wellscovetownhomesandmarina.com
Annapolis, MD – The City of Annapolis recently finalized the paperwork concluding negotiations on an agreement for a five-foot easement from Boucher Avenue to the waters of Wells Cove in Eastport. The agreement comes after months of negotiations between the City’s Office of Law and the attorneys for the Blue Heron Cove Condominium Association.
When the Blue Heron Cove Condominiums were developed in the 1000 block of Boucher Avenue nearly three decades ago, the City failed to follow up on a potential easement. The plat showed where an easement could go if the City ever requested it. A stormwater outfall runs the length of this small area of property. While Eastport residents sometimes used the area, there was no formal or legal right to access. Over the tenure of five Annapolis mayors, none took on the issue of negotiating the easement.
In 2020, the issue came to the forefront because of an application submitted to the Board of Port Wardens. In reviewing land records, the City determined that it had a stormwater outfall on property that did not have an easement. Eastport residents rallied for legal access to the parcel.
“When I learned that we had this bit of property where we could give residents a walking path, I wanted to see how we might negotiate a resolution,” said Mayor Gavin Buckley. “We didn’t do it overnight, but we did stick with it and I think the City and the condo association each gave a little in order to find a compromise. Residents have been waiting for this.”
The five-foot walking path will be available dusk to dawn. There are no riparian rights, in part due to the stormwater outfall located there, which makes watercraft deployment treacherous. The City has agreed to install a privacy fence differentiating the path. The mature trees on the site will be retained to provide shade. The City has agreed not to install lights or develop the property in any way.
The easement agreement was signed by the City on August 6. The Blue Heron Cove Condominium Association will sign the agreement in the coming days.
