State out to buy Jesuit-owned tracts of land

Kitts Point, Newtowne Neck would be preserved

Friday, Dec. 5, 2008

One property is at Kitts Point between St. Mary's River and Smith Creek. Owned by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, it is 985 acres.

The other St. Mary's tract is 776 acres at Newtowne Neck, also owned by the Maryland Jesuits, at the end of Route 243.

The land would be purchased with state open space funds, in addition to two Jesuit-owned properties in Charles and Cecil counties, for a total of 4,473 acres. The purchase of those four parcels would cost $56.9 million, or $12,178 an acre. The state also plans to buy more than 4,700 acres in Worcester County.

On Wednesday, O'Malley said, "What we have is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire properties that are really ideal and ecologically very valuable. Waiting to purchase these down the road, if and when they became available and if they didn't fall into development would have been too chancy."

The two properties in St. Mary's have been in possession of the Jesuits since Maryland was founded. In recent decades, development projects were proposed at both Newtowne Neck and Kitts Point .

If the purchase were approved by the state's Board of Public Works, Kitts Point would likely have an easement on it to protect Webster Field. Newtowne Neck would likely become a state park, said Bob Schaller, director of St. Mary's County Department of Economic and Community Development, "which could be incredible."

The Jesuits first approached the state of Maryland about the acquisition a year ago, Schaller said. If the two properties were sold, "This is the end of a huge era that started in the 17th century," he said. He attends St. Francis Xavier Church at Newtowne Neck and said there are usually rumors of what will happen to the peninsula.

jbabcock@somdnews.com