Keswick

The Keswick Multi-Care Center in Baltimore scrapped its plans yesterday to build a multimillion-dollar retirement community on Roland Park land long owned by the Baltimore Country Club after learning the City Council would not support the proposal, Keswick's chief executive officer said. Keswick overcame the first hurdle to purchasing the 17 acres when two-thirds of the club's voting members approved the $12.5 million sale last year. But the transaction also was contingent on City Council approval of the more than 275-unit development, which many Roland Park residents actively opposed.

Reality of fibromyalgia merits more respect The Baltimore Sun's article "Drugmakers fuel buzz on fibromyalgia" (Feb. 9) did a disservice to the millions of Americans suffering needlessly with pain from fibromyalgia and reinforces the skepticism about that condition shown by a minority of the medical community. Instead of focusing on the pharmaceutical companies' sales figures, the reporter should have interviewed patients who are leading productive, quality lives because of effective treatment options approved by the Food and Drug Administration for fibromyalgia.

A piece of Baltimore Country Club history was demolished last week: the tennis clubhouse that served four grass courts that were built in 1903. Over the years, it was home to local tennis champions and even hosted the occasional star, including Pancho Gonzalez and Billie Jean King. Phil Spevak heard about the demolition hours after it occurred Tuesday, though he had met that morning with club leaders. It's not surprising. Mr. Spevak is the president of the Roland Park Civic League, which has masterfully rallied the neighborhood against the club's sale of 17 acres for a proposed continuing care retirement community.

Hundreds of Roland Park residents packed a community meeting last night to hear Keswick Multi-Care representatives promote their plans to build a facility for the elderly, but few were persuaded by the company's arguments. Keswick administrators and project architects told the crowd at Roland Park Elementary School that the $195 million proposal would not increase traffic in the neighborhood and would leave undeveloped most of the 17 acres being acquired for the project. Baltimore Country Club is planning to sell the land to Keswick for $12.5 million.

Representatives of the Keswick Multi-Care Center intend tonight to address concerns of many Roland Park residents that acres of green space in their neighborhood would be eaten up by a proposed senior facility. Keswick administrators will publicly unveil their proposal for 17 undeveloped acres that they are buying from the Baltimore Country Club for $12.5 million at a 7 p.m. meeting at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School at 5207 Roland Ave. The $195 million facility would have 225 independent-living units, 58 assisted-living units and 40 beds for residents in need of skilled nursing.

We have encountered many questions about the Keswick Multi-Care Center's plans to develop a senior center on the Baltimore County Club land parcel. More than four years ago, we set out to create an extraordinary new environment for the Baltimore senior community. Our goal is to create a special place in the form of a continuing care retirement community that incorporates green spaces and classic residential architecture within Baltimore. In the run-up to the decision to purchase the Baltimore Country Club parcel, we considered and reviewed approximately 35 sites.

Baltimore Country Club members voted last night to sell 17 acres of unoccupied land in Roland Park to a care facility, a potential $12.5 million deal that has met strong opposition from the surrounding neighborhood. The proposal still needs approval by the City Council, which would have to take up a request to rezone the property to accommodate the retirement community. Phil Spevak, president of the Roland Park Civic League, said the organization is disappointed that club members supported the plan.

Let's take a broader view of the issue The Sun presented in letters to the editor as "Open space fight roils Roland Park." Keswick Multi-care Center desires to build a high-end senior living facility, including 225 independent-living units, 58 assisted-living units and 40 beds for residents in need of skilled nursing. Across the street from Keswick's current facilities, Hekemian & Co. desires to develop the many acres of impervious surface that surround the Rotunda shopping center, including residential units (302 apartments, 44 condos and 12 townhouses, according to the last publicly available description)