Opponents of a plan to build a $250 million office complex along the Severn River hope that Anne Arundel County Council members will take a closer look at the redevelopment deal now that they have delayed action on the project.

The council voted 6-1 Monday to put off a vote on the package of bills for the David Taylor Research Center until Aug. 5 after one council member raised questions about the developers' financial backing.

"I am very gratified by it," said Broadneck Peninsula resident Jana Carey, a member of a committee that studied redevelopment options who later wrote a strongly worded opposition letter to County Executive Janet S. Owens.

Carey, who along with others has long voiced concern about the proposal for the former Navy site, said yesterday that she was not sure why the council decided to take more time to review the three David Taylor bills, but she added, "Thank goodness they did."

Monday night's vote followed intense questioning by Council member Barbara D. Samorajczyk of Annapolis, who demanded proof that developers Annapolis Partners have the financial backing to execute the plan. Her questions came amid widespread accounts of the financial woes of business entities such as Enron and WorldCom.