State purchase of a 71-acre waterfront property on Kent Island was delayed Wednesday by the Board of Public Works, possibly killing the deal after Comptroller Peter Franchot objected to the sale.
Franchot said the $7.2 million price was too high and that “the industrial activity was not compatible” with open space.
This is the second time in the past month that Franchot has tangled with Gov. Martin O?Malley?s Cabinet secretaries over prices for proposed open-space transactions in Queen Anne?s County.
After initially voting for an earlier deal, he was unable to block Tuesday?s 271-acre purchase in nearby Grasonville for a much cheaper per-acre price.
The land, at the northern tip of Kent Island at the mouth of the Chester River, is used by Langenfelder Marine to bring in stone aggregate and construction material by barge. The land is owned by Atchafalaya Holdings, created by Langenfelder. Langenfelder would lease back 12 acres for five years.
“I love Queen Anne?s County,” Franchot said, but “every jurisdiction has development pressure.”
O?Malley said, “These have been getting a lot more attention” since he and Franchot rejected a permit for a 1,350-unit Four Seasons on Kent Island in May.
“We?re always looking to find Bay access property,” Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin told the board. “… You won?t see any more acquisitions from Queen Anne?s County” for a while.
Lawyer Bob Douglas told the board that Lagenfelder president Jim Matters wants to keep the property from residential development.
“I just can?t imagine that there are not better spaces to spend this money,” Franchot said.
General Services Secretary Alvin Collins, who oversees land appraisals, said the three-week delay could quash the transaction.
