Cave Could Halt Low-Income Housing Plan
Mar 19th - 3:43pm
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - Low-income housing in downtown Frederick faces an unusual obstacle: a cave.
A developer says he has hired an engineering firm to investigate newspaper reports from 1892 of an apparent cave beneath Cannon Hill in the southeast corner of the downtown business district. Some neighbors of the proposed 36-unit project say the articles suggest the site is unsuitable for building.
Beside the prospect of a collapse, caves are protected under a Maryland law that prohibits the removal or disturbance of fossils and other features without a state permit.
"If there is a cave, then I'll be the first one not to build on it," developer Joe Venezia told The Frederick News-Post for a story published Monday.
Venezia said he isn't convinced there is a cave. The newspaper stories are sketchy, and soil borings taken in 2006 on the 3/4-acre, city-owned lot indicated the ground was strong enough for residential development, Venezia said. The company that analyzed the borings, ECS Mid-Atlantic LLC of Chantilly, Va., is also conducting the search for the cave.
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Information from: The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, http://www.fredericknewspost.com