MOUNT AIRY, Md. — Some major changes were made to a proposed mixed-use development in Carroll County.
Mount Airy Crossing would be situated on 91 acres of property along Route 27 (Ridge Road), between Center Street and Twin Arch Shopping Center.
It would include nearly 500 single and multi-family housing units with more than 134,000 square feet of commercial space.
Pleasants Development is heading up the process and pitching it to the town planning commission.
They wanted to build 582 units at first, but were talked down to 492.
Their initial concept also didn't include any housing dedicated to seniors.
After community feedback, that changed.
The new plan calls for more than 350 units reserved for senior living.
“We listened to the community and heard their concerns about the potential impact of our development on Mount Airy schools and the potential for increased traffic,” said Pleasants Development Vice President Clark Wagner. “We also know that there’s a real need for senior housing in this area. We’ve designed Mount Airy Crossing to address all these issues by making nearly three-quarters of the homes dedicated to high-quality housing for seniors, which will have significantly less impact on schools, roads and utilities.”
While the number of proposed housing units decreased, the amount of acreage for commercial usage rose significantly.
Originally only 93,600 square feet was drawn up for business, and now that suggested number is 134,300.
Another sticking point was tree preservation and the addition of green spaces.
Pleasants was planning on 22 acres of open space, but agreed to increase that to 25.5 acres.
A lot still needs to happen before construction gets underway.
The hope is to schedule a public hearing before the commission in the coming weeks.
