Nixon's Farm files for Chapter 11
Wed, 06/24/2009
A last-minute bankruptcy filing has saved Nixon's Farm, a Howard County landmark known for social and political gatherings, from a foreclosure auction originally scheduled for today.
The Chapter 11 filing in U.S. District Court on Tuesday will allow Randall Nixon to continue operating the 128-acre West Friendship farm his family has owned since 1956, said James A. Vidmar, the Annapolis lawyer representing Nixon and his mother, Mildred.
"This just gives us breathing room to get some plan in place to protect this valuable property," Vidmar said. Social events and other gatherings scheduled on the property won't be affected, he said.
Officials at American Auctions and Appraisals Inc. in Westminster confirmed that the filing halts the sale that was scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Howard County Circuit Court building in Ellicott City.
Earlier in the decade, the Nixon farm was slated to be developed for housing, but the recession struck, ended the plan and left the family heavily in debt. Circuit Court records showed debts of $3 million on the 96-acre portion of the tract that contains the banquet hall and outdoor facilities used by generations for weddings and other gatherings. The Nixons live in two homes on two other parcels of the property, which is off Route 32 just south of Interstate 70.
Randall Nixon has said he plans to go forward with development, once he can structure a new deal.
Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun
