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Council holds resolution to buy two parcels for park expansion and bus facility pending Phase II environmental review
Summary
Resolution 34-25 to use Advanced Land Acquisition funds to buy a 68.27‑acre Edgewater parcel and a 7.911‑acre Shipley Avenue parcel in Harmans for a school-bus facility was held unanimously to Dec. 15 while staff completes a Phase II environmental site assessment and provides mitigation cost estimates.
The county administration proposed Resolution 34-25 on Dec. 1 to approve using Advanced Land Acquisition funds to purchase two parcels: a 68.27‑acre tract in Edgewater intended to expand Lock Haven Community Park for passive recreation, and a 7.911‑acre Shipley Avenue parcel in Harmans intended for an Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) bus facility.
Administration staff described funding sources in general terms during the presentation, referencing a combination of $4,500,000 drawn from Advanced Land Acquisition and reforestation funds for the Edgewater parcel and a $7,600,000 purchase price for the Shipley Avenue site to be funded from the Advanced Land Acquisition Fund. Staff also disclosed that a Phase II environmental site assessment was underway at the Harmon (Shipley Avenue) site because the property lies adjacent to an EPA Superfund area where prior investigations identified chromium, arsenic and petroleum‑related impacts on the neighbor parcel. The administration said the purchase contract includes a due‑diligence opt‑out provision and that central services and AACPS are working together on remediation planning and cost estimates.
Multiple councilmembers pressed staff on environmental risk, appraisal history and price justification, asking whether two weeks would be sufficient for the Phase II report and a cost estimate for any mitigation. Central Services staff said consultants were on-site that morning and they expected the Phase II report by the end of the week and that they could provide mitigation estimates if the report identified issues.
Given member concerns, the council voted 7–0 to hold Resolution 34-25 to the Dec. 15 meeting to allow staff to provide the Phase II findings and any associated mitigation cost estimates and to allow more time for council review before authorizing fund use.
