Annapolis committee postpones transfer of Spa Road site as members seek more detail on cleanup, map and costs

Annapolis’ Environmental Matters Committee on July 10 voted to postpone consideration of an ordinance that would temporarily transfer parts of the city-owned Spa Road property to the Anne Arundel County Resilience Authority to allow the authority to pursue an EPA Brownfields cleanup grant.

Committee members said they needed more information — including a current subdivision map, findings from the Phase 2 environmental site assessment and a clearer estimate of remediation costs — before approving the administrative transfer. The committee’s motion to postpone carried without a recorded roll-call vote.

The ordinance (O-20-25) would move two parcels of the Spa Road property to the county resilience authority for up to seven years, with a reverter clause that would return the land to the city if redevelopment did not proceed. City staff described the step as a mechanism to make the site eligible for federal Brownfields funding rather than an agreement that final development plans are set.

“This is simply one step, one mechanism. It is its purpose is purely to make us eligible for a grant. It has no other implications beyond that,” said Bert Vogel, director of Public Works, during the committee discussion.

City staff said the Brownfields grant would only pay for eligible cleanup activities tied to redevelopment; city consultants and planners are coordinating cost estimates now. “The grant is specifically for the cleanup of the site. It’s a $4,000,000 opportunity,” Allison DiMaggio of the city’s engineering division said in the meeting.

Staff told the committee the Phase 2 environmental site assessment was completed in January and has been submitted to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) under the Voluntary Cleanup Program; MDE has issued written comments and the city’s environmental consultant is responding. Staff offered to present a Phase 2 summary and have the environmental team brief the committee at a future meeting.

Committee members repeatedly requested a current subdivision map showing which parcels would be transferred, and clearer detail about how Weems/Wayland Field (the parcel identified for retention by the city) and other non-developable portions would be carved out of the application. Staff agreed to upload and circulate the current map and to provide a Phase 2 summary for the next committee meeting.

Council members also probed the seven-year reverter term in the draft deed language and asked for legal analysis of any city obligations if a successful cleanup and redevelopment do not occur within the term. Staff said the seven years aligns with the lifecycle expectations for the grant and redevelopment timeline; they emphasized the transfer does not relieve the city of authority over future uses if the property reverts.

City staff explained why the transfer is proposed: federal Brownfields funds generally cannot be awarded to parties identified as the responsible party for contamination. “The City of Annapolis is the responsible party for the contamination. The federal rules do not allow the responsible party to get grant funding,” Vogel said, explaining the rationale for temporarily conveying title to the resilience authority.

The committee also discussed sequencing with the HUD Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) and other redevelopment planning; staff said the Brownfields cleanup actions would be designed to support safe redevelopment and that grant applications typically tie cleanup measures to anticipated construction activities. Staff said the Brownfields funding opportunity has an application deadline in November 2025 and that award notifications are expected in mid‑2026.

Outcome and next steps: the committee postponed action on O-20-25 to a later meeting and asked staff to provide (1) the current subdivision map showing parcels proposed for transfer and parcels to be retained by the city, (2) the Phase 2 environmental site assessment summary and MDE comment/response status, (3) preliminary remediation cost estimates used for the grant application, and (4) a briefing by the environmental consultant and MDE on remediation standards and reuse constraints. The committee also requested that the law department review the reverter language and the statutory requirements for sale/transfer of city property and prepare suggested amendments or clarifications for subsequent committee consideration.