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Commissioners discuss four proposed DNR land acquisitions including a 207-acre tract in Eckert
Summary
County staff presented four state Department of Natural Resources land-acquisition requests that require commissioner authorization for properties over 100 acres; the first is a 207+ acre tract along Route 40 in Eckert proposed for management by the Maryland Park Service and held by the Catoctin Land Trust.
Allegany County staff told commissioners that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources had submitted four proposed land acquisitions in the county that require commissioner authorization because each parcel exceeds 100 acres.
Staff said the first proposed acquisition is a Catoctin Land Trust parcel of “207 plus acres” along Route 40 in Eckert located in the Piney Mountain South ecologically significant area. Staff said the parcel would be managed by the Maryland Park Service. A map in the meeting packet showed the property and staff characterized most of the land as steep hillside and stream bottom with little developable area.
The nut graf: under county practice, DNR must get commissioner permission before finalizing acquisitions in Allegany County that are larger than 100 acres; staff asked the commissioners whether they wanted each parcel brought forward as separate agenda items so they could vote on them individually.
Staff said several parcels had “stacked up” and that, after today’s discussion, the usual next step was to put each property on a future public meeting agenda where commissioners would vote up or down on each one independently. Staff recommended handling the four parcels as separate agenda items so the board could approve some and reject others if desired.
Commissioners and staff discussed the location and the topography of the first parcel. One participant observed from the map that the property appeared to be along Route 40 and above Eckert and that the terrain was mostly hillside and stream bottom, limiting buildable area. No formal votes or commissioner approvals were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt; staff asked that the items be scheduled for formal public action.
Ending: Staff said the parcels would be placed on a future public meeting agenda as separate items for formal consideration by the commissioners. No final disposition was recorded in the transcript excerpt.
