The Columbia Association?s proposed conditional fiscal 2010 budget includes $3.6 million to begin construction of a new CA headquarters on CA-owned land next to the Merriweather Post Pavilion.
The two-story, 30,000-square-foot building is estimated to cost $11 million.
The budget item is a placeholder, CA staff said, because plans haven?t been finalized.
But some community members questioned putting money aside now, as much could depend on the plan for downtown development to be released by primary landowner General Growth Properties Inc.
CA?s Chief Financial Officer Rafia Siddiqui spoke with The Examiner about the headquarters.
When does the current lease on the office space on Wincopin Circle end?
The lease ends in August 2010. At this point, we do not know where and how we are going to be relocating, or if we would be leasing or buying an existing building or a portion of a building or if we would build our own headquarters. …
We are waiting to see this downtown plan. Those [funds] are just to earmark that we may need some funds to acquire the office.
Some residents are concerned about including funding before the project has been decided or presented to the public. How will residents weigh in?
The headquarters building has been in the budget process … starting in fiscal year 2002.
[The land next to Merriweather] was one of the options … and the community at that time was involved.
We also have a directive from the board for [CA President Maggie Brown] to look into a renewal option on this current lease.
