Federal funds provide boost to Crownsville Hospital redevelopment

Nearly a year and a half ago, state, local and federal officials celebrated the opening of a nonprofit center on the campus of the historic Crownsville Hospital.

Wednesday, officials were back in that same building to celebrate the delivery of federal funds that will help Anne Arundel County continue redevelopment of the 500-acre Crownsville site.

Anne Arundel County received $7.65 million in federal earmarks for work on a 911 center, gun violence prevention and redevelopment of the Meyer Building, a large, one-story structure at Crownsville.

County Executive Steuart Pittman said the Meyer Building could have housing, including transitional and for veterans, and other social services. He said $3.1 million for Crownsville is the piece of the federal funding package he feels “most passionate about.”

“We’ve got our community development services and our housing commission working on a plan as we speak to provide those services there,” he said.

Pittman’s office did not immediately provide more details on a timeline.

Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation — U.S. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen and U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, all Democrats — praised Anne Arundel County for its work with lawmakers to prioritize projects that will benefit residents.

Alsobrooks, who previously served as county executive and state’s attorney for Prince George’s County, said she had a “horrifying” experience when she toured Crownsville with Pittman a few years ago and learned more about the institution’s racist past.

Patients faced mistreatment, neglect and abuse at the facility, once segregated and called the “Hospital for the Negro Insane.” It closed in 2004, and the state sold it to Anne Arundel County for $1 in 2022.

Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed budget includes $4 million toward renovations of the Meyer Building.

Alsobrooks praised Pittman’s plan to turn the campus from a place “that was known for so much pain” into one of “promise.”

“I hope it also represents the fact that, even at a time of chaos and confusion and cruelty, that good things are still happening on behalf of the people of Maryland,” she said.

Just over a year ago, Anne Arundel County published a master plan for the site, now called the Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park. It includes options such as affordable housing units, a satellite campus for Bowie State University, recreation space and a museum.

“Crownsville can be an opportunity for us to literally help another vulnerable population,” Elfreth said, referring to homeless veterans. “The Meyer Building in Crownsville can be and will be a solution to fill that gap.”

Other funding

About $3.5 million of the earmarked federal funds will go toward the construction of a joint 911 center in Anne Arundel County, for police and fire response.

Currently, police and fire services calls are not routed through the same location. Van Hollen said Anne Arundel is the only county in Maryland to have that setup.

“Obviously, [it] makes sense when emergency calls are coming in for the police and fire that you have a consolidated effort to make sure you can deliver emergency services on time,” Van Hollen said.

That project is in the design phase, according to the county’s website.

About $1 million is going to the county’s Gun Violence Intervention Team. And $133,000 is going to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, so that it can purchase a refrigerated truck to distribute produce and other fresh food to people in need.

The food bank distributed more than 1.2 million pounds of fresh produce last year, said Leah Paley, president of the organization. Having a refrigerated truck will help the food bank keep food from going to waste and help it deliver more, she said.

More than 11% of Anne Arundel County residents experience some level of food insecurity, she said.

“And we have the joy,” Paley said, “of going to work every day to make a difference for our community members.”

Banner reporter Pamela Wood contributed to this article.