From The Presbyterian Home of Maryland, Inc.:
The Presbyterian Home of Maryland, Inc. (PHM) announced today that it has withdrawn its plans to develop and operate The Village at Carsins Run in the City of Aberdeen which was to have been Harford County’s first Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).
PHM’s announcement came in the wake of Harford County Delegate Mary-Dulany James’ decision to withdraw House Bill 584. That bill would have provided significant tax dollars from The Village at Carsins Run to the City of Aberdeen over the next 15 years, while establishing a five percent hotel room tax for Harford County.
“Both Harford County and the State of Maryland strongly agree this county is in dire need of a Continuing Care Retirement Community which will allow seniors currently living in this area to stay in this area, rather than being forced to move elsewhere to find the independent living, assisted living, and comprehensive nursing care lifestyles CCRCs offer,” said Susan Shea, President & CEO of the Presbyterian Home of Maryland.
“PHM is determined to build the Continuing Care Retirement Community,” Shea continued. “Unfortunately, it will not be built in Aberdeen.” PHM indicated it is already looking elsewhere in Harford County for another suitable location to accommodate its planned CCRC.
Despite nine years of intensive planning and feasibility studies conducted by both the Maryland State Department of Aging and the SAGE Policy Research Group indicating strong demand by residents and creation of a suitable financial plan for developing and operating the project, the Mayor and City Council of Aberdeen withdrew their previous support for The Village at Carsins Run.
Both the Mayor and City Council of Aberdeen had gone on record in the past as supporting development of The Village at Carsins Run. The Mayor of Aberdeen, in fact, sent a letter to former Harford County Delegate Jennings in February 2009 in which he stated, “The passage of the legislation to exempt the independent living units [at The Village at Carsins Run] from county and municipal real property taxes will allow the project to move forward.”
“The real loser here is the City of Aberdeen,” explained Shea. “The Village at Carsins Run would have meant jobs in a community that desperately needs them. It would have meant additional tax dollars because it would have paid for its own water, sewer, trash and snow removal, while offering unreimbursed, long-term health care and unreimbursed housing for area seniors who run out of funds. It would have meant construction of a $2.4 million water tank to be donated to the City of Aberdeen.”
Just as important, according to Shea, The Village at Carsins Run “would have meant that seniors, many of whom have spent their entire lives in Aberdeen, would have been able to stay in their community and continue to support local businesses, non-profits, and religious organizations. Now those seniors will have no choice but to move elsewhere if they want to take advantage of the lifestyle options a CCRC affords.”
PHM plans to return money to those seniors who had made deposits on one of the 183 independent living units to have been constructed at The Village at Carsins Run. The community, which was to have been located on 138 acres adjacent to Ripken Stadium, also would have offered 10 assisted living beds and 10 comprehensive care beds.
Plans had called for The Village at Carsins Run to break ground later this year with the facility originally scheduled to open in late 2013.
Mrs. Shea packed up her marbles and went elsewhere, what a shame. I can’t believe the crooked bill Mary-Dulany James put together. Where was a hotel tax and tax credit for Presbyterian homes to meet anyway; how were they related?
its too bad no presbyterian home for now. but it was also a shame the way Ms James tried to forward this piece of legislation. even if she was on the up and up it smelled bad and looked like she was holding a gun to Aberdeen. if the stats the Aberdeen council threw around were accurate, why were property tax breaks being given to seniors whose income could have been able to pay the taxes. You can’t get anything for free, especially in these economic times. Harford County Government has too long bent over backwards for developers and ended up on the short end of the revenue stick. Aberdeen, would have made some money off the hotel tax but the linkage of the two issues – the tax break and the hotel tax should have never been linked. Bad move Ms James, no matter, you’ll always be re-elected, we have short memories in Maryland.
Finally someone got it! This County and the politicans have to stop giving away tax credits and causing everyone else to pick up the tab. All the companies that have come into Harford County and got substancial tax breaks should now pay back the County. The funny thing is, they would still have come even without the breaks but the County choose to give them. No more tax breaks! We cannot sustain it any longer.
Hey, now Art Helton can build there!
But can he move in just long enough to declare himself a resident and run for office? (Yeah, like he would do something like that!)
No one complained when Bennett’s good pal Art Helton received his tax breaks. Why all the up-rising over Presbyterian Homes? How about all the buildings for retirees that ex-Mayor Chuck Boutin had a hand in? The only thing that remains constant is that Aberdeen will continue to be Aberdeen!
I concur but Helton will continue to weasel his way to get more tax breaks. It is a shame that Pres. homes will not build at all now because they would have brought some positives to Aberdeen.
Does anyone know Dulaney-James rationale for withdrawing the bill? Someone should her accountable for explaining her actions. I am not saying she was wrong, I just don’t understand her reasoning.
Why do all these multi-million dollar enterprises get tax breaks (and the PHM is a multi-million dollar enterprise)? Oh I know why. It’s because most politicians know they can just raise taxes on us poor serfs to make up the difference. I agree with Mary-Dulany James’ decision. How about a tax break for the rest of us.
You too can start a Not-for-Profit or Non-Profit corporation and enjoy the benefits.
Or we could go after Not-for-Profit and Non-Profit corporations like AARP, NAACP, AAA, NPR, CPB, PBS, MOMA, Ford Foundation, Smithsonian, etc…and strip them of their status and benefits?
“PHM is determined to build the Continuing Care Retirement Community,” Shea continued. “Unfortunately, it will not be built in Aberdeen.” PHM indicated it is already looking elsewhere in Harford County for another suitable location to accommodate its planned CCRC. TRANSLATION…PHM will find a suitable location in Harford County but outside of the three municipalities guranteeing us a tax credit.
PHM will likely locate in Havre de Grace, thank you Aberdeen.
Do we really want this in HdeG?????
Continuing Care Retirement communities are big money propositions, and aren’t for the poor either, dispite some of the rhetoric coming out of it’s sponsors. They are almost always a very bad deal financially for people who go in them.
Wayne Dougherty apparantly is making noises about supporting having them come to Havre de Grace. It does not seem as though he actually consulted anyone about whether its a good idea or not before he went public. But then, that’s what he does.
He might want to read his tax revenue figures. They’ve been going down for two years now, even as he’s increased spending.
Adding yet another large project that pays no taxes to Havre de Grace doesn’t strike me as a particularly bright idea (we’ve already given a huge tax break to the new Harford Memorial campus, and we have the old hospital on Union ave that pays no taxes as well).
They can build up by Bulle Rock; that way the people that can actually afford it won’t have to move far. And that crack sales team of Turners would be able to unload some of the vacant land that they didn’t finish building on. unless they are waiting for an other handout from Craig……