Public water access in Anne Arundel — a tough nut to crack
Water, water everywhere and nary a drop to launch your boat. The debate over public water access flared in Crownsville recently. Anne Arundel County has more than 500 miles of coastline with few public access points for swimming or launching boats. The current debate is about Valentine Creek Park; 28 acres on Valentine Creek acquired by the county in 2018 for $1.2 million with the stated purpose of water access.
The terrain is steep undulating forested hills laced with ephemeral streams sloping down into marshlands that border the Severn River. According to the Realtor who sold most of the first 29 homes in the Valentine Creek neighborhood in the 1980s, the first developer abandoned plans for water access due to the expense and logistical challenges.
A second developer purchased the undeveloped land zoned for approximately15 lots in December 2015 for $465,000. The developer faced the same challenges even after reducing the number of residential lots by half; just building a road on the plated right of way would require variances, modifications and exceptions.
Former county executive Steve Schuh was more optimistic. He authorized purchase of the property from the second developer, who was a significant contributor to Schuh’s campaign, for $1.2 million, more than double what the developer paid for it less than three years earlier!
Since the county used open space funds to purchase the property — it justified the use of those funds by citing the potential water access — a consultant was hired who dutifully came up with three different versions of the same bad idea for boat launches. These were presented to local community leaders in May. There were no cost estimates or environmental impact assessments, but you don’t need to be an engineer to know that the terrain means the costs would be enormous and the environmental destruction immense.
The county’s 28 acres are surrounded by forested land owned by the Valentine Creek Association and zoned for open space or recreation; the southeast edge of the Severn Run Environmental Area, owned by the state; and land under the stewardship of the Crownsville Conservancy. All three versions of the water access plan bisect almost 100 acres of old growth forest with a paved road, and include a parking area on wetlands. Dredging is required for two of the three boat launch options — Valentine Creek at its edge offers a foot of water at best.
Fortunately, this plan is dead on arrival for now. County Executive Steuart Pittman hiked the property with some community representatives (full disclosure, I organized the hike). He quickly recognized the folly of the proposed plan — the enormous costs in dollars alone would doom it without regard to the immense damage to an old growth forest. (I would be happy to take County Council member Jessica Haire on a hike too, but she may want to visit the site proposed for a landfill in Gambrills first.)
But what should happen to the property? The county owns it now and could develop it and help maintain it. Invasive vines are just creeping into the woods. The property has an extensive network of trails connecting Herald Harbor to Valentine Creek and several points in Arden, albeit on challenging terrain. The trails are maintained by a committed group of locals including volunteers from the Crownsville Conservancy.
There could be parking without building a road bisecting the woods and existing trails. The property could be incorporated into the South Shore Trail network. Alternately, the county could turn it over to the state to incorporate into the adjoining Severn Run Natural Area, which includes1,700 wooded acres (24 square miles) extending into Odenton.
Creating public water access is a tougher nut to crack. The recent agreement by the City of Annapolis to rehabilitate a marina on Bembe Beach Road for use by Chesapeake Recreational Adaptive Boating (CRAB) is a great model but such opportunities are few and far between.
On our hike with the county executive a gentleman from Arden said the community had considered allowing outsiders to pay boat ramp fees but were advised that it would threaten their 501(c)(3) status. Maybe there is a way to address that so water-privileged communities could find a way to allow other residents of Anne Arundel County more access. It would be neighborly!
Regardless, hopefully the days of the county bailing out developers for bad decisions are over. We also need to rethink what “open access” means and require “due diligence” before the public purchases property. ——Too often these funds have been used to effectively restrict access.