Howard County Council advances plans for lakefront library

The Howard County Council voted to move forward with the plans for a new central branch library on Columbia's lakefront after more than two and a half years.

For each of the votes to get this done, one councilwoman voted against the plans. She wasn't the only one who had concerns, though.

The new central branch is slated to be approximately 100,000 square feet in size, to replace the current central branch that was built in 1981.

County council concerns 

Both votes ended up being 4-1.

First Howard County Council passed a budget amendment on Monday to allow design work to begin, then it passed a resolution to start negotiations to buy a parcel of land from the Howard Research and Development Corporation, which is an affiliate of Howard Hughes Communities.

Each time, councilmember Deb Jung cast the sole no vote. In her comments, she questioned the county's financial priorities, especially when it comes to education funding and the overall process to get to this point.

"I can't commit to a new library when school buildings are crumbling, and kids are crammed in closets serving as classrooms," Jung said. "I can't commit to something like this when our hospital is under capacity and the wait times in the ER are hours-long. I can't commit to a land purchase when I don't know the sale price."

Councilwoman Liz Walsh also had her share of concerns, even going as far as to say there are a lot of reasons to vote against the project.

However, she voted yes, saying this project needs to get started.

"This is a great project that is coming to fruition for both county taxpayers and schools, everyone involved, even Howard Hughes. It should be a win-win," Walsh said.

Councilman David Yungmann said he was on Jung's side, but added, "I know the majority of the county council supports this, and six months when we get into budget season isn't gonna change that. We only need three votes to do this."

Reinvigorating the plans

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced the two bills in October.

The new lakefront library is part of the Downtown Columbia Plan. The goal is to also build 200 mixed-income housing units at the site of the current central branch.

"I am unwavering in my commitment to the Downtown Columbia Plan and to realizing the shared promise we have of those 900 affordable housing homes right here in the heart of downtown Columbia," Ball said in October.

Ball is looking at ways to reduce the overall cost of the project. Under the current timeline, construction would start in 2028.