Howard?s plan to buy space for county offices in a proposed Oakland Mills building has some County Council members wondering whether the plan makes sense financially.
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman announced in October his intent to buy a floor at Meridian Square, a proposed office building in Columbia, to house county offices and help with the revitalization of the neighborhood.
The $4 million to buy the floor would come from $16 million budgeted for a new government office campus, which the County Council has approved. The council is considering a bill that would amend the approved budget and authorize the purchase.
“The council is looking at [whether] the financial opportunity costs make sense for the county?s overall financial picture,” said Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson, D-District 1.
Watson questioned whether the county needed the additional office space, considering its plan to consolidate offices into a new government campus in Ellicott City.
“How does it fit in the overall future planning for office space?” Watson asked, adding she hadn?t taken a position on the purchase.
Watson said the council was working with Ulman to get more information about the project.
Councilman Greg Fox, R-District 5, also raised concerns about buying new space when the county is planning to sell space in the Gateway building in Columbia to consolidate other offices. He also questioned whether the Meridian Square project made fiscal sense.
“There are a lot of questions to be asked,” Fox said, adding he was not opposed to the project.
Oakland Mills residents have supported the project.
Council members have received about a dozen e-mails from Oakland Mills residents, Watson said, urging members to approve the bill, which needs four votes to pass.
Sandy Cederbaum, Oakland Mills Village manager, sent an e-mail to residents encouraging them to contact council members and attend a public hearing Monday.
“Until something is passed, there is always concern,” said Cederbaum, adding she hoped the council would realize the importance of what she called “the biggest sign” of the area?s revitalization.
The purchase, she said, would show the county?s commitment to revitalizing Oakland Mills.
“That would speak volumes to the potential of the building,” she said.
