THE VILLAGE WIRE

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Janet Richardson-Pearson, left, landowner and future resident; Cyndi Walters, center, National Lutheran Communities & Services president; and William Hotchkiss, sales manager, shovel dirt. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday for The Village at Providence Point, Annapolis' newest senior living community by National Lutheran Communities & Services(Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)

By KATHARINE WILSON | kwilson@baltsun.com

‍UPDATED: October 7, 2025 at 6:25 PM EDT

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At Tuesday's groundbreaking for the Village at Providence Point, a stand-alone continuing care retirement community on Forest Drive, developers and some local seniors breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's been a long haul, but it's well worth it," William Hotchkiss, the sales director for the retirement community, said.

The facility's groundbreaking has been delayed for several years as an environmental group pursued legal routes to revoke the project's approval.

The idea for a senior living facility, located in the woods along Forest Drive, was first presented to property owner Janet Richardson-Pearson over a decade ago. Richardson-Pearson had purchased the parcels in 1996 and 1997, worried that the land would be transformed into a densely packed development, as it was zoned at the time.

She was approached over the years by different developers, until one came to propose Crystal Spring, which would have been a large facility including a hotel, retail, senior residential units and non-age restricted units. In about 2011, National Lutheran Communities and Services stepped into the project, according to Cyndi Walters, President of the organization, eventually transforming it into The Village at Providence Point.

The facility, set to be completed in the spring of 2028, will include 272 independent living apartments, 30 cottages and 48 health care suites, according to a fact sheet from the developers. A continuing care retirement community aims to keep seniors in one location as they age, providing resources for them at every stage of their health.

National Lutheran operates three other senior facilities, one in Rockville and two in Virginia.

Richardson-Pearson said she saw firsthand the difficulty of moving aging parents into different facilities — an independent living facility, nursing home, rehab and hospice care.

"I know what my mother had to go through. I think everybody wants to stay in the same place," Richardson-Pearson said.

The Annapolis Planning Commission approved the development plans for the center in 2022, but the project was met with outcry from local environmental activists, including the Crab Creek Conservancy.

The Crab Creek Conservancy appealed the planning commission's approval in circuit court and the Appellate Court of Maryland, which both sided with the development. The group asked the Supreme Court of Maryland to weigh in, but the court declined to hear the case in August.

The president of the Crab Creek Conservancy, Forrest Mays, told the Capital Gazette on Tuesday that he still believes the development is a "disaster coming" for the environment. He pointed to the likely increase in cars and what he considers to be the "destruction of the last forest in Annapolis."

He also argued that the people living in the facility will mostly not be Annapolis residents, and that the preserved space will not be enough to replace the damage to the forest.

"It's totally unaffordable housing for the very wealthy," Ways said. "I guess that's what the very wealthy do these days. They destroy parts of the world so they can live in comfort and look out on the trees."

Even though the plans for a senior living facility on the property advanced and shrank significantly from the original design, Richardson-Pearson said she became the target of personal attacks from groups opposed any development on the site.

"I was a heroine for a while, and then I wasn't," Richardson-Pearson said, referring to her initial purchase to stop a major housing development. "We started talking about Crystal Spring, and I was like the devil with horns. Interesting switch."

Former state Sen. Gerald Winegrad is a part of a group, Citizens for a Proper Land Use, that was originally vehemently opposed to the project. Winegrad joined the effort in 2013, helping found the Crystal Spring Legal Defense Fund after developers at the time refused to meet with him or the conservationists, he said.

In about 2020, Winegrad said National Lutheran began collaborating with his group on how the project could be modified to better fit the community and protect the natural area.

"While we were vigorous opponents, and we incorporated and fought this tooth and nail, the resulting thing is that we were able in the last five years-plus to work out an excellent program," Winegrad told the Capital Gazette. "It's no loss of forest, which is incredible."

Citizens for a Proper Land Use will continue to monitor the project for environmental concerns during construction. Winegrad said National Lutheran assured the group that it would be able to sign off on an independent environmental monitor.

The remaining funds from the legal defense, Winegrad said, will be used to support the Maryland Bird Conservation Project.

The Providence Point plans, according to the developers' fact sheet, include clearing 28 acres of trees; however, each tree removed will be replaced, in compliance with a city ordinance. A large section of the property, 124 acres, will be preserved in a conservation easement, National Lutheran said.

The development will also include green roofs, energy-efficient lighting systems, and stormwater management control systems.

While the development is multiple years away from completion, a group of seniors has already signed up to be the first residents of the facility, part of a "charter club." Some members of the charter club have already started club meetings and groups for future residents, including a book club and a bridge group. One of these excited future residents is Sally Williams, 80, who currently lives in Bowie.

About three years ago, Williams met with the people at the sales center who told her and her husband about their plans in Annapolis. They liked that there would be a forest around the facility, the proximity to downtown Annapolis, and that they would be able to stay at the facility long-term.

"These are really good people, and we trust them," Williams said.

Have a news tip? Contact Katharine Wilson at kwilson@baltsun.com.

Originally Published: October 7, 2025 at 6:14 PM EDT