Maryland Governor - Executive and Administrative Departments Section 13-102

      The General Assembly of Maryland makes the following declarations as a statement of its legislative intent in the enactment of this subtitle:

            (1)      The marketing of food is a matter of public interest; the maintenance of wholesale market places is and has always been recognized as a public function; the vast quantities of food and related food products brought annually from all parts of the United States into the wholesale markets in the State are obliged to pass through market facilities which are obsolete and inadequate to meet present needs; the scattered locations and difficulty of access with respect to such markets constitute an economic loss; the obsolescence of these markets is responsible for much of the high cost of food handling and for the deterioration which takes place both within the wholesale markets and between the markets and the consumer's doorstep; modern consolidated facilities would result in an annual saving; there is need for a consolidated wholesale food market within the State; and in spite of this great need, efforts on the part of the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, the wholesale food trade, the growers, and the transportation industry have failed to bring about the creation of a satisfactory consolidation of wholesale markets.

            (2)      The construction, operation, and maintenance of wholesale markets, and in particular a consolidated market for the State would require the expenditure of a large sum of money; the financial systems of the political subdivisions of the State are not designed to handle projects of this type on a nonprofit, self-liquidating basis, and the best method of distributing responsibility for this problem and of achieving the creation of a market is to create and empower a market authority as a public corporation, the function of which would be to acquire land for and to construct and operate a market development; and to aid and assist by the making of loans and otherwise those persons engaged in the wholesale food industry who wish to locate in a market development.

            (3)      The public health and safety of the citizens of the State of Maryland are adversely affected by the unsafe, obsolete, and unsanitary conditions of existing food markets.

            (4)      It is desirable and in the public interest that these conditions be eliminated and corrected and that an economical and modern method of marketing wholesale food in the State of Maryland be established by the construction of a modern, sanitary, and accessible market, that may include:

                  (i)      Warehouse facilities used by wholesalers or retailers principally engaged in the sale of food and used for storage of food and beverages and such nonfood products as may be sold from time to time in connection with the sale of food at retail; and

                  (ii)      Any ancillary or other appurtenant facilities that the Authority determines to be advisable in order to enhance the public convenience or public attractiveness of the market development, including but not limited to parking or other transportation facilities, restaurants, shops, stores, banks, or other commercial enterprises generally.

            (5)      There exists a need and the opportunity to capitalize on the vast resources of finfish and shellfish that can be found off Maryland's coastal waters; development of the seafood industry on the Eastern Shore could provide an opportunity for the State to capitalize on these resources, could create new jobs, and could produce other economic benefits to the State; a centralized seafood project is necessary for the development of these resources and the ensuing economic benefits; the development of the project and these resources would be in the public interest and can best be accomplished through the Maryland Food Center Authority.

            (6)      It is desirable that when sufficient revenue will be derived from the operation of a project or development to amortize the cost thereof within a reasonable period, the cost be defrayed insofar as practicable by the issuance of bonds or other debt instruments payable from the revenue derived from project operations.