Friends of Historic Glasgow (Delaware)

Historic farm sold to NCCo developer (2/4/05) - WRONG!

News Journal article

Preservationists lose bid to save property

By CHARLOTTE HALE, MICHELE BESSO and ROBIN BROWN / The News Journal

02/05/2005

A historic 236-acre farm that New Castle County had considered buying to add to a regional park under construction in Glasgow has been sold to a private buyer.

David Ferry, an attorney for two of the four property owners, said Stephen J. Nichols has paid $14.25 million for the Barczewski farm, on the north side of U.S. 40, west of Del. 896.

The property is one of the last large farms in that area. Nichols agreed to preserve an 1800s-era farmhouse and 10 acres around it as part of the deal, Ferry said.

The farm dates to the 1700s. It was a working farm for more than a century and the last working farm in Glasgow.

Structures on the property also are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Friends of Historic Glasgow said the property has two documented American Indian camps and earthen bunkers from the Revolutionary War.

Trent Margrif, executive director of Preservation Delaware, said the farm is one of the most important endangered historic sites in the state. However, Preservation Delaware did not have the money to buy the farm and preserve it despite the group's mission to educate the public about the importance of historic properties. Still, he's disappointed with the sale to Nichols.

"It would appear that the county's past offer was the greatest chance we had, but that's not to say the county and state can't show interest again before the property's developed," he said.

The buyer's attorney, Andy Taylor, would not confirm the sale price and said there are no firm plans for the farm.

However, Nichols intends to talk to land planners, residents and government leaders before deciding how he will use the property, Taylor said.

Nichols has built a Wawa convenience store, Kohl's department store and the Perch Creek residential community in the U.S. 40 area.

County Land Use Department spokesman Vince Kowal said most of the farm is zoned for residential development, with commercial zoning on a small sliver. The farm also is in a historic overlay district, which would mean a higher level of scrutiny before any demolition or construction could take place there.

County Executive Chris Coons said he was sorry the county is losing open space but is pleased some of the farm's history will be preserved. He said the county offered $9 million for the farm. Doubts about the development potential for the property were among the factors that made the county reluctant to offer more, he said. The farm does not have direct access to U.S. 40 and has wetlands and other critical natural areas where development would be limited or prohibited.

Coons also commended County Councilman David Tackett for continuing to work to get state money to add to the county's offer. Tackett, however, said he could not put the deal together before June.

"It would have been nice to have gotten the property to increase the parkland in the area. That was the ultimate goal," Tackett said.

The farm is across U.S. 40 from the Glasgow Regional Park that the county is building on nearly 300 acres.

Linda Bailey, secretary of the 7&40 Alliance, a Bear-area civic group, said she was disappointed a developer bought the property. She said there was community support for the county and state to buy the property, but no concrete ideas for what to do with it.

"We were really hoping we could preserve the property, either as a park or a working farm that is rich in history," she said. "I hope we can work with the new owners to come up with a really neat plan. Perhaps we can do something unique to preserve some of the historic parts."

She said justifying developing the property will be difficult because there are drainage concerns and traffic problems at U.S. 40 and Del. 896.

The land was owned by Anne Barczewski and her three grown children. Ferry represents Barczewski's two sons, Stephen and George. Daughter Joanne Barczewski Lewis declined to comment. Anne Barczewski's attorney could not be reached for comment.

George Barczewski said he, his brother and sister agreed that preserving the house and farm buildings was their top priority. They plan to work with Nichols on any future plans for the land. He added the siblings rejected offers from several other developers who wanted to do too much with the land too fast.

However, keeping the land in the family was not an option, he said, between paying the taxes and leaving their children to handle it after they die.

"That wasn't a practical answer," George Barczewski said.

Ferry said the family also needed the money to pay for Anne Barczewski's nursing home expenses.

George Barczewski said the family would have sold the land to the state or county for farm preservation, parkland or open space if the governments had agreed to pay the $12 million their appraisal showed it was worth. County appraisals attached a lower value to the land.

George Barczewski said county officials told the family they no longer were interested in acquiring the site for open space or parkland because of its proximity to the county's Glasgow and Iron Hill parks. The state ranked the property low for farmland preservation, he said. Discussion with Christina School District about using part of the site also fell through.

"We were very, very disappointed," he said. "Honest to God, we gave it our best shot."

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