Columbia Council members say a $1.4 million proposal to develop a recreational vehicle storage facility -- a project one member called a "very unusual package deal" -- could be a financial bargain for residents.
"In my two years on the council, this is one of the few things I'd classify as a no-brainer," said the council's vice chairman, David Berson of River Hill village. "It's unambiguously good for the people of Columbia."
The tentative deal with the Rouse Co., Columbia's developer, could significantly increase the Columbia Association's (CA) property levy assessment base, said Councilwoman Norma Rose Wilde Lake village.
The storage yard -- intended to reduce property covenant
violations -- is the most expensive project and the only new facility in CA's proposed $6 million capital budget for 1995-1996. The council is the private, nonprofit association's board of directors.
CA is negotiating with the Rouse Co. to buy land for the recreational vehicle storage facility in a former industrial park for General Electric along Snowden River Parkway in east Columbia, council members say.
A tentative agreement calls for CA to buy more land from Rousethan it would need to meet demand in Columbia for the storage facility, Ms. Rose said Friday. As part of the deal, Rouse would make some surrounding commercial property -- now excluded from the association's annual property levy -- subject to it, she said.
Ms. Rose said she wasn't sure which properties would come under the CA levy, a charge of 73 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
"I think we do need to hear from the community on how much demand there is for this service and study carefully all the costs to CA," Ms. Rose said.
CA President Padraic Kennedy wouldn't confirm or deny Friday that a "package deal" with Rouse is in the works, adding that he will present the proposal along with CA's $33.4 million fiscal 1996 operating budget proposal at the council's meeting at 8 p.m. Thursday.
"I think it would be inappropriate to talk before a public presentation," he said.
The council has held several closed meetings to discuss land acquisition and other financial matters associated with the project.
Mr. Berson, who also wouldn't discuss details of the proposal, said: "The whole thing could end up being a moneymaker."
He said the storage facility would provide a service for residents who violate the architectural guidelines in Columbia's property covenants by parking recreational vehicles on streets, yards or driveways. They likely would have to pay a fee to park campers and boats at the storage yard, he said.
The association manages recreational facilities, runs community programs and maintains parkland. It also enforces the architectural guidelines, when violations can't be resolved by the village boards.
The proposed fiscal 1996 capital budget focuses largely on improving existing facilities and replacing equipment, Mr. Kennedy said.
The most expensive project from CA's capital budget two years ago -- the controversial $5.2 million Fairway Hills Golf Course by Routes 29 and 108 -- is set to open for play on nine holes in September, with the other nine holes expected to be ready by spring 1996.
Other highlights of the fiscal 1996 capital budget include:
* $698,000 for improvements to the Hobbit's Glen Golf Course and clubhouse, including a new $500,000 irrigation system.
* $114,000 to dredge and upgrade the pond in Symphony Woods, the first phase of an estimated $600,000 project to improve the 38-acre downtown park.
* $360,000 to replace deteriorating pathways in Hickory Ridge village, and $233,000 for pathway construction in the developing River Hill village.
* $100,000 each to improve the exteriors of the aging Swansfield and Faulkner Ridge neighborhood centers.