Key School Buys Annapolis Golf Club

Key School officials announced Wednesday that the Hillsmere school has "completed a purchase agreement" for the Annapolis Golf Club.

In a letter to parents, Marcella Yedid, Key’s head of school, said she and Key Board President Wes Jones informed faculty and staff of the 70-acre purchase that will make way for the school to expand several of its athletic and educational programs.

“This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has the potential to change the way we think about, and plan for, the future of Key School,” Jones said in his remarks.

In the letter to parents, Yedid said Key needed the additional space because of Critical Zone restrictions at its Hillsmere campus. The Critical Zone is a development buffer surrounding the Chesapeake Bay.

“We come to this agreement after much research and deliberation,” Yedid said in the letter. “This acquisition is very exciting for us.”

Officials from the school and the golf club could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

The open-space property along Carrollton Road in the Annapolis Roads area of the city will be used to enhance the school’s athletic, outdoor and environmental programs, she said in the letter.

“Additionally, by relieving some of the existing campus pressure as related to athletics facilities, the new property will facilitate desirable Hillsmere campus improvements,” Yedid said in the letter.

Along with the letter, school officials provided an outline of their plans for the property:

“Key School will use the property for instructional purposes, specifically in support of its outdoor education, environmental studies and athletic programs. The School’s administration and Board of Trustees will preserve and protect the existing natural areas to serve as outdoor classrooms for Key students who are studying the environment and to provide space for outdoor education activities. We will also create playing fields to be used for afterschool practices and games.

“The faculty, staff and I are enthusiastic about this additional space that will undoubtedly enrich the Key experience for generations of Obezags to come,” Yedid said in the letter.

News of the sale came shortly after The Capital reported that the city is considering leasing or selling the Eisenhower Golf Course off Generals Highway in Crownsville. That golf course is more than 208 acres and has a Maryland tax assessment value of $9.2 million.