By Timothy B. Wheeler , tim.wheeler@baltsun.com|June 19, 2009
State and local officials are looking to buy a 190-acre waterfront farm in eastern Baltimore County from a developer, even though the partly wooded spread on Back River scored poorly on a rating system the state uses to rank potential purchases for parkland.
No deal has been reached, and no one would reveal what price has been discussed with developer Mark C. Sapperstein, who says he has spent at least $6 million to buy and improve the land. But county officials, who paid Sapperstein more than the appraised value of another property two years ago, say they would be "very interested" in acquiring Bauer's Farm to preserve it from development and to expand public access to the river and Chesapeake Bay.
"Anytime Baltimore County could preserve a couple hundred acres of prime waterfront property and add it to the county's park inventory, that would always get our interest," said Don Mohler, spokesman for County Executive James T. Smith Jr.
The farm, with nearly a mile of shoreline, adjoins 1,360-acre North Point State Park, which has a wading beach, fishing pier and hiking trails. The county also has recently acquired two small tracts nearby for parks or recreation facilities.
The farm is currently green-lighted for "low-impact" development, in which the bulk of the land would remain in woods and fields. Sapperstein, who bought the tract five years ago for $2.85 million, has county approval to build 144 townhouses, including some along the riverbank.
In return, he promised to build a 70-slip marina for use by surrounding residents, as well as a public boat ramp. He also pledged to restore a rundown historic home on the property and to clean up an area where toxic wastes apparently had been dumped years ago. Sapperstein estimated he has spent more than $3 million dealing with the contaminated soil.
Still, the developer said he is willing to sell the property if suitable terms can be reached, so he can concentrate on other projects, including a large apartment and retail complex at Locust Point in the city, named McHenry Row.
"It's waterfront, it's Baltimore County, it's got a lot of value," Sapperstein said. Still, he added, "We're not there yet."
Mohler said Smith has not been involved in negotiations with Sapperstein, who in the past six years has donated more than $20,000 - either personally or through his companies - to the election campaigns of several county and state politicians, including Smith and Gov. Martin O'Malley.
