A land swap agreement recently enlarged Honeygo Run Regional Park by nearly 11 acres, County Councilman David Marks announced.
Baltimore County traded 9.3 acres of land near the Perry Hall library for 10.8 acres of environmentally sensitive, forested property between the Maryland State Fish and Game Protective Association and Honeygo Run Regional Park. The county also gained ownership of 1.2 acres immediately south of the Perry Hall library, according to Marks.
The agreement is part of an ongoing plan to construct 50 single-family homes between the Perry Hall library and Cross Road, named the Bishops Meadow development. Plans were publicized during a community meeting in December 2011, where residents shared concerns about traffic and school overcrowding.
Marks ultimately supported the agreement because it represented a "net increase of protected acreage for Baltimore County," he stated. The 10.8-acre area, known as the Sokol property, at one time had been the proposed site for a gymnasium. It will now be protected from all future development, further buffering protected land and lakes owned by the Maryland State Fish and Game Protective Association.
"The two lakes that border this area are used not only by our members, but also by Cub Scouts and other residents who learn about fishing and the great outdoors," David Van Sant, president of the Maryland State Fish and Game Protective Association, stated in the release.
"With the addition of this property, Honeygo Park grows to 160 acres of protected land," Marks stated. "Honeygo Park is a treasure in northeastern Baltimore County and one of our greatest resources."
The 1.2 acres immediately south of the Perry Hall library, also gained in the agreement, will eventually be used for a public playground and amphitheater. A county-appointed committee announced their recommendation for the property in March 2012.
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