The Annapolis Housing Authority and the city have reached a compromise regarding Bloomsbury Square, apparently clearing the way for public housing residents to move into the new 52-townhouse waterfront development late next month.
The move had hit a number of snags, the most recent of which was a dispute over $235,000 in city water and sewer fees that neither the state, nor the building contractor nor the housing authority (which will own the houses) wanted to pay.
This week, the housing authority agreed to let the city place a lien on the properties overlooking College Creek. The townhouses were built for public housing residents relocating from nearby units that the state plans to raze to expand a legislative building.
The lien will be payable only if the homes are sold.
Trudy McFall, chairwoman of the housing authority board, said yesterday that the agency has no plans to sell the townhouses in the foreseeable future.
Mayor Ellen O. Moyer said in a statement that she was pleased with the compromise, adding that waiving the fees, as the state had requested, would have set a "costly precedent."
