The once empty fields and forests surrounding Doughoregan Manor in Ellicott City could soon be home to thousands of senior citizens as part of a new Erickson Retirement Community.

More than 100 people attended an open house Dec. 2 to learn more about the plan for the proposed community, which was devised as part of a deal to preserve the historic manor.

The 18th-century Doughoregan Manor house and estate, located just south of Frederick Road where it meets Route 40, was once home to Charles Carroll -- who signed the Declaration of Independence -- and has been in the Carroll family for nine generations.

During the Dec. 2 meeting, nearby residents and people curious about the possibility of living in the new community once it's built studied a sketch of a preliminary site plan and posed questions to Erickson representatives.

Erickson's proposal calls for 1,500 independent living units, 128 assisted living units and 96 nursing units, all divided into three neighborhoods on 153 acres. The developer would have the option of adding an additional 500 units on 38 acres in the future.

The buildings would be four-story apartment-style complexes, with parking underneath.

The community would include a clubhouse with restaurants, banks, a gym and other businesses, as well as full medical care on site. The main entrance, which would be manned by security guards and gated, would be off of Frederick Road.

Residents applaud plan

The project received a thumbs-up from several residents who live across Frederick Road from the site.

"We don't want more houses in Howard County," said Ken Sheets, 75, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1963 with his wife, Clara. "This looks great."

"It's better than a shopping center," agreed his neighbor Paul Martin, 77, who attended the open house with his wife, Jean.

The couple noted that traffic is already bad on Frederick Road, and the Erickson community was not likely to make it much worse. They also expressed an interest in perhaps living in the new community.

Paula O'Brien, who lives down the road from where the facility would be located, said it "fits in with the historic Carroll property."

She said she has relatives who live in another Erickson facility and has been pleased with what she has seen from the Catonsville-based company.

"If it's Erickson, I'm all for it," she said.

County Council member Courtney Watson, who represents the area where the project is located, said at the meeting that she has heard mostly positive feedback from residents.

One concern that has been raised is the need for an emergency entrance for police and fire vehicles. While there has been talk of putting it off of Burnside Drive, Watson said county officials are discussing other options with the company.

Watson said the county has worked for several years with the Carroll family to find a way to preserve both the manor and as much of their land as possible.

The proposed senior community, she said, is compact, would not increase the number of students in local schools and would not have much of an impact on local roads.

"Looking at all of the options, this seems to provide a win-win scenario," she said.

Manor to be preserved

Members of the Carroll family announced in September they struck a deal with Erickson to sell roughly 150 acres of land on the eastern edge of their 892-acre estate. In the deal, Erickson received the option to purchase an additional 38 acres in the future.

In return, the Carrolls plan to preserve at least 665 acres of their property, including the historic manor itself, and give another 36 acres to the county to expand nearby Kiwanis-Wallis Park.

Erickson hopes to submit the plans to the county by the spring of 2009, said Wayne Rush, regional vice president of development for the company. Attorney William Erskine, who is handling the land use issues on the project, said the company will need the county's permission to extend sewer service to the property, amend the zoning and increase the density for the project.

The Planning Board and County Council will need to sign off on the final plan.

Rush said the company hopes to have the county approvals within 18 months and finish construction of the first phase within a year after that.

Erickson has met with about 10 different community groups in the past few weeks, Rush said.

"The sooner you develop a relationship with the community, the better off you'll be," he said.

---

user comments (0)