Howard County Executive Ken Ulman has scrapped plans to sell one piece of county-owned property in Ellicott City and has found about $3 million in additional budget cuts to fill that hole.
Selling the 26-acre property on Martha Bush Drive would have raised about $4 million to help fund renovations to the county office building and the purchase of office space in Oakland Mills. But the plan to sell property drew the ire of some residents and council members.
“We understood that was something that some of the council members felt strongly about,” said UIman, who requested the council withdraw the bill authorizing the sale.
Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson, D-District 1, called the move “good news.”
The proposed cuts include trimming capital funds from the public safety education center in Marriotsville and the Banneker fire station.
Several residents testified against the sale of the land, saying the property should be retained in case the county needs to
expand.
“There is no comprehensive plan for what is going to happen with the county office buildings,” said Barbara Schnackenberg, co-president of the county?s League of Women Voters.
The county still plans to sell 24.5 acres on Rogers Avenue for about $9 million and the site of the former Gateway School for about $8 million, which would raise enough money for the renovations for the county office buildings, said Public Works Director Jim Irvin.
The Martha Bush property became a “less critical” part of the overall funding, Ulman said, because the county stands to make more than anticipated from the other two properties.
“I wasn?t committed to it or wedded to it,” he said.
Meridian Square project under fire
However, Ulman has remained committed to his plan to purchase a floor of office space in the planned Meridian Square project in Oakland Mills, as a way to help revitalize the village.
Two council members continue to raise concerns about Ulman?s plan.
Councilman Greg Fox, R-District 5, a vocal critic of the purchase, is pushing an amendment to eliminate the $4.2 million needed to buy the space.
Instead, Fox proposed an alternative, including making room for some offices in rented space such as the Dorsey building in Columbia.
“I?m trying to do things the most efficient way,” he said.
“We are supposed to be looking to gain efficiencies.”
Fox also criticized the Ulman administration for working “in a vacuum” during deliberations.
County officials have been researching the possibility of
purchasing the Meridian Square property since at least March
2007, but the council learned about full details of the plan when
the budget proposal was submitted.
Watson said Ulman?s proposal was a “misguided” attempt to encourage revitalization in the area.
“I just don?t think it?s going to do what they think it will,” she said.
The council votes on the budget Thursday.
