Save the Park in Roland Park

I’m from a part of Baltimore called Roland Park which is one of the oldest planned communities in the country. I have lived in Roland Park all my life, and have never seen my community up in arms the way they have been for the past year. The unrest stems from plans to build an expansive new home for the elderly in the middle of this neighborhood’s 60-acre land. The Baltimore Country Club owns 45 acres of Roland Park land, currently used for sledding, tennis, kids playing, grown-ups letting their dogs romp about, and some wildlife. They plan to sell the land for $12.5 million to the Keswick Multi-Care Center to build 225 independent-living units, 58 assisted-living units and a 40-bed skilled-nursing facility, plus a 403-space underground parking garage. The club believes it has the right to sell the property to whomever it wants — no matter the historic ties it cuts off in the process. In the past few years, the neighborhood association has made three specific offers — $4.25 million — to buy the property, but says it has never gotten a response from club officials.

While the Baltimore region’s population showed a modest increase of about 4 percent from 2000 through 2007, the number of residents ages 55 to 64 and those 85 and older increased by about a third, according to an analysis of census data released this month.

I think this is prized open space and should be preserved for the community’s use. As a kid, I used to sled down that big hill when it snowed. It’s still a part of what makes this such a livable city. You can’t walk through my neighborhood without seeing signs reading “Save the Park in Roland Park” or “Keep Roland Park Green.”