A Howard County task force will not select a specific site to build a horse park, because officials say more work needs to be done to make a strong case to the state.
“There?s a next step to take,” said Mike Erskine, chairman of the horse park task force charged with reviewing the possibility of bringing the Maryland Horse Park to Howard.
“The County Council or executive can?t write a proposal to the state based on what we?ve done.”
The task force is winding down and preparing its report to the County Council, which will include the benefits of the park and concerns raised by some residents.
But the group will stop short of recommending a specific site, task force members said at their meeting Wednesday. Sites are necessary for conducting a feasibility study, which would be required for making a case to the state.
Instead, the report will likely describe a few possible spots and suggest county officials reach out to specific landowners.
The sites considered include the University of Maryland?s Central Maryland Research and Education Center in Clarksville, West Friendship park near the county fairgrounds, and some privately owned land that could be combined for a park.
Plans for a state park, which would include a visitors center, museum, indoor showroom and at least 850 stables, have been in the works for nearly a decade as a way to centralize and promote the state?s equine industry.
Harford and Wicomico counties also have shown interest in the park.
The task force also wants to make it clear how much the community supports the possible park. A previously proposed site in Anne Arundel County fell through amid fading community support.
At a public hearing last month, horse enthusiasts rallied to support the park. Neighbors who raised concerns about traffic also said they weren?t opposed to building a park in Howard and would welcome the revenue boost.
“That hearing really demonstrated the desire to have something like that in the county,” said Kimberley Flowers, a Department of Planning and Zoning deputy director and task force member.
