Harford County Considers Buying 2 Water Street Properties

Two pieces of property on Water Street may be bought up by the county.

At the Sept. 10 meeting of the Harford County Council, Council President Billy Boniface (at the request of the county executive) and Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti submitted two bills proposing buying property at 627 and 649 Water St. for "future outdoor recreation."

The land at 627 Water St. encompasses a little more than 38,500 square feet and is owned by Stonebridge Bank, represented by Curtis Coon and David Cole. The bill called for a purchase price of $770,000 over several years.

The second property, owned by MTBR Yacht Club, consists of five parcels slightly more than 160,000 square feet altogether, at 649 Water St. The bill called for a purchase price of $2.7 million over several years.

According to the proposal, the closing date on both purchases would be Nov. 30, 2013.

Lisanti, who represents Havre de Grace and is the executive director of the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway, said the idea was for the land to be incorporated into a waterfront heritage area larger than Tydings Park, according to ExploreHarford.com, which reported the goal was to link up with open space by the Lock House and quarry.

What do you think about parkland on Water Street? Tell us in the comments!

Citizens are invited to testify on the issue before the Harford County Council at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 212 S. Bond St. in Bel Air.