The Anne Arundel County, Maryland, executive wants to keep more than 100 acres of a conservation area and not turn it into an 18-hole golf course, as the U.S. Navy is proposing.
County Executive Steuart Pittman’s letter to the Commanding Officer of Naval Support Activity and the Secretary of the Navy proposes allowing the county to lease the property at Greenbury Point. If approved, the land, which is at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and the Severn River, would be run by the county’s parks and recreation department.
Pittman said the county has money allocated in next year’s budget to start the design phase. He would like the county to extend the paved and natural trails in the park, improve water access for fishing and create a place where people can “paddle-in” and enjoy the area.
Environmental improvements by the county are also being proposed. Among those plans are enhancing the natural meadows, planting native tree species for reforestation and putting in shoreline grasses to help with erosion.
Pittman said the county would work with the Navy when it needs to use the area for training exercises, as it does currently.
“We also understand that Greenbury Point is critical to U.S. Navy operations and is used for training exercises and other activities,” the letter said. “Should the county enter into a lease for the property, we will of course work with the Navy to accommodate these mission critical activities.”
Pittman sad he believes there is wide support for the proposal — from members of Congress to environmental leaders.
“I have spoken to environmental leaders in our area, including the Chesapeake Conservancy, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Severn River Association, as well as members of our congressional and state delegations, and I believe there is widespread support for our proposal,” Pittman said.
