Land once slated for housing added to park

County buys 22 acres for $3 million in Upper Paint Branch watershed

The land, within the Upper Paint Branch special protection area, would otherwise have been turned into a housing subdivision, said Bill Gries, a land acquisition specialist with M-NCPPC.

‘‘It’s a great addition to the park because it would provide more protection,” he said.

The council’s approval came two weeks after the Montgomery County Planning Board approved recommendations to decrease the maximum amount of impervious surface allowed in the Upper Paint Branch watershed. The development limits also come in advance of construction on the Intercounty Connector, which will pass through the Upper Paint Branch.

In an Aug. 9 memo to County Council staff, Gries called the property an ‘‘especially important acquisition opportunity” because of the expected environmental impact on the Paint Branch of the ICC, the planned 18-mile road connecting Interstate 370 in Gaithersburg with Route 1 between Beltsville and Laurel.

‘‘We will be doing something positive for the environment,” Gries said in an interview.

The property abuts 118 acres known as the Peach Orchard Allnutt subdivision that the state will soon hand over to the commission, Gries said. The land, originally planned for housing before the state bought it, will not be developed to help offset the environmental impact of the ICC. One of the ways ICC officials can meet the impervious surface requirements is by removing existing impervious surfaces from parts of the Upper Paint Branch in exchange for use for the ICC.

‘‘There’s a large assemblage of open space there,” Gries said.

The 22-acre plot will remain open space with a possibility for reforestation, Gries said, adding that any plans for park buildings on the site would have to be studied.

The council also approved an additional $100,000 for demolition work on the property, which has four houses. The commission plans to demolish the houses and remove the surrounding asphalt and gravel, Gries said, but first will determine if the two largest houses on the property can be used in the park.

David Dunmire, vice president of the environmental group Eyes of Paint Branch, said that while other areas in the Upper Paint Branch will be more directly affected by the ICC, it is still important for the county to purchase land in the watershed when it comes available.

‘‘It’s always good to add more parkland to the Upper Paint Branch for the purpose of conservation,” he said. ‘‘It’s the best way to control what happens on the land.”

Kulley A.W. Bancroft, a spokeswoman for Sandy Spring Bank, said the bank does not publicly discuss matters related to any of its trusts.