River Farm, a park-like property perched above the Potomac River in Alexandria, will not be sold to become a luxury resort, nor will it be sold to a regional parks authority. After a year of wrangling over the future of the 27-acre parcel owned by the American Horticultural Society, the group’s board of directors announced they would retain ownership and reopen the property to the public.

River Farm was one of five farms in Northern Virginia once owned by George Washington. Since 1973 it has been open to the public, a de-facto park, with manicured gardens, native meadows, and river views. It’s been closed for nearly a year, however, due to the pandemic and an uncertain future.

“What we’re doing is getting some volunteers in to clean up the property a little bit to make it more presentable,” said Laura Dowling, a member of the AHS board. “Very soon we will be opening River Farm back to the public.”

The AHS board was split 5-to-5 on whether to sell. Dowling and four others opposed the sale. Last week the five members who wanted to sell resigned en masse, paving the way for Dowling’s contingent to take the property off the market.

About a year ago, AHS announced it was considering selling the property, creating an uproar among neighbors and local officials. Many locals frequented River Farm to walk dogs, let kids romp, and take in the Potomac vistas.

“Financial challenges on a number of fronts, greatly magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic, require us to carefully explore options,” wrote AHS officials at the time. Several months later, River Farm was listed for $32.9 million, nearly double the appraised value, according to county tax records.

“Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own 27 plus acres of riverfront property in the Washington, DC metropolitan area,” read the listing.

The historic property was in George Washington’s family for nearly 100 years. In 1971, the then-owner was about to sell to the Soviet Embassy, which planned to use Washington’s old farm as a staff retreat. Philanthropist and garden enthusiast Enid Haupt stepped in to help prevent the sale, donating $1 million to the American Horticultural Society to purchase River Farm. The grounds opened to the public in 1973.

Dowling said Haupt’s gift “came with a clear stipulation that it would be AHS’s headquarters and that it would be open for public enjoyment.”

Dowling said the board members who opposed the sale felt strongly they had a “moral obligation” to retain the property and keep it publicly accessible. “It’s the promise we’ve made to donors for over 50 years. We published that on our website, in our magazine.”

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring and D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine both launched investigations into the sale of River Farm, looking into whether selling the property violated the terms of Haupt’s original donation. (AHS is incorporated in the District.)

“It’s a positive step that the American Horticultural Society is no longer selling its property and River Farm will remain available to the public just as the donors of the site intended,” said a spokesperson for Racine’s office, in a statement.

There were several potential buyers for the property. One former Trump administration official proposed building a $300 million resort on the waterfront site. And NOVA Parks, the regionals parks authority, made multiple offers, which were rejected.

In a statement last week, AHS officials said they had considered offers of $14 million and $20 million, as well as a possible donation of $10 million.

A partnership with NOVA Parks may still be possible, Dowling said. “We do want to explore working with them and potentially other partners about how we can share maintenance and maybe explore some revenue-generating opportunities.”

This story was updated to correct Laura Dowling’s first name.