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An informational meeting about a proposed 31-home subdivision in the Agricultural Reserve drew more than 100 people, many of whom strongly questioned or opposed the development.

Monday night's meeting, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Poolesville, was organized by Gaithersburg-based Benning & Associates Inc. in compliance with new regulations that require developers to present proposals to the community before submitting to the Planning Board. The discussion became heated at times as residents questioned whether the development would overwhelm the area's resources and asked if the property owner would consider putting the land into conservation.

The proposed subdivision would divide the 840-acre property into 33 lots, two farm lots totaling 712 acres and 31 residential lots clustered on Peach Tree Road south of Whites Store Road, the maximum allowed on the site, according to information provided by Benning & Associates. The 31 lots have an average size of 3.78 acres and will be served by well and septic systems, according to the tentative plans. The two large lots will continue to be farmed, according to Josh Maisel of Poolesville, a partner with Benning & Associates.

There are seven tenant dwelling units on the property as well as an equestrian operation, he said, and the company will retain ownership.

The property's address is 21121 Beallsville Road and was purchased in 1980 for $3.66 million by Malsama Corp., according to state property records, which Maisel would only describe as an offshore company that buys land.

Potomac accountant David Mermelstein, listed in state tax records as the resident agent for the development's seven-month-old limited liability company, Barnesville Oak Farms, said Tuesday that he did not know who owned the property.

"The best thing about this, in our opinion, is that we're taking exactly what the [Agricultural and Rural Open Space] Master Plan recommends," Maisel said at the meeting. "We plan on preserving what will become some of the largest lots in Montgomery County with no chance of subdivision."

Residents were concerned about what effect the subdivision would have on their wells, its impact on the rural Peach Tree Road and the decision to site the development in the middle of a heavily forested area on the property. Many also drew issue with the idea of the subdivision, saying it would cause further fragmentation of the Ag Reserve, where zoning is more restrictive than elsewhere in the county, and expressed frustration with the secrecy about the property owner.

"We live out here, and our well did run dry," said Tina Brown of Barnesville, an artist who has worked on projects featuring the Agricultural Reserve. "You're throwing a lot of development at us and asking us to appreciate it, but we know what happens."

The proposed subdivision, located south of Barnesville in Dickerson, will be named Barnesville Oak Farms after Flora's Oak, a monolithic white oak owned by Victor and Linda Pepe of Barnesville and named in honor of Victor's late sister. The tree was felled during a storm in June shortly before it was due to be designated the official state tree. On Tuesday, Linda Pepe said the company had not discussed the name with them.

The mayor of Barnesville, Pete Menke, was at the meeting and said he too worried that the homes would affect the town's water supply.

"It really has to be studied thoroughly so that we're fairly sure that our wells don't go dry," he said.