December, 2025
A Data-Driven Path Forward
The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works has officially released the full results of the community survey conducted in November. The data provides a powerful and clear mandate for the path forward, confirming two key points our coalition has been making for months:
1.Site L is the Overwhelming Community Choice: The survey shows a massive preference for Site L (the open space off North River Road), which received over four times the support of any other location. The Moose Lodge site (Site E) was not a preferred option.
2.Protecting Property Values is the #1 Priority: When asked what matters most in selecting a site, nearly half of all respondents chose “Impact to Personal Property Values” as their top priority.
This is a major victory for our community and a direct result of your engagement. The County’s own data now validates our core arguments. In response, our coalition has sent a formal letter to the Director of Public Works and our County Council representatives. The letter thanks them for the transparent survey process and respectfully urges them to honor the community’s clear feedback by focusing their final evaluation on Site L and publicly confirming that the Moose Lodge site will not be pursued.
Full Survey Results (PDF)
October, 2025
Our Advocacy Forces a Public Re-evaluation
After a relentless summer campaign of emails, phone calls, and meetings with county and state officials, our coalition successfully forced the County to pause its acquisition of the Moose Lodge property and restart the site selection process. This victory culminated in two public open house meetings where, for the first time, the County presented a range of alternative sites for public consideration.
Hundreds of residents attended over the two days to learn about the seven viable sites and to make their voices heard directly to County officials. The County also launched a two-week community-wide survey to gather feedback on location preferences—a direct result of our demands for a more structured and data-driven feedback mechanism. The strong turnout sent a clear message: our community is organized, engaged, and will not be ignored.
July, 2025
Coalition Statement Outlines Unresolved Issues
As the summer advocacy campaign intensified, the coalition released a formal statement summarizing the community’s unresolved concerns. This statement, sent to County officials and the media, detailed the flawed public process, fiscal irresponsibility, and the County’s continued neglect of superior alternatives. Key points included:
•Transparency Violations: The statement highlighted the invalid public notice for the March meeting, the County’s significant delays in responding to Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) requests, and unresolved conflict of interest concerns.
•Fiscal Irresponsibility: The coalition exposed the inflated project costs, the excessive price being offered for the Moose Lodge land (more than double its assessed value), and the County’s double standard in appraising damages for the Moose Lodge but not for neighboring residents.
•Neglect of Alternatives: The statement reiterated the County’s deviation from its own 2022 Master Plan and the admission from DPW that the Moose Lodge was chosen for convenience, not merit.
This formal statement served as a critical turning point, consolidating all our arguments into a single, powerful document and demonstrating that our opposition was organized, fact-based, and relentless. It was shortly after this that the County pledged greater transparency and agreed to reschedule the public meeting for the fall.
May-June 2025
Community Unites and Fights Back
Outraged by the flawed and non-transparent process, a dedicated group of residents from Twin Hills, Ashers Farm, The Ridges, Heritage Harbour, and surrounding communities formed the Stop the Tower Annapolis Coalition. Hundreds of neighbors quickly joined the cause by signing the petition, creating a powerful, unified voice for our community.
Registered as a 501(c)(4) organization, the coalition immediately launched an intensive advocacy campaign. We retained professional legal and government relations counsel to ensure our rights were protected and our voice was effective. Our leadership team initiated a constant stream of communication with the County Executive’s office, the DPW Director, and members of the County Council. We held meetings with state senators and delegates to ensure our concerns were understood at every level of government.
Our message was clear: the community deserved a fair, transparent, and data-driven process. We demanded a halt to the Moose Lodge acquisition and a full, public evaluation of less impactful alternatives. This sustained pressure throughout the summer is what ultimately led to the County reversing course and agreeing to the October public meetings.
March 25, 2025
A “Done Deal” Approach Sparks a Community Uprising
The County held its first public meeting to inform residents about the proposed water tower, but it was clear this was not a genuine consultation. The project was presented as a “done deal,” with the County planning to acquire the Moose Lodge property by June 2025. The process was flawed from the very beginning, as the public notices mailed to residents contained the wrong address, a violation of the Open Meetings Act that hindered public awareness.
At this meeting, the community learned the shocking details of the plan:
•A Massive, Intrusive Structure: The plan was to build a 200-foot industrial water tower—taller than the 181-foot Maryland State House—looming over our homes, parks, and playgrounds.
•Devastating Financial Impact: Real estate professionals warned that property values could decline by 15-20%, representing millions in lost home equity for our community.
•A Flawed, Non-Transparent Process: The County had been negotiating with the Moose Lodge for 18 months and had an accepted offer five months before the first public meeting. They ignored their own 2022 Master Plan, which identified the Broad Creek site, and the advice of their own 2015 consultant who warned of the visual impact of the Moose Lodge location.
•No Data, No Justification: The County provided no property value impact studies, no environmental analyses, and no health assessments. They failed to demonstrate the necessity of the project, as residents reported no water service problems, and they refused to provide a comparative analysis of cheaper, less intrusive alternatives like modern booster pump systems.
The community left this meeting outraged but organized. It was this flawed and disrespectful process that sparked the formation of our coalition and the beginning of our successful fight for a fair process and a better solution.