Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot is asking environmental officials to hold off closing on a $5 million land purchase from a member of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s transition team, officials said Thursday.

Members of the Board of Public Works responded to criticism for approving the purchase of a 270-acre farm in Queen Anne’s County last week for more than its appraised value. The Grasonville tract is owned by the U.S. Land Alliance, a conservation company founded by David Sutherland, who served on O’Malley’s transition team that advised on environmental policy.

Franchot, one of three board members also including O’Malley and state Treasurer Nancy Kopp — voted to approve the purchase at the June 20 meeting.

“He will be asking Secretary [John] Griffin at the Department of Natural Resources not to close on the deal until he gets answers to a series of questions,” Franchot spokesman Joe Shapiro said. “They are still being formulated, but the questions will be about the appraisal process and what happens to the waterfront property that’s right adjacent to this.”

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The property was twice appraised — once at $3.6 million, another at $4.6 million, according to The Baltimore Sun, which first reported Sutherland’s connection to O’Malley. The state will contribute $4.6 million to the purchase and Queen Anne’s will chip in $400,000.

The state frequently pays the highest appraisal for land, O’Malley spokesman Steve Kearney said.

“There were 1,100 people who were on the governor’s transition team and 150 in the environmental group,” Kearney said. “We’ve never heard of him before.”

O’Malley stood by the vote, Kearney said. Howard Freelander, Kopp’s representative to the board, said the parcel, which does not include adjacent waterfront land also owned by U.S. Land Alliance, is threatened by intense development.

jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com