Maryland is giving up on a large equestrian center planned for the former Naval Academy Dairy Farm in Anne Arundel County and is now reconsidering a handful of other counties as potential sites.
The Maryland Stadium Authority pulled out of its plans to build a $114 million, 875-acre Maryland Horse Park in Gambrills, due to dwindling support from the Anne Arundel County government.
The Stadium Authority and the Maryland Horse Industry Board might now re-examine other potential sites around the state, including in Carroll, Harford, Cecil and Frederick counties, said Suzanne duPont, communications director for the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
“We?re more than prepared to go toe-to-toe with Cecil County over this,” said James Richardson, Harford County?s director of economic development.
Intended as the state?s center for equestrian events, shows and agricultural education, the Gambrills site would have included a visitors center, a museum, an indoor show ring seating 2,500 and stables for 840 horses.
Despite a $250,000 state study?s focus on the Gambrills site, the Maryland Horse Industry Board could reuse the basic elements of the plan, duPont said.
“We still have some good proposals in there,” she said. “We have some elements left in our pocket.”
Other potential sites near Baltimore included the 600-acre Neal property in Carroll County between Westminster and Taneytown, 603 acres near Mount St. Mary?s University in Frederick County, and 997 acres around Havre de Grace, combining land from “The Graw” racetrack, Swan Harbor Farm and Tydings Farm with another parcel in Darlington.
More than 5,600 acres in Cecil County had been the “runner-up” in the original site selection process, and county officials were eager to re-enter the negotiation process, said Cecil Economic Development Director Vernon Thompson.
“We have the absolute perfect location for the horse park,” Thompson said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
