Annapolis affordable housing project proposed for Pat Sajak’s WNAV property – Capital Gazette

A Frederick-based nonprofit and a New York-based developer plan to build a 57-unit workforce and senior housing community on 7.5 acres owned by game show host Pat Sajak.

Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development announced last week that the developers have been awarded $3,750,000 million in state and federal tax credits to build on Admiral Drive in Annapolis. The application submitted by the developer Conifer, in partnership with the Interfaith Housing Alliance, received high marks from the state because it “would create intergenerational housing opportunities” in the Baltimore region.

But in order to move forward with the construction, the partners need help from the Annapolis City Council, which is currently mulling a package of zoning changes that would allow denser housing construction if developers meet new “Workforce Housing” standards.

The language for the proposed ordinance was finalized at last week’s Housing and Human Welfare committee and now heads to the city’s Planning Commission for a public hearing.

Ward 6 Alderman DaJuan Gay said he sponsored the legislation after watching a similar affordable housing project run into roadblocks. The Willows, a proposed 58-home community planned for a vacant lot on Forest Drive, has been criticized for everything from design to density to decreased parking spaces.

“If we would have passed this legislation, I think it would have helped The Willows,” Gay said.

Ward 5 Alderman Brooks Schandelmeier, a housing advocate on the all-Democratic council, co-sponsored the ordinance. Both serve on the housing committee.

Gay and Schandelmeier hope that if adopted, the new ordinance would provide an easier path for affordable housing communities like the one Conifer and the Interfaith Housing Alliance want to build on Sajak Broadcasting’s property, the longtime home of WNAV-AM.

Tom Smith, chief of planning for the city of Annapolis, explained that the Admiral Drive acreage is currently zoned to allow single-family homes. The new ordinance would allow much denser housing in nearly all zoning districts, without requiring developers to jump through various zoning hoops, provided the development met workforce housing standards.

“What they really need is for this ordinance to go through and allow this kind of development,” Smith said.

The ordinance would also give developers greater flexibility when it comes to parking standards and building heights. As discussed in committee last week, “workforce housing” would include residents making between 60% and 120% of the area median income (AMI) for the Baltimore Metropolitan Statistical Area.

AMI standards are set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban and Development, and updated in accordance with the American Community Survey. Based on current data, the Annapolis ordinance would set workforce housing incomes at $48,780 and $97,560 for a single person and between $69,660 and $139,320 for a family of four.

By that measure, first-year Anne Arundel County teachers and many school support staff would fall short of the workforce housing income threshold.

Housing advocates like Robyn Dorsey of the Fair Housing Action Center of Maryland, point out that using the term “workforce housing” to describe people making between 60 to 120% AMI is somewhat disingenuous.

“What about fast food workers and house cleaners?” Dorsey said. “They are part of the workforce too.”

A study released last year by the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth found the state’s greatest housing needs are for families making less than 30% AMI, where Maryland finds itself 85,000 housing units short.

But in a city with so many multi-million dollar waterfront homes, Gay believes any new housing that is within reach of many working families will help.

“There is a dire need for more affordable housing in Annapolis,” Gay said.

City staffers began discussions with the Admiral Drive development team more than a year ago, and recently held a “conceptual meeting” with Conifer, Interfaith Housing Alliance and their attorney to discuss the project, Smith said. He came away impressed with the team’s plans.

Twelve of the 57 units would be reserved for seniors, according to Conifer’s tax credit application. Plans call for removing the obsolete WNAV transmission tower as well as the small office building on the site.

“It’s nice that it has a mix of senior and family housing all in one project,” Smith said.

Sajak, who lives in Severna Park, bought WNAV in 1998 and had been seeking to sell the station since 2013. He finally closed the deal on Jan. 1, with an unusual set of terms: Veteran WTOP-FM broadcaster Chris Roth bought WNAV for just $1,000, and Sajak agreed to pay $100,000 to relocate equipment to a nearby building. Roth has said he plans to continue playing oldies and broadcasting U.S. Naval Academy sports from the 73-year-old radio station.

The property is assessed at $2.5 milion and is still owned by Sajak Broadcasting, according to public records.

The WNAV development would be the second in Anne Arundel County for the Interfaith Housing Project, which also manages a community in Glen Burnie, as well as six others in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The nonprofit did not respond to a request for comment.

Through a spokesperson, Conifer also declined to comment.

The workforce housing ordinance will come before the City Council for a full vote in November at the earliest.

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