposed price.
- County-Appraised Damages. The County’s own appraisal acknowledges that the land acquisition would cause approximately $385,125 in damages by reducing the usability and value of the remaining Moose Lodge property. Remarkably, the County has consistently disregarded parallel concerns from neighboring residents who face similar substantial property value losses due to the proposed tower.
- Questionable Appraisal Comparisons. The County’s appraisal includes comparisons with properties having different zoning classifications (such as R-1, R-2, R-5, R-R, R-E) located in distant communities like Ellicott City and Laurel. Simultaneously, it inexplicably omits recent relevant local transactions involving similarly zoned (RA) properties, such as a 2.5-acre lot adjacent to the Moose Lodge purchased for $185,000 in 2018, and a nearly 2-acre lot nearby sold for $225,000 in 2024.
Neglect of Superior Alternatives
- Deviation from Master Plan. The County’s approved 2022 Water & Sewer Master Plan specifically recommended the existing Broad Creek Tank Site as the logical and technically preferred location, not the Moose Lodge property.
- Lack of Genuine Site Alternatives. When directly questioned at a public meeting about alternative site evaluations, DPW representatives acknowledged there was “no second-best location” and stated that the Moose Lodge site was chosen primarily because it was available. This admission suggests convenience-driven decision-making rather than rigorous, evidence-based planning. A project of this magnitude demands comprehensive, transparent studies detailing impacts on residents’ quality of life, property values, health, safety, security, and environmental consequences.
Dismissal of Community Impact and Environmental Concerns
- Ignoring Quantified Damages. Despite recognizing substantial property value damages to the Moose Lodge property, DPW explicitly stated they “typically do not allow private property values to influence decisions,” dismissing these valid concerns as “variable and subjective.”
- Inadequate Mitigation Measures. The County proposes landscaping and aesthetic treatments to obscure the visual impact of the 200-foot tower, which would become the tallest structure in Annapolis, surpassing even the historic State House. Expert analyses indicate these measures are botanically unrealistic, financially irresponsible, and insufficient in addressing legitimate resident concerns.
- Visual and Community Impact. A structure of this magnitude would irrevocably alter the rural character of the Annapolis/Crownsville area, creating an enduring visual eyesore and negatively impacting daily quality of life.
- Health and Safety Risks. The community holds substantial concerns regarding potential health risks from radio frequency emissions from cell antennas, air traffic warning lights, operational noise, and security vulnerabilities associated with such a large structure.
- Environmental Impact. The proposed site is adjacent to an environmentally sensitive preservation area. The project poses risks to local wildlife, ecosystems, and water management, and threatens irreversible alterations to the rural landscape.
We will continue reviewing County documentation and remain actively engaged as we approach the upcoming public meeting scheduled for early Fall 2025.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Stop The Tower Annapolis Coalition