November 27, 2002|By Amanda J. Crawford | Amanda J. Crawford,SUN STAFF
The Annapolis Housing Authority, the state and the developer of the $8.4 million New Bloomsbury Square development have reached an agreement allowing the state-funded, waterfront public housing project to go forward.
The housing authority signed the contract with A&R Development Corp. yesterday, after its board of commissioners approved it Monday night. The contract ends what had become a heated dispute, with A&R threatening to walk off the job and pursue payment in court if a contract was not reached by Sunday.
The development is being built by the state so it can demolish the 61-year-old Bloomsbury Square project, which abuts state offices. The space is needed for an expansion of the Lowe House Office Building. Rodgers said the project had been put on a fast track by the state - and begun before a contract was signed - so that the $30 million office project could get under way.
Anthony Rodgers, vice president of A&R Development Corp., the project's developer, said the first phase of the project, about half of the 51 units, is expected to be completed by mid-March. The development is about 40 percent complete, he said, with masonry started on all the buildings and drywall beginning to be installed.
