Although plans to develop a renewable energy project at the former Naval Academy Dairy Farm in Gambrills are in progress, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and County Council members are raising concerns over other farms on the land and the public’s continued access to the property.
Tucked into a rural pocket of Gambrills, the 857-acre property was home to a plantation in the 1700s and 1800s before ownership was turned over to the Navy for use as a dairy farm in the early 1900s. Dairy farm operations ceased in 1998, and since then, the land has been farmed by a number of organizations.
In an effort to meet federal carbon-free electricity goals, the Navy is asking for renewable energy ideas, such as solar panels, for the land — a prospect that has not only drawn criticism from neighbors and agriculture advocates, but also garnered concern from county officials.
While Capt. Chris Schwarz, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Annapolis, said during an Aug. 6 community meeting that Anne Arundel County was supportive of the concept, Pittman said Friday that he is not in a position to support or oppose the Navy’s pursuit of renewable energy, although it wouldn’t be his first choice.
“I don’t think it’s accurate to say that we support the ‘project,’” Pittman, a Democrat, said. “We respect the Navy’s decision, and we want to cooperate and get as much community benefit, public benefit, as we can get out of any deal that gets put together.”
The county has leased the land since 2008 and last year paid the Navy $240,000 in rent.
Over the years, Pittman said, there have been many ideas for how the public could benefit from the land, including parks and community gardens, none of which came to fruition under the restrictions of the county’s lease. Federal statute requires that any lease of the property maintains its rural and agricultural nature.
Though Pittman said he is not opposed to some change, he will “continue to insist” the land be agricultural and have more public benefit than it does now.
“I have this feeling that many [county residents] do, that this is almost sacred ground,” he said. “There’s not many parcels this large, not sure there are any parcels this large that are in heavily populated areas of the county, and it’s beautiful land that I would love to protect in perpetuity, protect from development.”
Three Anne Arundel County Council members whose districts encompass or surround the farm expressed similar concerns.
Questions from Amanda Fiedler, a Republican who represents the Broadneck Peninsula and a portion of Gambrills where the dairy farm is located, center on what solar panels and buffers between the farm and residential areas could look like, historic preservation of the property, and what such a project could mean for existing and future uses.
Shannon Leadbetter, a Republican who represents Crofton and southern Anne Arundel County, is concerned about what the plan is for businesses that lease portions of the land if a solar farm is developed.
Five tenants call the farm home, including Maryland Sunrise Farm, which leases more than 700 acres, the Anne Arundel County branch of the University of Maryland Extension program, Anne Arundel County 4-H, De Novo Farm and the Maryland Corn Maze.
The other concern, Leadbetter said, is what kind of example the project could set for similar solar projects on agricultural lands in the county, particularly with preserving the integrity of the soil and protecting neighboring communities and waterways from runoff, as well as ensuring the land is viable for agriculture if and when solar uses are completed.
“Whatever is done there, even though it’s going to be a federal project, so to speak, it has the potential to set some standards,” she said. “I am concerned and also cautiously aware of the fact that there could be an opportunity to set positive standards as well.”
The request for proposals, issued in May, indicates that in addition to solar panels, the Navy is open to the integration of agrivoltaics — the pairing of solar with agriculture, creating energy and providing space for crops, grazing and native habitats under and between panels — with crop cultivation, farming ventures and use by organizations.
Because developers’ proposals for use of the land aren’t due until Sept. 12, the vague nature of what could be done there and how much of the land would be used for the project are chief concerns for Julie Hummer, a Democrat who represents Laurel and communities directly west of the dairy farm.
“I’m not necessarily opposed to a solar farm on there because we do need more renewable energy,” she said, “but let’s plan it well so that it is not too negatively impacting the use of the property and the access to the property, and that it is not an eyesore for the neighboring residential areas.”
Questions and comments on the project can be submitted to NSAA-PAO@us.navy.mil.