Bel Air approves agreements for Rockfield Manor, new Armory Marketplace gallery

Bel Air town leaders have approved a new lease agreement with the Rockfield Foundation for use of the town-owned Rockfield Manor and memorandum of understanding with Harford Artists' Association, which will become an anchor tenant in the new Armory Marketplace.Both agreements were passed unanimously at Monday night's meeting of the Board of Town Commissioners.The town has had a annual lease agreement with the nonprofit Rockfield Foundation, which has renewed automatically Sept. 1 each year, since 2011, Finance Director Lisa Moody said. The foundation operates and promotes the Rockfield Manor house and grounds off Churchville Road, where the town also has a large park.The most recent version of the lease agreement includes a number of updates, the first in five years, Moody said.The updates include establishing that the manor house and barn on the property are available for leasing for events, &quot;additional language&quot; regarding snow and ice removal, establishing deadlines for the financial and insurance reports the foundation must file with the town, a requirement that the foundation must clean the grounds after events, allowing the town to review and comment on the lease agreement the foundation uses for facility rentals and allowing town officials to review grant applications related to capital projects or purchases before they are submitted, according to Moody.The MOU with the Harford Artists' Association, a nonprofit that promotes fine arts locally, clears the way for the association to occupy Suite 104, one of three spaces in the Armory Marketplace made up of refurbished garages behind the Bel Air Armory.The association, which has been leasing space in a tenant house on the Rockfield Manor property, is scheduled to move into the Armory Marketplace Nov. 1, Economic Development Director Trish Heidenreich said.&quot;I think this will be a great anchor tenant for that location,&quot; she said.The association will operate an &quot;anchor art gallery&quot; in the former garage, according to Heidenreich. The town must have an anchor art gallery, as well as a signature annual event – the Town of Bel Air Film Festival – under its state designation as an arts and entertainment district.That designation allows Bel air to attract arts-related business to downtown, where they can take advantage of state-approved tax credits and economic incentives.&quot;That's a very important economic development tool to have in our tool kit for attracting businesses,&quot; Heidenreich said.

Bel Air approves agreements for Rockfield Manor, new Armory Marketplace gallery

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