In a rushed vote Monday, Hyattsville leaders approved an agreement to buy a plot of land to expand the city’s largest park, despite not assessing the property’s value.

Their purchase hinges on $3.5 million in state funds the Maryland General Assembly recently allotted for the Washington, D.C., suburb but comes as some in the community worry they’re overpaying by millions and bailing out a developer’s failed project.

Hyattsville leaders have long coveted the parcel next to David C. Driskell Park, a flood-prone former parking lot that has sat vacant for over two decades.

After years of legal battles over the property, Hyattsville convinced state leaders to earmark funding this session for the Prince George’s County city to purchase the land. Lawmakers drained a state equity fund to pledge money to three communities, including half for Hyattsville.

Mayor Robert Croslin and City Council President Joseph Solomon both pushed for a quick approval at Monday’s meeting, the last before three new members are sworn in.

After an hour of deliberation, their decision came down to the wire. A motion to table the decision came up short, and the council took its vote just before some members had to leave for other appointments.

Croslin and Solomon previously pushed the council to accept a $7.5 million deal with the developer, Annapolis-based Werrlein Companies. New terms released late Friday authorize the city to pay no more than $6.5 million. The revised deal also requires Werrlein to take care of flood remediation on the low-lying property, which officials believe would save Hyattsville up to $1 million.

Werrlein’s vice president of builders, Karl Granzow, presented a price breakdown to the council Monday, which showed the developer spent just over $5 million, including closing costs, in a 2019 acquisition that also included acreage across the street.

While Werrlein built and sold homes on the elevated portion across the street, Granzow said it had $7.3 million in outstanding debt on the purchase and is willing to take a loss on the property.

Still, Hyattsville leaders can’t say how much the land is really worth. City officials have an appraisal Werrlein commissioned in February 2024 but haven’t assessed the property themselves, according to spokesperson Cindy Zork.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the state equity fund, requires program applicants to have two appraisals on land they plan to purchase, a condition that Hyattsville officials added to the revised sale terms.

Several council members expressed uneasiness about approving a deal Monday, but Croslin said negotiations would continue. If city leaders failed to approve the terms, though, the mayor said the deal with Werrlein would fall through.

Council members Danny Schaible and Sam Denes questioned the urgency and pressed officials on why they needed to act on limited information.

Hyattsville has a year to cash in on the state grant, city officials said Monday, but will only receive the funds as a reimbursement after the sale.

Croslin said he understands that many in Hyattsville don’t want to see Werrlein rewarded by the purchase, but he asked members to focus on the benefits.

The council approved the sale terms 7-to-1, with two abstaining.