The owners of the historic Doughoregan Manor have struck a deal that will permit a Catonsville-based retirement community developer to build on part of their 892-acre property in exchange for preserving the rest.

The 18th-century Doughoregan manor house and estate in Ellicott City, has been in the Carroll family for nine generations and was once home to Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. It is the last private home of a signer of the Declaration to remain in the hands of his descendants.

The agreement, signed Sept. 15, allows Erickson Retirement Communities to buy about 150 acres from owners Camilla and Philip D. Carroll and build up to 1,500 units in a retirement community campus, according to a press release from the family. Erickson would have the option to purchase an additional 38 acres, which could support another 500 units.

The Carrolls declined to disclose the value of the deal.

"We look forward to working with Howard County officials to bring a full-service Erickson campus to the historic Doughoregan Manor site that will combine a maintenance-free active lifestyle with an ever-expanding host of amenities, social activities and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve both physical and mental health," said Mel Tansill, senior director of corporate public affairs for Erickson.

The company's research shows there are about 438,000 people who are 65 and older within a 25-mile radius of Doughoregan Manor. The demographics supporting an Erickson community are "compelling," Tansill said via e-mail.

Tansill said no artist's renderings of the planned campus are available at this time. The company has three other campuses in Maryland — in Catonsville, Parkville and Silver Spring.

County Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson likes the agreement.

"Since I've been elected, it's been a number one priority for me," said Watson, whose district includes the property. "This is a national historic treasure and the largest undeveloped land in Howard County."

The plan to build on the property would preserve at least 665 acres; the family has agreed to donate 36 acres to the county for parkland, the release states. The Carrolls have announced no immediate plans to open the property to the public.

"We're delighted to have found a solution that brings more senior housing into the county, provides more ballparks for kids and that has minimal impact on schools and roads," said Camilla Carroll in a statement.

The deal has been in the works for more than a year after a 30-year historic easement on the property expired in May 2007.

The Carroll family has said through a spokesman that they want to preserve the property for future generations but worried the cost of repairing buildings on the land and estate taxes upon the deaths of the owners would require the family to sell the property.

The estate's current zoning would have allowed up to 192 single-family homes on one-acre lots, an option the family said it did not want to pursue.

The county attempted to buy development rights on the land for $24 million in 2006, but the family ultimately decided it would not be enough money to ensure preservation of the estate.

Watson said she would be willing to submit a zoning regulation amendment to accommodate the proposal. The public would have an opportunity to comment on the plans as they move from the Planning Board to the County Council, she said.

The county also would have to extend public water and sewer to the property for the retirement community.

County Executive Kenneth Ulman has previously said he thinks preserving the manor could help act as a buffer to stop any further expansion of public utilities in the western part of the county.

Erickson currently has more than 21,000 people in its 23 retirement campuses across the country. Seven of the 10 largest retirement communities in the country are managed by the company, according to its Web site.

user comments (1)

user exinsider says...

Hello? Just how many senior developments can Howard County support?

Posted 6:51 PM, 09.18.08

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