Proposed Golf Course In Annapolis Nixed After County Suggests Park Instead

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The U.S. Navy scrapped its plan this week to build a new golf course in a sensitive nature zone in Annapolis. The announcement came days after Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman suggested saving the area for a park.

With two competing proposals, the Navy decided to cancel both pitches. The site, called Greenbury Point, will remain undeveloped for now.

"As of now, the Navy is not considering any sole source lease proposals for Greenbury Point," Naval District Washington Director of Public Affairs Ed Zeigler told Patch in an email on Wednesday. "We received competing proposals from Anne Arundel County and the Naval Academy Golf Association for a sole source lease and management of Greenbury Point, which makes it no longer possible to consider either party's request."

Chesapeake Conservancy, an environmental advocacy group, said the course would have been located in the Greenbury Point Conservation Area. That property sits across the Severn River from the U.S. Naval Academy, and it is on the Naval Support Activity Annapolis installation.

The conservancy also said the land "lies entirely within the critical area, designated by the state of Maryland as crucial to the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries."

Opponents argue that the Navy already has one golf course on the installation. That course, the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club, is a short walk from the proposed second site.

Pittman's Park Proposal

The county executive formally suggested that Greenbury Point become a park in an Aug. 10 letter to Captain Homer. R. Denius, the commanding officer for the installation.

"The recent proposal by the Naval Academy Athletic Association and Naval Academy Golf Association to develop a new 18-hole golf course at Greenbury Point in Annapolis has generated concern and alarm among many Anne Arundel County residents," Pittman said in the letter. "I understand and share their concern, as Greenbury Point is a site that is beloved by the community
for its passive nature, rich history and extraordinary views of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay."

Pittman was interested in a long-term lease to run the conservation area through the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks. He wanted to extend the current trails, add a fishing zone and create observation points overlooking the water.

Other projects would have brought "modest additional parking capacity" and a park ranger substation. Pittman also hoped to plant shoreline grasses and native trees, enhance natural meadow areas, create more pollinator habitats and remove invasive species.

The county executive said he developed the idea with Chesapeake Conservancy, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Severn River Association. He similarly spoke with the county's representatives in Congress and the state government.

"I believe there is widespread support for our proposal," Pittman said. "I hope you will give Anne Arundel County favorable consideration to partner in securing a resilient future for Greenbury Point that benefits the Navy, the Academy, the County, and the greater community."

Opponents

A recent poll funded by the Severn River Association and Chesapeake Conservancy suggested that two-thirds of Marylanders opposed building another golf course on Greenbury Point.

OpinionWorks, an Annapolis survey company, conducted the online and telephone poll from May 21 through May 27. The pollsters interviewed 759 Marylanders, including an oversample of 233 Anne Arundel County residents.

The margin of error for the statewide sample was 4 percent. That means there is a 95 percent chance that the true proportion of Marylanders who oppose the golf course falls within four percentage points in either direction of the data reported in the survey. The full methodology and results are posted here.

"There is an enduring consensus in Maryland that we need to protect the Chesapeake Bay, and those motivations are strong," OpinionWorks President and poll author Steve Raabe said in a June 2 press release. "In this survey, people clearly are saying that Greenbury Point is not the right location for a golf course, given the environmental sensitivity of this property on the shores of the Bay."

The Severn River Association and Chesapeake Conservancy also ran a petition to stop the proposed golf course on Greenbury Point. That petition on change.org collected 5,483 signatures.

Petition organizers worried that tree removal would have eliminated habitats, accelerated erosion and increased runoff. Golf course fertilizer could have been another issue, as contaminated soils may have challenged bay cleanup efforts.

Related: Golf Course Proposed In Annapolis, Residents Petition To Stop Project

Supporters

The project still has some supporters who think the golf course would have offered a pleasant way to enjoy nature.

Annapolis resident Michael Collins wrote a letter in the Capital Gazette saying "golf and environmentalism go hand in glove."

He pointed to The Preserve at Eisenhower Golf Course as "a gem" to study. The Crownsville site reopened in early 2021 after a multi-year renovation that added a nature sanctuary to the course.

Collins called The Preserve a "model of environmental stewardship."

Related: Renovated Golf Course Reopens, Expects Boom For Distanced Events

"A golf course at Greenbury Point would serve the public need for recreation and provide habitat for wildlife," Collins said in the letter. "It’s a win-win. I would only recommend that the Naval Academy Golf Association partner with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to make Greenbury Point Golf Course a model for other courses to emulate."

Next Steps

The Navy is still deciding its next steps, though it nixed the project for now.

"NSA Annapolis is currently evaluating the status and future of Greenbury Point in support of the mission of both the installation and the U.S. Naval Academy," Zeigler said.

The Severn River Association is encouraged by the Navy's change of course, but it still worries that Zeigler did not completely rule out developing the site in the future.

"It appears a competitive bidding process that invites substantial change to the natural area could still be in the offing," Severn River Association Executive Director Jesse Iliff said in a Tuesday update to the petition. "The fact that the golf course proposal was not summarily rejected at the outset is concerning. It seems to indicate a sense somewhere within the Navy that something must be done with the property, rather than simply leaving well enough alone and preserving it."

The Severn River Association and Chesapeake Conservancy urged Marylanders to write to their congressional representatives and ask them to pass legislation protecting the land forever.

Editor's Note: Patch has a partnership with Chesapeake Conservancy. The conservancy writes a weekly list of environmental events, and we post it as a story on our website. All of those articles are viewable here.

This story was not part of that partnership. Patch Field Editor Jacob Baumgart independently verified all the facts in this article. We also included comments from all perspectives on the debate.