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Caroline County board assigns C‑1 code to State Highway excess parcel near Route 404
Summary
County staff told the board the State Highway Administration is offering an almost 10‑acre parcel near River Road and Route 404 for sale. The board recorded no county interest and voted to recommend a C‑1 zoning classification for the surplus land.
At a meeting, members of the Caroline County board reviewed a Maryland Department of Planning clearinghouse submission about a State Highway Administration surplus parcel and recorded no county interest in acquiring it.
County staff member Leslie Bruni said the parcel is vacant, “about a little just under 10 acres,” and was originally purchased for a potential bypass project in the 1980s. Bruni told the board the State Highway Administration is advertising the land as effectively landlocked and that an adjoining property owner had expressed interest in bidding.
Bruni said county administration had reviewed the parcel and concluded the county had no need to purchase it. She also told the board the sale would not conflict with county plans, and staff recommended giving the proposal an approval code of “C‑1,” consistent with the county’s land‑use classifications.
Board members discussed access and the parcel’s condition; one member noted transmission lines along the property edge and that the advertised “landlocked” status signaled the state was not offering access. Another member raised a legal concern about creating a permanently inaccessible parcel, and county counsel explained that property law typically implies an access easement for carved parcels and that such easements are often litigated.
A member moved to accept staff’s recommendation to mark the parcel C‑1. The motion passed with no recorded dissent.
The board asked staff to be notified if the State Highway Administration receives a bid from an adjoining property owner.
No formal county acquisition or additional action was taken.
