Boat Ramp Reopens In South County After Closure Drew Backlash

SHADY SIDE, MD — A public-access boat ramp reopened 3.5 months after its closure drew backlash in southern Anne Arundel County.

The county announced on Wednesday, Oct. 15, that the boat ramp is open once again at Discovery Village in Shady Side.

The ramp at 4800 Atwell Road closed to the public on July 1, throwing a wrench in nautical plans for Independence Day weekend. The closure frustrated boaters, as the county's only other boat ramps were both an hour's drive away in Pasadena and Glen Burnie.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks on Aug. 1 announced a partnership with nearby Parish Creek Marina to provide public access to the marina's boat ramp through the end of the 2025 boating season.

The new contract provides public water access at Discovery Village through July 2027.

"This new agreement is good news for the county, our taxpayers, and our boaters in South County," County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) said in a press release. "We now have a fair, fiscally responsible agreement that restores public boating access at Discovery Village."

The county said the new deal eliminates "long-term liabilities that were included in the previous lease." Paired with the lower rent, the county expects to save more than $1.5 million over the next 21 months.

The county will pay $292,195 in rent. Anne Arundel County will also pay to repave the boat ramp parking lot.

"The county never stopped the conversation with the property owners at Discovery Village," Jessica Leys, director of the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks, said in the release. "We are thrilled to have a new lease that restores public access at this location. We also continue to pursue other avenues to increase public water access in the area and county-wide."

WJZ said the Anne Arundel County Council voted in June to cut funding to rent the Discovery Village ramp. With increasing rent and the land owner allowed to bill the county for maintenance, District 7 Council Member Shannon Leadbetter told WJZ the lease was a bad deal for taxpayers.

WMAR reported that, over the last decade, the county had paid $2 million to build and maintain the ramp.

"This new agreement re-establishes the public water access at Discovery Village, balancing popular public amenities with fiscal responsibility and saving taxpayer money," County Council Chair Julie Hummer, a Democrat representing West County, said in the release. "The Department of Recreation and Parks has been working tirelessly to increase public water access opportunities throughout the county, and I look forward to residents enjoying the fruits of their labors at Discovery Village and other locations in the months and years ahead."

The Department of Recreation and Parks also operates 18 car-top launch sites, two indoor swimming pools and three public beaches.

More water access information is available at aacounty.org/recreation-parks/parks/popular-activities/water-access.

Related: Boat Ramp Access Restored, For Now, In South County