October 2024 TMP: Raise my Taxes Edition

HCPSS Capital Budget Shortfall

In what has become a sad sort of annual tradition here in Howard County, parents of students attending overcrowded and under-maintained schools testified in front of the Howard County Board of Education last month on why the limited capital funds available for school construction be prioritized to maintain, modernize, improve, and/or expand their own child's school building (inevitably at the expense of another needed school investment).  It’s cut-throat competitive over limited capital funding that should not be.

After considering all community testimony and school system recommendations, the Board of Education approved the following FY26 Proposed Capital Budget, FY27-31 Proposed Capital Improvement Plan and FY-26-35 Proposed Long-Range Master Plan at the September 26 and October 10, 2024 meeting. These are just the requested capital budgets that the School system is now asking for - the process continues at the County and State level, the entities that ultimately hold the purse strings.

School construction is not paid from local funding alone. The State of Maryland matches 51% of eligible capital costs in Howard County. It is because of this match that the School Board voted to increase systemic investments (think HVAC, roofing, and other maintenance projects) in their FY26 request by $8 million above the Superintendent's original plan in order to unlock additional state funding to ensure the full State match would be received this fiscal year.

The requested FY26-35 Long-Range Master Plan calls for $1,461,386,000 be spent on school capital improvement over the next 10 years. Let that sink in. $1.46 Billion. And herein lies the problem. There is no where near enough money available as it currently stands to fund all of this. The school system anticipates that the maximum available annual Capital Improvement Plan Funding is approximately $70 million per year (comprised of $50M to $54 M of local funding and ~$16 million of state funding), so that's $700 million over the next 10 years - less than half of what is needed to fund all projects in the long-range plan, not to mention school capital projects that have dropped off this updated long-range plan, such as a 14th high school long slated for Elkridge. So, unless new revenue sources become available, there is little chance that all these projects will be funded.

Recognizing this funding challenge of deferred school maintenance on our aging school faculties and future capacity needs, the Maryland General Assembly recently established a Howard County Task Force to study revenue options for our school's capital needs. The recently formed HB1450 Task Force has been meeting biweekly this fall to study and identify ways to better fund Howard County school construction and renovations. The task force has been hearing presentations on various topics (all of which are available on the linked website) and will report its finding and recommendations to the Howard County members of the House of Delegates and MD Senate by October 31, 2024.

One potential option that this task force, as well as the school board, have been discussing is whether public-private partnership (P3) is a viable option for our county to fund school construction. P3 is a long-term contractual agreement in which a private entity designs, builds, finances, operates and maintains an infrastructure project as part of a lease arrangement with a public agency. Using P3 to construct schools in Howard County would mean the school system would not have to pay the upfront capital costs but instead lock the county into a long-term financial obligation in the form of lease payments. P3 has already been used in Howard County to build the new Howard County Circuit Courthouse. To much fanfare, it has also been recently used in Prince George's County under the leadership of P.G. County Executive and Senate candidate Angela Alsobrook, to build 6 new school buildings in their county in very short time.

Whether Howard County is financing capital projects itself or pursuing P3, the County will need more revenue to pay future obligations if it wishes to fully address HCPSS's capital needs. Accordingly, I believe that County leadership must take the unpopular position of exploring tax increases. Creating new revenue streams is the only real option to meet this funding challenge. Property Taxes, Developer Impact Fees, Recordation/Transfer Tax increases should all under consideration. Nobody likes tax increases, least of all elected officials needing public support, but sign me up if it means our deferred school maintenance would be funded and our school capacity increases. It's the right thing to do to tackle our maintenance backlog and ensure our infrastructure keeps up with our growing county. It's also a smart idea in order to put to rest the ad nauseam debate pitting school against school; housing against schools; or public amenities against schools. We can and we should do it all. Raise my taxes, please.

The one thing I find just as objectionable to those who protest housing and growth on the grounds of inadequate facilities are fellow proponents of growth who gaslight the very real and serious issues of deferred maintenance and over capacity of our school buildings. We should increase housing supply and add world-class public facilities, but we also must address our school maintenance backlog and add new capacity.  We need new revenue.  We need more taxes.

A new Bryant Woods Elementary School?

A late addition to the Capital Improvement Plan and Long Range Master Plan is adding Bryant Woods Elementary School to the list of schools to be renovated and expanded. Bryant Woods was added to these lists after advocacy from school parents whose testimony highlighted the deteriorating condition of the building and its overcrowded state. Bryant Woods ES is a Title I school that is the first elementary school in Columbia and smallest in the County (local capacity of just 289 students) and is the assigned elementary school for most of Downtown Columbia, Wilde Lake, and parts of Hickory Ridge. Surely, assigning all the students from the part of the County with the most ambitious growth plans to the smallest elementary school is not a sustainable solution.

The school is already over-enrolled and is projected to see significance continued enrollment growth as more housing comes online in the area.  So much so that the school system has recommended a limited redistricting to move students out of Bryant Woods just five years after the school's enrollment area was significantly upended by the 2019 redistricting. It's remains uncertain if a potential redistricting will still be considered now that a renovation and addition to the school is being requested. There is also uncertainty about just how much capacity will be available at schools that could potentially receive Bryant Woods students. While the plan to add an addition to Bryant Woods is new, to be clear, the plan to add elementary school capacity to the Downtown Columbia area is not. A capacity project for this area has been included in school planning considerations dating back to at least the 2015 Feasibility Study.

The late addition of Bryant Woods to the Capital project want list was not without controversy. District 4 school board chair Jen Mallo, who is currently running for re-election to the Board of Education, along with D1's Robyn Scates, D2's Antonia Watts, and D3's Jolene Moseley helped ensured the amendment to add Bryant Wood passed by a narrow 4-3 margin (D5's Yun Lu and at-large board members Linfeng Chen and Jackie McCoy voting in opposition).

Just because a renovation and addition to the school has been added to the proposed capital plan for now, given the shortfall in capital funding and and considering the narrow vote by a School Board on the verge of turning over, it's still no sure thing it will actually happen. I've explored the question Where will the Merriweather District kids go to School? dating back to February 2020, and here we are nearly 5 years later, and it's still uncertain what the solution will ultimately be to address elementary capacity in the Columbia West area. This open question is a primary reason that cause so many of my neighbors to oppose new residential development, and it emphasizes the need for growth and housing advocates to have a plan for adding school capacity if they want like-minded candidates to win local elections in the future.

Lakefront Library

The Baltimore Fishbowl published an article exploring the question Will a landmark lakefront library actually be built in Columbia? (October 7, 2024). It's an excellent piece addressing the history, various community perspectives, and future of the now-infamous proposal. County spokesperson Safa Hira is quoted in the article that the County has narrowed consideration down to two alternatives (1) The Lakefront Library, or (2) A renovation and expansion of the existing Central Branch. I find it curious that expanding on the existing site location is an option since the Downtown Columbia Plan calls for the current library to be demolished so that Symphony Woods Road can be realigned to improve traffic flow. Don't get me wrong - I support putting a world-class civic building on the Lakefront, but this road realignment has become (incorrectly?) the oft-cited reason why the Central library needed to be moved in the first place.

I also want to point out, again, that the County does not have $144 million sitting around waiting for somebody to decide where to spend it. We don't. The proposal for the Lakefront Library would be that the County uses tax-incremental financing (TIF) to finance the library. TIF enables the County to borrow against future tax revenue generated from Downtown Columbia properties to fund infrastructure projects in (and only in) Downtown Columbia today. By it's nature, this funding mechanism cannot be used for infrastructure outside Downtown Columbia. TIF is essentially a bet that by building the library using this financing structure, the County will be creating new tax revenue that would not otherwise occur if not for the new library. That's the premise. And that's why I think it's important to go big. If we use this financing structure, we must ensure the investment helps attract more people; more businesses, more development and thus more money into our local economy. A renovation of the existing library location is not going to move the needle as an architecturally-stunning community center located in the most significant location in Columbia.

Late Breaking News: New Cuban Restaurant and Mojito Bar Coming to Hickory Ridge Village Center!!!

Just in news: Celia's Cuban Cuisine and Mojito Bar is coming to the Hickory Ridge Village Center! Wow! A post on the Howard County Eats Facebook page includes a picture of the signage that suddenly appeared October 18th in the space formerly occupied years ago by Luna Bella. The upcoming restaurant even have a website up. I'm absolutely floored. Not just because a Cuban is my favorite sandwich, but also because it's rare for me to find out about a new restaurant because of signage. I'm so excited that after a few weeks working on this post, I just booted up my laptop to add this heading the night before I'm posting. Props to the Howard County Eats Facebook page for being the # 1 food news-breaker and hype machine (and oh, btw, I finally tried Cheesesteak & Co, and yeah, it's legit). Now that I don't need to go to Philly for a proper cheesesteak, please let this mean I don't need to go to Florida for a proper Cuban.

Bus Rapid Transit Coming to Howard County in Spring 2026

An extension of Montgomery County's Flash Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system into Howard County is coming in Spring 2026. The current Montgomery County's system connects Silver Spring and Burtonsville along US-29. The extension into Howard County would add stops at Maple Lawn, John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, and Downtown Columbia. BRT is high-frequency, high-capacity bus service that aims to be faster and more convenient than traditional buses. Flash uses some dedicated lanes, priority traffic signals at select intersections, buses with amenities like free Wi-Fi and USB charging, and fast boarding options at weather-protected stations with pre-payment kiosks and displays showing real-time arrival information.

Currently, Howard County's Office of Transportation is seeking public input on several options for station locations. Specifically, there are four current options for the stop in Downtown Columbia for Phase 1:

• The Mall in Columbia (near Lidl)

• MTA's current Commuter Bus Stop along Mall Ring Road

• Little Patuxent Parkway at Merriweather Row

• Broken Land Parkway at Town Center Avenue

A subsequent phase is planned to add a stop in the Merriweather District.

Clarksville Commons Enters Phase 2

A second phase of Clarksville Commons is proposed to bring 36,824 sf of new commercial space and 72 apartment buildings to the development on Route 108 across from the River Hill Village Center. A pre-submission community meeting is scheduled for November 12 at 6 PM at Claret Hall. Pre-submission meetings are required prior to a developer's submission of initial plans to the County. The purpose of these meetings is for the developer/petitioner (in this case, Greenstone Ventures) to provide information to the community regarding their proposal and to allow community residents to ask questions, raise concerns, and make comments before the initial plan submittal for the subject property. According to their website, Greenstone Ventures was formed in 2009 by a local Clarksville family to develop the property into "a town center where neighbors can gather, entertain, and come together as a community." It states "Clarksville Commons is different. How it looks, how it feels, how it works with the environment. Beautiful stone buildings, grassy areas, seating and an outdoor fireplace connect you to passionate and creative restauranteurs, retailers and businesses." Indeed, between the food hall, farmer's market, and ample frequently-programmed community space, it does seem Clarksville Commons lives up its stated vision. It will be interesting to learn more about the plans for the future phase. State Delegate Chao Wu has been following this development closely and has previously posted information, including renderings, of Phase II on his website.

Patuxent Commons Breaks Ground

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for on October 9 to celebrate the start of construction of Patuxent Commons - the new 76-unit mixed-income apartment community for adults with disabilities, older adults, and families currently being built on Freetown Road and Cedar Lane, adjacent to the Hickory Ridge Village Center. You can't miss its construction when you pass by on Cedar Lane. I've written extensively about Patuxent Commons in the past - in October 2020, when the innovative project was first proposed and again in March 2022 when the project came before the County Council in need of support. So, as a long-time supporter of this unique housing solution, it's thrilling to finally see this inclusive community designed to meet the unique housing needs of adults with disabilities begin to take physical shape. For more about the groundbreaking ceremony, including pictures and quotes from the guests in attendance, check out the press release from Mission First Housing Group.

New Tenants in Stanford Boulevard Shopping Centers

Two shopping centers in the Dobbin/Snowden corridor are continuing to up their game. Lakeside Office Park (home to Pub Dog, Pho La Cay, Lime & Salt, Gyu-Koku, Small Cakes, and Remedy Dispensary) will soon be getting a Tous les Jous, the popular french-asian bakery, which has an existing location on Route 40 in Ellicott City.

Meanwhile, in the nearby McGaw Plaza shopping center, fast-casual Greek restaurant The Big Greek Cafe has recently opened. Additionally, a blast from the past, Three Brothers Italian Restaurant is replacing the recently closed Neo Pizza and Taphouse.

Merriweather District and Downtown Restaurant Updates

Eggspectation (ground floor of Tenable building) has pulled their plumbing permits and their fit-in has begun.

Building Permits also reveal that a veterinarian office, called Paws Up Vet, has leased Juniper Suite 107 on Merriweather Drive.

The Baltimore Banner reports that Walrus Oyster and Ale House is bringing in the former chef of Baltimore restaurant Duck Duck Goose to help revamp their menu and up their game. An upshot of increased competition means restaurants need to be good to draw customers, so it's exciting to see Walrus is transforming itself to remain relevant in the Downtown Columbia dining scene.

Bark Social is open and it's officially my new happy place. Come say hello if see my dog and I there. And if I don't see you at Bark Social, I'll see you next month with the November edition of TMP.