Columbia leaders want to know if they got a fair deal when they gave developers the right to use association-owned land.
The Columbia Association board of directors maydemand staff to outline how many easements have been granted for the use of CA-owned land, the amount paid for the easement and the assessed value of the land.
“There?s no discussion occurring at the higher level taking into context the impact the easement is having on CA, on residents, and on the community,” said board member Michael Cornell.
The request, which the board will vote on this week, comes on the heels of an attorney general opinion that the Columbia Association violated its own charter when it allowed the president to grant developers the right to use land.
The CA?s charter states the organization can?t donate or sell property or assets unless the board passes a resolution, and the Attorney General?s Office determined an easement qualified as an asset.
CA granted WCI Communities Inc. the right to use a strip of land along Little Patuxent Parkway for a landscaped entrance to the planned ? and highly contentious ? Plaza Residences building.
“There are equity issues here. [WCI would get] hundreds of millions of dollars off this project, and the CA got $10,000,” Cornell said.
Another easement in River Hill led to mounting woes over trees cut down to make way for a new development, Cornell said. There was no discussion on the development?s impact or negotiations with the developer, he said.
The board will also decide whether to hire an outside attorney to advise on the attorney general?s recommendations to either ratify the easements or amend the charter.
The first step, said board member Cynthia Coyle, is to gather information.
“Due diligence requires us to investigate,” she said.
Alex Hekimian, head of the Alliance for a Better Columbia, said the board?s move for more information was “a good start.”
“It?s a serious situation. You can?t just give away land like that,” he said.
