For decades, the Charles P. Crane Generating Station loomed large over Eastern Baltimore County, its red-and white smokestacks the “candy cane” landmarks that let boaters know they were close to home. The coal-fired power plant provided jobs for area residents and at one point hosted a hatchery and research station to help restore populations of striped bass.

But C.P. Crane, as it was known, also sent pollutants into the air and water. In 2018, the plant was shut down as part of a settlement in which state regulators alleged the plant exceeded emission caps for toxic smog-forming gases.

Over the years, a slew of different owners routinely flushed the ash from the coal-making process into impoundments, treated it, and then released it into Seneca Creek. In 2016, Crane reported discharging 170,000 gallons every two years, worrying the Gunpowder Riverkeeper and residents.

By then, it had transferred hands from BGE to Raven Power Holdings in 2012 and then changed hands again, going to Talen Energy in 2015. Then, Talen sold the plant to Middle River Power, based in Chicago. Forsite Development, which specializes in the reuse and remediation of industrial properties, bought it from Middle River Power in 2021.

When Forsite Development demolished the plant in 2022, residents of nearby Bowleys Quarters and Seneca Park worried about what the company was proposing: 285 townhouses on a dead-end road. Residents had been doing the early lobbying work of making the site a waterfront park; with the townhouse plan formally proposed, they kicked the effort into high gear.

On Monday afternoon, neighbors entered the normally locked gates surrounding the C.P Crane plant site to hear that their efforts paid off. C.P. Crane will become a waterfront park.

The Baltimore County Council voted last week to approve the sale of 85 acres to the county. Forsite will retain about 38 acres for a battery storage project and about 13 acres on Carroll Island that is largely not developable because of its proximity to Aberdeen Proving Ground.

“I’m a lifelong resident. I know what it was like growing up around the existing power plant and all that brought with it,” said Bonnie Jasinski, the vice president of the Seneca Park Improvement Association. “We knew pitching this site as a park was a long shot, but as we dug into the history, we realized the site is a missing link between connecting what was already preserved.”

The park will eventually connect to Marshy Point Nature Center and Eastern Regional Park, both off Eastern Avenue, through a trail, according to county officials.

Financing the acquisition was a team effort. About $10 million came from state open-space money, which the Maryland Department of Natural Resources administers.

Baltimore County is also getting $1.7 million from the federal government, through Rep. C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger and Sen. Chris Van Hollen. State Sen. J.B. Jennings said he and his fellow lawmakers secured $3 million from the Maryland General Assembly for park improvements.

Baltimore County Councilman David Marks, who represents the area, said creating the park took more than two years because of all the partnerships and site work required. The county still does not know when the park will open.

Bob Smith, the county’s director of parks and recreation, said he expects to conduct a public process to find out what residents want at the park.

Forsite will continue to work with the Maryland Department of the Environment on remediation, according to the company’s chief operating officer, Ryan Ford.

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company needs to clean up the site, according to the county, and must remove a warehouse and fencing, as well as cap all wells and septic or storage tanks prior to the sale closing. The cleanup will be ongoing after the sale goes through.

Local, state and federal officials all marveled at the ability to protect what they called an important piece of waterfront property near the Gunpowder River, a drinking water source for much of the county’s reservoir water.

“How excited am I? On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say 47,” Smith said. Looking around at the panoramic view of the site, on Seneca and Saltpeter creeks, he marveled at the possibilities. “There’s only so much waterfront in existence. You can’t make any more of it.”

Correction: This story has been updated with the correct spelling of Forsite Development.