Apr 18, 2025
The effort to relaunch service at White’s Ferry took another turn Friday with the announcement that the Kuhn family has offered to donate the operation to the Loudoun County government.
That offer comes after the owners, Chuck and Stacy Kuhn, learned that leaders in Montgomery County, MD, decided not to move forward with a plan to accept the donation offer they made a year ago. Instead, the county and state government announced a new plan to offer up to $3 million to help restart the ferry.
The White’s Ferry business operation and assets are valued at $4.5 million, according to the announcement.
The Kuhns said their goals are to get the Potomac River crossing operational, preserve the history of the ferry, save jobs and reduce traffic.
They were surprised to learn last week that Montgomery County would not take over the operation. They said the donation had been accepted verbally, and plans were moving forward to complete the transfer.
The Potomac River ferry just north of Leesburg closed in December 2020 following a Loudoun Circuit Court ruling that the operators did not have rights to use the Virginia landing and efforts to negotiate a new lease deal failed.
The ferry owners sold their holdings, including the Maryland landing, to the Kuhn family. The Virginia landing is owned by a family partnership, Rockland Farm LLC, led by Libby Devlin. Although both property owners have stated a desire to resume ferry operations, talks between Kuhn and Devlin to resolve the dispute have not been successful.
“We spoke to Loudoun County leaders, and they are open to considering the donation,” Chuck Kuhn stated. “This will make it easier to work through zoning issues since the exemption on the Virginia landing side—owned by Rockland Farms—has now expired. Donating the land to the county will make the zoning process simpler and faster. Our goal since purchasing the defunct ferry has always been to get it reopened. This crossing has served as a local economic engine and is a piece of our history. Too many businesses and residents have been hurt by its closure. After numerous proposed solutions, we hope that this one ensures the ferry finally becomes operational.”
If the Board of Supervisors accepts the donation, it would be up to the county to work with Rockland Farms to secure access to the Virginia landing.
source: loudounnow.com
