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Deal on Crow's Nest criticized

December 20, 2007 12:35 am

BY KAFIA HOSH

Stafford County's plan to buy a portion of the Crow's Nest peninsula will not save the environmentally sensitive forest, according to local activists.

At a meeting Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors agreed to purchase 1,720 acres of Crow's Nest for $19 million, with a two-year option to purchase an additional 1,200 acres for $16.2 million.

But local environmentalists say the land could still be developed.

"By permanently protecting only a portion of the peninsula, they're practically guaranteeing the rest of the peninsula will be developed," said Cecilia Kirkman, founder of Save Crow's Nest.

Crow's Nest sits between Potomac and Accokeek creeks. It includes more than 1,000 acres of forest and is home to rare plant and animal species.

Environmentalists have argued the 1,720-acre-parcel Stafford agreed to buy is the least developable land because it contains most of Crow's Nest marshes and steep slopes.

However, county officials say the chosen parcel is the most environmentally sensitive portion.

"The state deemed it the most critical and the board used the state's good judgment in making their decision," said Deputy County Administrator Anthony Romanello.

The parcel the county is purchasing could hold 370 lots, according to the landowner's attorney.

"The county did not buy a swamp," said Clark Leming, who represents Crow's Nest owner K&M Properties of McLean. "It's very valuable land."

"Those are high-ground, dirt lots that can be developed," added Aquia District Supervisor Paul Milde, whose district includes Crow's Nest. "The portion that we ended up with is consistent with the overall buildable surface. We really got our money's worth."

Stafford is buying the 1,720-acre-tract with a $9.5 million grant from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and a $9.5 million, low-interest loan from the Department of Environmental Quality.

The county has two years to secure $16.2 million for the remaining 1,200 acres. If Stafford is unable to find state or federal funds, then the purchase will go on a voter referendum where taxpayers will decide if they should buy the tract.

But in the wake of state budget cuts, some doubt the county will receive any more aid.

"There's no guarantee that the second half will be purchased or reserved," said George Washington District Supervisor Pete Fields, who voted against the sales agreement.

Additional funding for Crow's Nest could have come from Stafford Town Station, a development once planned as a mixed-use, town center community. The project came with $25 million in proffers that Stafford could have applied to buying Crow's Nest.

But the mixed-use proposal fell through earlier this month, and Stafford Town Station is now being planned as a by-right, neighborhood subdivision without proffers.

Environmentalists would like to see the county go after Crow's Nest Harbor as well. The harbor consists of about 300 scattered lots that belong to various owners. K&M owns 100 of the lots.

Unless the county buys the harbor, activists fear it could be built out.

The open space and walking trails of the preserved portion "makes the remaining acreage very attractive for development," Kirkman said.

Milde said development on the harbor is unlikely because it lacks public water and sewer connections.

"We aren't under any obligation to allow those to be developed, because they have to be granted public water and sewer under the agreement of a subdivision," he said.

But the threat of development still lingers, according to activists.

"At this point what [the board] should do is a land condemnation and take the entire peninsula at a fair market value," said Anne Little, leader of The Coalition to Save Crow's Nest.