Carroll County commissioners appear likely to buy 114.5 acres from Westminster Nurseries Inc. this week as the site for a second Westminster high school and an elementary school.
A decision on the purchase may come tomorrow, commission President Richard T. Yates said Friday.
The county has held an option for three months to buy the acreage north of Gorsuch Road for $2.2 million. But the previous Board of Commissioners -- two of whom left office Monday -- deferred the decision to the new board members.
Most of the remainder of the 200-acre Westminster Nurseries property is under a option to the Church of the Open Door, an independent church on Route 140. Representatives of Westminster Nurseries and the church are seeking rezonings from residential to business uses for two parcels on the property, about 21 acres.
When the commissioners returned from a site visit Friday, W. Benjamin Brown was enthusiastic about the purchase. Mr. Yates was uncertain. Donald I. Dell, the third commission member, signed the option in October as president of the former board.
Mr. Brown called it "a beautiful property, ideally situated, and the price is certainly right." He said the commissioners would like to be able to sell three parcels that front on Cranberry Road to recoup part of the purchase price.
Responding to residents' concerns about possible increased traffic, Mr. Brown said the concerns were realistic but that "people have to understand that schools have to go where the people are."
Mr. Yates said he wanted to know what other property was available for consideration when the commission selected the nursery property. "The ground looks very nice as far as terrain goes, but I'm still not sure in my mind whether I want to spend that money on that property," he said.
The nursery and church have filed requests with the county and Westminster to change the zoning from residential to business uses for 15.8 acres north of Weis Market and 4.8 acres south of Gorsuch Road and adjoining what will eventually be an extension of Center Street.
The county plans to extend Center Street north of Route 140 to connect with Malcolm Drive, which will be extended to Gorsuch Road.
Lawyer Charles "Mike" Preston, who represents the Church of the Open Door, said he could not comment on earlier published reports that the church plans to use the property for a college.
The Rev. Shelton Smith, pastor of the church, could not be reached for comment Friday.
Mr. Preston explained that the petition to rezone the 4.8-acre parcel was prompted by county and city government realignment of the proposed Center Street extension. The realignment created a small piece of residentially zoned land that was not feasible for development, he said.
Mr. Preston said he could not discuss how the church might use the 15.8 acres north of Weis Market. Business zoning exists on 15 acres between Route 140 and Center Street extended, so "it's logical to carry it to the same depth on the other side of Malcolm Drive [extended]," he said.
Charles D. Hollman, an attorney for Westminster Nurseries Inc., said the nursery plans to retain only a small triangular piece of land along Gorsuch Road.
County planner Barbara "Bobbi" Moser said the argument that the new alignment of an extended Center Street should be the dividing line between residential and business zoning, "is a persuasive argument."
She said county agencies are drafting comments on the rezoning request, which will be scheduled for public hearing.