Officials Announce $105.8 Million Robinwood Redevelopment as Separate Questions Remain Over $3.3 Million in HACA Funding

Officials have announced plans for an approximately $105.8 million multiphase redevelopment of the Robinwood community, another major investment in affordable housing in Annapolis as separate questions remain about the status and impact of millions of dollars previously committed to the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis and its housing initiatives.

Related: $37 Million in Statewide Affordable Housing Funding Includes $1.5 Million for Robinwood Redevelopment in Annapolis

According to an August 26 press release from the City of Annapolis, HACA, in partnership with the City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, the State of Maryland and Community Housing Partners, with support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, announced the next phase of the Robinwood redevelopment.

The project is part of HACA’s long-term “HACA 2035” strategy to preserve affordable housing, strengthen neighborhoods and prepare Annapolis to meet its future housing needs.

Robinwood has provided affordable housing to Annapolis families for more than 50 years. According to the press release, the property now requires significant reinvestment. Plans call for a combination of rehabilitation and new construction intended to preserve long-term affordability while modernizing the community.

Related: State, County, and City Announce Significant Investment in Annapolis Housing Authority

“Every generation inherits public assets shaped by the decisions of those who came before it,” HACA Executive Director and CEO Ms. Melissa Maddox-Evans said. “Our responsibility is not simply to manage those assets. It is to strengthen them so future generations inherit an affordable housing system that is better prepared to serve Annapolis than the one entrusted to us. Robinwood reflects that responsibility.”

The first phase is planned to include 58 new apartments across three garden-style buildings, consisting of 16 one-bedroom, 24 two-bedroom and 18 three-bedroom homes. Current plans also include rehabilitation of existing townhomes, new senior housing, a new community center and additional neighborhood amenities.

While the newly announced $105.8 million investment concerns the redevelopment of Robinwood, it comes as separate questions remain about approximately $3.3 million in public funding announced in February 2025 to support HACA and other affordable housing efforts in Annapolis. That earlier funding was not announced as funding for the Robinwood redevelopment.

In February 2025, state, county and city officials announced approximately $3.3 million in combined public funding commitments involving HACA. While announced together as part of the same effort to support public and affordable housing in Annapolis, the money was designated for two related but different purposes.

Of that approximately $3.3 million, $1.275 million, or nearly $1.3 million, was announced to help stabilize HACA operations, address its maintenance backlog, enhance existing public housing properties and improve housing conditions. That funding consisted of $300,000 from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, $475,000 from Anne Arundel County and $500,000 from the City of Annapolis.

As part of that same February 2025 announcement, officials also identified another $2 million connected to HACA’s longer-term redevelopment efforts. The State of Maryland and City of Annapolis each committed $1 million toward predevelopment costs for the Choice Neighborhood Initiative involving Eastport Terrace and Harbour House.

In other words, the approximately $3.3 million represented one larger public investment announced by state, county and city officials to support HACA and affordable housing in Annapolis. Within that overall amount, nearly $1.3 million was directed toward HACA’s more immediate needs, including its maintenance backlog and existing properties, while another $2 million was committed toward preparing for the planned redevelopment of Eastport Terrace and Harbour House.

The $2 million was specifically identified as funding for “predevelopment costs.” In simple terms, that portion was connected to getting the planned Eastport Terrace and Harbour House redevelopment ready to move forward, rather than the nearly $1.3 million that officials specifically identified for HACA’s operations, maintenance backlog and existing public housing properties.

Together, those two portions totaled $3.275 million, or approximately $3.3 million in announced public funding commitments.

More than a year later, questions remain about how much of that funding HACA has actually received, how much has been spent, what the money has paid for and how much, if any, remains available.

Those questions are particularly relevant to the nearly $1.3 million portion that officials specifically said would help address HACA’s maintenance backlog and improve existing public housing properties, as residents continue to raise concerns about maintenance and living conditions at some HACA properties.

The newly announced $105.8 million Robinwood redevelopment is separate from that earlier $3.3 million funding announcement, including the $2 million committed toward predevelopment of Eastport Terrace and Harbour House.

Robinwood itself, however, has previously been the subject of a separate significant funding announcement.

Report Annapolis News reported in October 2025 that Robinwood was among affordable housing projects awarded funding through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Spring/Summer 2025 Competitive Funding Round.

At that time, Community Housing Partners Corporation was allocated $1.5 million toward the Robinwood redevelopment on Tyler Avenue. The project was then estimated to cost approximately $25.96 million and called for the creation of 58 new affordable housing units, including 14 units for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The latest announcement now places those 58 new units within a much larger vision for Robinwood.

Officials now describe the overall Robinwood redevelopment as an approximately $105.8 million multiphase investment. The first phase continues to call for 58 new apartments, while the broader plans include rehabilitation of existing townhomes, new senior housing, a new community center and additional neighborhood amenities.

The approximately $25.96 million figure previously reported and the newly announced $105.8 million figure should not necessarily be interpreted as the cost of the same project simply increasing by nearly $80 million. The latest announcement describes a broader, multiphase redevelopment of Robinwood that extends beyond construction of the 58 new apartments.

One question that remains is whether the 14 units previously identified for individuals experiencing homelessness remain part of the current 58-unit plan. The August 26 press release provides the bedroom breakdown for the 58 apartments but does not address the previously announced designation of those 14 units.

The redevelopment could also require some current Robinwood residents to temporarily relocate.

According to the City’s press release, residents affected by construction will receive relocation assistance consistent with federal requirements. Under HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration program, residents who must temporarily relocate because of construction retain the right to return to an assisted unit after redevelopment of their phase is completed.

“We are working with HACA to invest in communities to improve the health and safety of residents,” Annapolis Mayor Mr. Jared Littmann said. “With this project, HACA is honoring a commitment by protecting their housing while building, modernizing, and growing the City's affordable housing stock.”

“Our goal with Robinwood is to strengthen the community, not divide or displace residents,” Ms. Maddox-Evans said. “Current Robinwood homes no longer meet the needs of many families. This transformation provides housing choices that better reflect the lives residents are living today, from senior apartments to updated family townhomes.”

Plans also call for the redevelopment to meet Enterprise Green Communities criteria and applicable state energy requirements while creating expanded community gathering spaces and amenities designed to serve residents of all ages.

The latest announcement also provides additional information about when the Robinwood redevelopment could move forward.

When Report Annapolis News reported on the Robinwood project in October 2025, officials had not provided a development timeline. According to the August 26 press release, financing for the first phase is now expected to close in summer 2027.

An actual construction start date has not yet been announced. Officials said construction timing will be announced following completion of financing and required regulatory approvals.

HACA and its public and private partners said they will continue working with Robinwood residents throughout the planning and redevelopment process to ensure residents remain informed, supported and engaged.

The latest announcement adds another substantial planned investment to Annapolis’ affordable housing landscape. At the same time, separate questions surrounding the approximately $3.3 million public investment announced in February 2025 remain, including how much of that money has been received, how it has been used and, particularly regarding the nearly $1.3 million identified for HACA’s maintenance backlog and existing properties, what measurable improvements have resulted from that investment.

Report Annapolis News will seek comment from the Housing Authority regarding these questions #Developing