This blog post is a re-post of the article in the Baltimore Sun by Lia Russell
The former C.P. Crane power plant in Bowleys Quarters will become parkland after Baltimore County said it had agreed to acquire more than half of the 153-acre decommissioned coal plant from a North Carolina commercial realty firm.
Baltimore County leaders said in a news release Monday that they had signed a letter of intent with Forsite Development to acquire “major portions” of the station, which opened in 1961 and ceased operating in 2018 after the Maryland Department of the Environment fined it $105,000 for pollution.
Then-owner Middle River Power expressed a desire to turn it into a natural gas plant, which drew criticism from nearby communities. Forsite bought the facility in 2021, and demolished it the following year.
Councilman David Marks, an Upper Falls Republican who represents eastern Baltimore County, said the deal would “not only preserve one of the most beautiful waterfront regions on the Eastside, but will lighten potential traffic and other activity along Eastern Avenue.”
The price and exact amount of land acquired are being negotiated, according to county spokesperson Erica Palmisano. Baltimore County is using state funding via the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Program Open Space, which helps local jurisdictions acquire and develop parks, to finance the purchase.
County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., a Dundalk Democrat, said he “applauded” Marks and the Bowleys Quarters Improvement Association for advocating for the site’s preservation, “which we believe can and should be enjoyed by the community for generations to come.”
Forsite will continue to own a portion of the site in the hopes of redeveloping it for renewable energy uses, according to the news release. Former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, advised the company while it considered what to do with the property.
In the release, Chief Operating Officer Ryan Ford thanked the nearby communities and Marks for “their willingness to discuss the future use of the Charles P. Crane facility for its redevelopment as a park and a future, low-traffic use.”
