Council OKs resolution in support of proposed horse training facility
The Harford County Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday to support the establishment of a thoroughbred training facility at Mitchell Farm in Perryman, a site that has been the subject of controversy for several years regarding a proposed warehouse development.
A 97-acre portion of the site on the Perryman Peninsula near Aberdeen is one of eight potential locations where the state’s Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority is considering building a stateowned horse racing training center. The facility would be called the Mitchell Farm Training Center.
At Tuesday’s meeting, council members shared their support for using the Perryman site for the horse training facility.
“To let the state know we’re in support of 97 acres being used for a horse training facility right here in Perryman — I’m excited to see that happen,” said council member Jacob Bennet, a Democrat representing District F.
Council member Dion Guthrie, a Democrat representing District A, said using the site for a horse training facility would be “absolutely fabulous.
“In Harford County, there are a lot of horses up here and they won’t have to go so far to do training.”
Since 2021, the 700-acre Mitchell property has been the center of community pushback due to a proposal by Chesapeake Real Estate Group to use a portion of the site for 5.2 million square feet of warehouse space. The proposal includes the construction of five warehouses and parking space for 1,414 trailers and 2,542 vehicles. The company has said 400 acres of the property would be used for the warehouse development and 300 acres would be set aside as green space.
According to CREG partner Matthew Laraway, the real estate firm’s development plan would have to be changed if Mitchell Farm is chosen as the site for the state’s new potential horse training facility.
“Our five-building plan is going to need to be modified,” Laraway said. “If we can work the horse training facility into a revised plan, we think it would be fabulous.”
The real estate firm’s warehouse plans have met resistance from Perryman community members and intervention from the County Council. A group of residents called the 3P Protect Perryman Peninsula coalition have been the loudest opposition against the warehouse project in public hearings and community town halls.
In June 2022, the coalition filed a lawsuit against Harford County, the Mitchell family and the developers, alleging the project would have negative repercussions on the community. Specifically, the coalition argued that the project would increase traffic, lower property values and burden neighboring residents. Eventually, the lawsuit was dropped in April after the council passed a moratorium on warehouse development to give the government more time to consider zoning regulations, dating back to the 1980s when there were no massive warehouse projects in the county.
Earlier this month the coalition held a news conference in Annapolis to release an environmental justice report focusing on decades of environmental, social challenges and neglect in Perryman. The coalition plans to give the report, “Turning the Tide,” to Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown in hopes he’ll investigate the continued development to potentially halt it.
According to a January report from the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, the Mitchell Farm Training Center would feature two training tracks, 640 training stalls, an equine wellness center and 40 stall barns. The state authority said Mitchell Farm’s relative flat terrain and lack of natural resource challenges make it an ideal candidate. The state would oversee development of the training facility, which could cost up to $116 million.
Earlier this month, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly, a Republican, sent a letter to the Maryland General Assembly detailing his support for the Perryman location for the new horse racing facility.
“I firmly believe that this facility will not only enhance Maryland’s reputation as a hub for Thoroughbred racing, but also contribute positively to the local economy and community,” Cassilly said in the letter.