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Developer abandons Abingdon Woods project in Harford County; rezoning possible

The developer planning to create more than 2 million square feet of warehouse space at  Abingdon Woods has abandoned the project after reaching an agreement with Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly.

The agreement was signed earlier this month and requires the developer — BTC III I-95 Logistics Center LLC — to stabilize the 327-acre property near the Route 24/Interstate 95 interchange, build new stormwater management facilities and reforest portions of the site.

According to a Monday news release from the Cassilly administration, the reforestation will include strips of the property bordering Abingdon Road, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church and the town homes on Pumpkin Patch Court and Raking Leaf Drive.

Representatives of the Save Abingdon Woods Coalition, a community group that fought the project, said they consider the developer’s withdrawal a victory, but would like the landowner to preserve the land rather than develop it.

“As we celebrate this win, we are still looking to the owner to open his mind to preserving the property and we feel the avenue for doing that is to work with the Harford Land Trust and to explore what money is available for the preservation of the property,” said Tracey Waite, chair of the Save Abingdon Woods Coalition. “We know state, local and federal money is available.”

The property owner, Harford Investors LLC, can still develop the land should a new developer show interest; however, any new development will have to start from the beginning of the county development process.

The property is zoned for commercial and industrial use and is in District A, which is represented by Councilman Dion Guthrie.

The project was introduced while former Councilman Andre Johnson represented the district. Guthrie said he is happy the project has been withdrawn and hopes to have the land rezoned during the county’s comprehensive rezoning in the fall.

“We are going to look at all different rezonings and have meetings with the residents and community and see exactly what would work best for them and their interests,” Guthrie said.

Guthrie explained that downzoning the land — reducing it from a higher to a lower-density classification — is a challenge and should be done during the comprehensive rezoning process.

“When you downzone, you are normally going against the owner of the property because it reduces the amount of money they could make off of developing the property,” Guthrie said. “Comprehensive rezoning is the place to downzone, but it will always run the potential of a lawsuit with the owner if they don’t like the downzone.”

The Save Abingdon Woods Coalition and nearby residents said they do not want the land developed, Waite explained. Instead, they want the land reforested with nothing more than hiking trails on the property. The coalition is pushing county officials like Guthrie and the county executive to “take the next step” and push to preserve the land.

“Now is the time to do it,” Waite said. “As grateful as we are, we really want county officials to take the next step and get the land fully preserved. The community voice is clear.”

The agreement between the developer and the Cassilly administration follows years of controversy that began when the project — known as the Abingdon Business Park — was introduced in 2019. The project was approved a year later by former County Executive Barry Glassman’s administration.

More than 150 residents attended the   first community input meeting in 2019 to speak against the project, including members of the Save Abingdon Woods Coalition and Harford County Climate Action group. Residents expressed concerns about increased traffic — specifically tractor-trailer traffic on residential roads — and damage to the environment.

The county was sued by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a nonprofit environmental restoration and protection group, and county residents in January 2020 on the grounds that the project’s forest conservation plan was invalid.

The developer began removing 70 acres of trees on the property in July 2022, which prompted the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to seek a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction through Harford County Circuit Court to stop the work.

The request went to the Supreme Court of Maryland, which ruled iin favor of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in August 2022. Harford County Circuit Court issued a temporary restraining order to halt the tree-clearing the next month. The Supreme Court of Maryland ruled that community members can challenge forest conservation plans of any development, at any time.

In January 2023, construction was halted again by the Cassilly administration for “lack of a valid forest conservation plan.”

The settlement agreement signed by Cassilly and the developer this month revokes all previous approvals of development plans and permits for the project. The agreement also resolves all pending litigation between Harford County government, the owner of the property, Harford Investors LLC, and the developer, BTC III I-95 Logistics Center LLC.

“Harford County welcomes appropriate development that brings well-paying jobs, boosts economic activity, protects the environment and enhances our quality of life,” Cassilly said. “That means proposals must fully comply with development requirements before they can move forward – there are no shortcuts.”

The developers could not be reached for comment. One of the developer’s attorneys, Kurt Fischer of Venable LLP in Baltimore, said he could not comment on the agreement.