Abingdon Woods' controversial large development scrapped after settlement reached

BALTIMORE -- A developer looking to develop a controversial two million square foot business park at Abingdon Woods in southern Harford County has scrapped plans after reaching an agreement with county leaders.

The project sparked a lengthy legal battle over environmental concerns about local waterways and trees that had been cleared.

In the settlement, the developer is required to reforest the land and build new stormwater management facilities.

The developer would have to start over and get all new permits to build on the space.

Even though plans for this current project have been halted, residents said their fight to keep this current land from being developed is far from over.

"The people who own it can go in and hire a new developer and go in a develop it just as it was," said Janet Hardy, a member of Save Abingdon Woods, a group that formed shortly after plans for the project began in 2019.

Hardy and her group are working on a plan that would preserve the land forever while asking other concerned neighbors to join them.

"It would be great if we could get this property downzoned to agricultural," Hardy said. "That way it would save the property from being densely developed."

For more information on Save Abingdon Woods.