Sailing Hall of Fame to come before Board of Public Works again

A controversial proposal to lease about 5,000 square feet of state-owned property to the National Sailing Hall of Fame is expected before the Board of Public Works Wednesday.

The Department of Natural Resources would lease the land that it owns at City Dock in downtown Annapolis for up to 70 years under the proposed agreement, which was delayed when it came before the board three weeks ago.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed in a Board of Public Works document, but the land deal will only be about a quarter of the total land in the deal.

Earl Kelly of The (Annapolis) Capital has reported that the final project would be around 20,000 square feet, but the project remains controversial. Some residents are vehemently opposing the proposal, which includes a land swap that would see the state take over another property and remove it from the tax rolls.