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.
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