Church sells land, gives up plan to build in Ag Reserve

Sale of Laytonsville property is considered a victory for agriculture advocates and the future of the reserve

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006

Derwood Bible Church sold the Laytonsville property it had hoped to use for a new church complex to a tree nursery in October, after it became apparent the church would not be able to build on the site.

The 225-acre property is located within the county’s 93,000-acre Agricultural Reserve and the agricultural community opposed the church’s plans to build a large house of worship at the intersection of Laytonsville and Griffith roads.

The County Council in effect stopped Derwood Bible Church from building when it voted unanimously in February to set a cap of 5,000 gallons per property for non-exempt, multi–use septic systems within the Agricultural Reserve. The church would need a 6,032-gallon, multi-use septic system on the Laytonsville property.

Todd Heishman, operations pastor at Derwood Bible Church, said he is disappointed the church cannot build on the land.

In addition to building a church, Derwood Bible had planned to dedicate 175 acres to farming. He still believes the church’s proposal would have been perfect for the Laytonsville community.

Ruppert Nurseries Inc. of Laytonsville is the new owner of the Laytonsville property.

The land will continue to be used as farmland, harvesting grain, wheat, soybean and corn for the next 12 months, Craig Ruppert, chief executive officer of Ruppert Nurseries, said.

The company will begin planting trees in a year, turning the land into a tree farm. The trees will eventually be sold to landscaping contractors and other wholesale nurseries, he said.

‘‘We are believers in the Ag Reserve,” Ruppert said. ‘‘We are glad to have this opportunity to purchase the land. We feel fortunate to be in this business.”

Ruppert plans to plant 25 to 30 acres of trees each year starting in 2008 to gradually forest the property. The nursery specializes in large shade trees and evergreens. The trees will take from three to 12 years to harvest.

‘‘It keeps the land in active agricultural use,” Councilman Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown said. ‘‘It is a goal for the Ag Reserve and this is the transaction that will make it happen for a long time. It is what we are trying to achieve and it is in line with our goals and policies.”

Jane Evans, president of Citizens to Preserve the Reserve, said she and other agricultural advocates are happy that Ruppert Nurseries has purchased the property.

‘‘This is an example of a grassroots effort working with the government to an outcome that the community was looking for,” Evans said. ‘‘Sometimes grassroots efforts do work out. Even those who started it are surprised how successful it can be. We had the support of legislators and all the council members themselves at the time.”

In the meantime, Derwood Bible has not given up on its expansion plans.

The church meets at Col. Zadok Magruder High School in Derwood for an early service as a short-term solution to its expansion needs, Heishman said.

‘‘We are looking to find another piece of property to build on,” he said. ‘‘We are working with several entities. We are working with the County Council to try to make allowance for the faith community.”

Although Knapp was excited the Laytonsville land would be preserved, he acknowledged that work still needs to be done to address the expansion of churches. He and other council members met with representatives of the faith community Tuesday in Rockville to talk about new expansion possibilities.

‘‘We can’t ignore the needs of the faith community,” Knapp said. ‘‘If there is a part we are struggling to achieve it is now to meet the needs of the faith community. That legislation is right for the Ag Reserve, but it doesn’t lessen the needs for the faith community.”