Two waterfront master plans dovetailed last week with Washington College’s purchase of a 3.5-acre strip of riverfront property along Quaker Neck Road, making it possible for College and the Town of Chestertown to create a significant expansion of waterfront access for the community.
Adjacent to the College-owned Armory building, the property, made up of saltmarsh and phragmites, had been zoned commercial marine, and was once the location for a 1930s era water treatment plant for the town.
The property was sold to the College by Kevin Kimble of Chestertown, who had purchased the property from the town eight years ago.
Last week’s sale was the result of months of work by a host of individuals and organizations looking for ways to funding and eliminate the possibility of any commercial development.
But interest in the preserving the property started well before that.
Rob Etgen, Executive Director of Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, noted that ESLC had been looking at the property for a long time.
A primary mission of Queenstown-based land protection organization has been to “to increase the number of community-based projects that provide public access to land.”
“I’d always felt that the Kimble property was a key part of preserving the Chestertown waterfront,” he said.
To that end, Etgen and ESLC placed a deposit on the property to hold it until August and then looked for partnerships to take over the purchase.
Matt Tobriner, a volunteer participant in the negotiations, and active in many Chestertown waterfront and marina concept meetings and charettes, saw the value in the property.
“One of the marina charrettes opened my eyes to the potential of having a contiguous walkway shared by the College and the town from the marina area around the Stepne property and tying into the Rails and Trails,” Tobriner says.
Tobriner wanted to interest the College in the property’s potential. It was adjacent to much of their property and if protected from commercial development could become a centerpiece element to the town public art vision. He talked with interim WC President Jay Griswold, who recognized the property’s importance in the overall structure of the town’s emerging vision of showcasing public arts and environmental learning.
Tobriner attended meetings with Etgen, WC interim President Jay Griswold, WC Sandbox Director Alex Castro, Mayor Chris Cerino, WC Finance VP Mark Hampton and Town Zoning Administrator Kees de Mooy.
Concerned that the property could become a missed opportunity, a College purchase offer was accepted by Kimble.
“Basically we bought it to keep it from being developed. It was zoned such that a three-story structure could have been built,” Hampton says.
Now that the property has been acquired, possibilities for its use are being discussed. “We haven’t made an official commitment for its use. It’s a strategic piece of the vision for the Heritage Loop Trail, a project enthusiastically endorsed by everyone who participated in the transaction.”
Alex Castro, Director of WC’s Sandbox Initiative, views the property as a strategic place for art and environmental information. “It’s a perfect nodal point of land and river and a vital addition to the town’s public art plan,” he says. The deco bunker could serve as a platform for art projects.
Another idea is to build raised boardwalks so that people could enjoy the unique marine culture as they walk along the Heritage Loop Trail.
“This is an essential step in creating the kind of vital waterfront we need. This signature piece of property can become part of a big draw not only for boaters and visitors to Chestertown, but for all of us,” Tobriner says.
The completion of the sale also underscored the effectiveness of concerted efforts to accomplish shared goals and heralds a newly evolving dynamic between the college and town.
“To me the biggest value has been the partnership represented by the work group of town and College, and they worked seamlessly together to make this happen,” says Rob Etgen.
Next up, the marina.
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