10805 McQueen Road
Lusby,
Calvert County, Maryland
Lot 15, Grapevine Cove, 57.018 acres
$525,000
Brokers/Agents Welcome
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Location: Grapevine Cove is located in the Sollers’ Wharf Farm Community near the Patuxent River at the headwaters of Grapevine Cove on St. Leonard Creek. The property is only 2.5 miles away from Maryland Route 4, making a very easy commute north to the Annapolis, Baltimore, and Washington metropolitan areas. The fishing village and yachting center of Solomon’s Island is a scant 6 miles away by road, and it is only 14 miles to the main gate at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. From the head of the cove, it is a short run by boat to the mouth of the Patuxent River and the rich fishing and sailing grounds of the Chesapeake Bay.
Sollers’ Wharf Farm Community Grapevine Cove is located in the Sollers’
Wharf Farm Community, a unique area within Calvert County where no major subdivisions have been created since the early 1970s. In this community, the land preservation process took hold in 1984 when Preston Farm, located nearby on Turner Rd., was enrolled in Calvert County’s Agricultural Land Preservation Program. Since 1984, any significant farm properties located within the community were purchased and placed in Ag Preservation if they were offered for sale.
Over time, the owners of every other farm in the
community with significant subdivision potential have enrolled their properties in the Ag Preservation Program. In 2010, Calvert Farmland Trust, a local non-‐profit land trust, was instrumental in assisting in the protection and preservation of the last major unprotected farm within the Sollers’ Wharf Farm Community
A number of these properties have changed hands over
the course of the last 35 years. Many others are still owned by the descendants of the same families that acquired these lands in colonial times. Due to the stability of ownership within this community, and the large degree of active land preservation participation, The Sollers’ Wharf Farm Community is one of the most stable rural communities within Calvert County. Large working farms and well-‐managed, sustainable tracts of woodland are predominant here. Other smaller farms, woodland parcels, and older residential lots make up the balance of the community
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Acreage: Totaling 133 acres, Grapevine Cove is a very quiet and private property consisting of three large lots and a buildable residue. Subdivided, platted, and recorded as a 30-‐lot subdivision by its previous owner, Grapevine Cove was purchased and enrolled in the Calvert County Agricultural Land Preservation Program in 1995. The 30 lots were recombined and re-‐platted into three large woodland lots. Lot 7 contains 16.059 acres. Lot 15, fronting directly on the head of Grapevine Cove, contains 57.018 acres. Lot 22 contains 24.773 acres. Also, there is a buildable residue containing 35.791 acres that has frontage on the head of Grapevine Cove next to Lot 15. The property is entirely forested.
Improvements: At the present time, the property is unimproved except
for an old road leading to the shoreline of Grapevine Cove. This road leads directly to the waters edge and was used by generations of watermen who sheltered their workboats in the quiet, protected waters of the narrow cove. In fact, looking at the 1938 aerial photograph of the property, it is possible to see small workboats at their moorings in the cove. The depth to which the old roadbed has worn down between the hills leading to the cove is silent witness to the many trips made by those watermen delivering their catches of fish, crabs and oysters to the local markets.
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The presence of this existing road is currently a tremendous asset, allowing safe and easy access to the waters edge and to any new piers, docks or launching ramps that might be built here.
Ag. Preservation: Grapevine Cove is enrolled in the Calvert County Agricultural Land Preservation Program. According to the protections afforded to the property by the Rules and Regulations of The Agricultural Preservation Program, no other additional residential lots may be subdivided and created at Grapevine Cove.
Forest Management: The property is subject to a voluntary Forest
Management Plan. The plan is revocable and may be changed or modified at any time to reflect the management goals of the owner. The property is not subject to a Forest Conservation Management Agreement with the State of Maryland.
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Throughout much of its history the property was owned, managed, and carefully harvested by several local lumber companies. The last harvest of pine pulpwood from the property took place around 1980. The timber on the property has regenerated and the property is once again a mature woodland, rich in wildlife and ready for new owners.
Taxes: Grapevine Cove receives an “Agricultural Use
Assessment” from the Calvert County Assessors Office, which reduces the property tax liability on the entire property. In addition, since Grapevine Cove is an Agricultural Land Preservation District, a Property Tax Credit is applied to the agricultural portion of the property tax bill. The combined results of these two programs significantly reduce the property taxes on Grapevine Cove. The only significant property taxes are generated by any non-‐agricultural improvements located on the property and a one-‐acre home-‐site. In 2011 the total property tax bill for all of the lots at Grapevine Cove was
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Schools: The Calvert County Board of Education operates a five-‐star school system. According to statistics published by the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education, and the Maryland State Department of Education, the Calvert County Public Schools are the highest rated public school system in the State of Maryland. Grapevine Cove is served by Dowell Elementary School, Mill Creek Middle School, and Patuxent High School.
Commuting Distances: Extremely close to Solomon’s Island, and Naval Air
Station Patuxent River, Grapevine Cove is within reasonable commuting distance of Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Solomon’s Island 6 miles NAS Patuxent River (main gate) 14 miles Annapolis Rt. 2 and West Street 48 miles Baltimore Baltimore Beltway I-‐695 67 miles Baltimore Downtown 75 miles Washington Capital Beltway I-‐95 46 miles Washington Downtown 57 miles Wildlife: Grapevine Cove provides significant wildlife habitat for
whitetail deer and eastern wild turkey, both of which are found in significant numbers on the property. In addition, many other species of forest-‐dwelling birds and mammals inhabit the property. Waterfowl, wading birds and osprey can often be seen in the cove as red tail hawks and American bald eagles regularly soar overhead.
An interesting aside to the history of Grapevine Cove is
the existence of a children’s book entitled A Fox Tale, written by local resident Alan Sollers. The book tells the story of some young boys who skipped class at the local one-‐room schoolhouse that is still standing at the intersection of Mill Bridge Road and Sollers Wharf Road. The boys followed the progress of local farmers who were on a foxhunt with their hounds and they witnessed the fox eluding the hounds by hiding in the waters of Rollins Cove beneath a fallen and partially submerged tree. In its modern mapping work, Calvert County government has confused and interchanged the
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names of Rollins Cove and Grapevine Cove. The true story, A Fox Tale was written about what is now known as Grapevine Cove.
Tidal Marsh at Grapevine Cove
Additional Comments: Grapevine Cove is a rare and unique property on today’s
real estate market. Few large waterfront lots affording a high degree of privacy along with such well-‐protected waters remain available to the discriminating buyer. It is even more rare to find a property such as this where there is not an existing house that needs to be repaired, remodeled, expanded or even removed to reflect and accommodate the taste and lifestyle of the new buyer.
For those seeking a simpler, rural lifestyle with
sustainability and self-‐sufficiency in mind, Grapevine Cove is the perfect spot. The well-‐managed woodlands of Grapevine Cove will continue to provide significant wildlife habitat while yielding merchantable timber for sale or for use on the property, as well as a sustainable supply of valuable firewood for personal use. Numerous sites on the property are suitable for
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alternative energy production through the use of either solar or wind power, and Calvert County’s underground aquifers provide a sustainable source for geothermal heating and cooling. Although entirely wooded at present, many areas of deep loamy soils could be cleared to create fertile garden plots or pastures for domestic livestock or riding horses. The many opportunities offered by the pristine setting at Grapevine Cove are limited only by the imagination of the buyer
Additional Acreage: In addition to Lot 15, the two adjacent lots, Lot 7 and
Lot 22, as well as the 35-‐acre buildable residue are also available for sale. Each of these large lots are recorded among the land records of Calvert County. Approved percolation test results are available from the Calvert County Health Department. Although these are larger than average lots, each lot is allowed only one approved primary home-‐site and cannot be re-‐subdivided.
Farm Tenant Houses: Subject to the provisions of the Calvert County Zoning
Ordinance, an agricultural lot or parcel greater than 25 acres in size may be eligible for construction of one farm tenant house per 25 acres. With respect to Grapevine Cove, the Seller makes no warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, with respect to potential secondary or tenant house sites. It is entirely the obligation of the buyer to investigate the potential of this provision of the Zoning Ordinance as it may pertain to these particular properties.
Prices: Lot 7, Grapevine Cove 16.059 acres $225,000.00 Lot 15, Grapevine Cove waterfront
57.018 acres $525,000.00 Lot 22, Grapevine Cove 24.773 acres $275,000.00 Residue, Grapevine Cove waterfront 35.79 acres $375,000.00
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Seller: Grapevine Cove is offered for sale by owner. Please contact:
John T. Crane, Jr. 1470 Turner Road
Lusby, Maryland 20657
Phone 410-326-4880 FAX 410-326-3023 Cell 410-610-8098
Links for Additional Information: The following agencies have a wealth of information for the purchaser of agricultural land in Calvert County, Maryland. Their links can be found on the Calvert Farms and Land homepage.
Calvert County Department of Planning and Zoning
Calvert Soil Conservation District
Calvert County Extension Office
Calvert County Health Department
Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation
Lot 15, Grapevine Cove
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Lot 15, Grapevine Cove