The Board of the American Horticultural Society will not be selling River Farm to NOVA Parks — at least, not yet.
Late Sunday night, the board voted against a proposal from NOVA Parks to purchase the 27-acre estate on the Potomac River. "However, the AHS Board overwhelmingly welcomes the opportunity to continue dialogue with NOVA Parks concerning River Farm," the board members said in a statement.
NOVA Parks had offered to purchase the entire property, and later offered to take a majority (51 percent) ownership of the property. An evenly-split AHS board was unable to move forward with those proposals.
“The negotiations with NOVA Parks have been a positive experience. The AHS board has not been able to reach an agreement on selling River Farm to NOVA Parks, so we must decline the current offer,” said Board Chair Terry Hayes in the statement. “I would like to thank NOVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert, Supervisor Dan Storck, and others who have been in conversations with us over the past year for their cooperative attitudes and support.”
In the fall of 2020, River Farm was put up for sale by the board of AHS, citing financial difficulties at the organization. The decision to sell the property was immediately opposed by community members, conservation leaders and state officials.
AHS listed the property for $32.9 million and it remains on the market at that price, represented by Sue Goodhart of The Goodhart Group, Compass Real Estate.
One other person is reportedly interested in purchasing River Farm and two adjacent large properties to create a hotel, conference center and possible residential development. AHS has said that it is not considering that offer from A. Wayne Johnson, a former Education Department official.
