The vacant lot of a former Exxon Mobil gas station may become an office building, potentially prompting development in the Oakland Mills Village Center in Columbia.
“This is the lynchpin project,” said Phil Engelke; property and business chairman on the Oakland Mills Village Board.
“It?s the first really significant thing to happen.”
Oakland Mills Village officials said Exxon Mobil and Baltimore-based Metroventures USA Inc. recently agreed on the deal to build a condo-style office building on the lot on Stevens Forest Road near Robert Oliver Place.
“It?s a residential area, so this blends in perfectly with the landscape,” Oakland Mills Village community organizer Ben Hunter said.
Previous proposals for the land have fallen flat. About a year ago, a developer proposed senior housing there, but covenants restrict selling land which was used for a gas station for the development of residential units, he said.
As commercial development moved to the edges of Columbia, some village centers were neglected and became derelict, Engelke said. This particular lot has been empty for roughly a decade.
“It?s quite an eyesore, and the village has been after them to keep it clean and mowed, and even that has been a bit of a hassle,” he said.
Council Member Calvin Ball, D-District 2, said he expects this venture to be a boon for the community. “We are still working out some of the details with the community and the developer so we get something that is mutually beneficial,” he said.
A nearby bank building has been empty for some time, and the shopping center is in need of some re-branding, Engelke said.
Metroventures President Olusola Seiki could not be reached for comment.
