Tell Me More

I confess to having an ongoing interest (obsession?) with the former Columbia Flier building on Little Patuxent Parkway. It is, to me, an iconic Columbia building and the site of much of the New American City’s history. Although I have been told that the location is worth more if the building itself is torn down, I wish this did not have to be.

Therefore, I continue to follow the ongoing saga of what will become of “The Flier Building”.

From the most recent legislative bulletin from my Council member Calvin Ball, comes this tidbit listed under Tabled Legislation:

CR104-2016

Introduced by: The Chairperson at the request of the County Executive

A RESOLUTION pursuant to Section 4.201 of the Howard County Code, authorizing the County Executive's sale of certain real property known as the "Flier Building" owned by Howard County, Maryland, containing approximately 2.159 acres, and located at 10750 Little Patuxent Parkway, Maryland; waiving the advertising and bidding requirements of Section 4.201 of the Howard County Code; and providing that the County Executive is not bound to sell the property if he finds that it may have a further public use.

So, local political and land use geeks, tell me more. What does this mean? 

We know that Patuxent Publishing vacated the building, and is itself no more. We know the building was for sale for quite some time with no buyers. Then the County bought it (towards the end of the Ulman administration)  to be used as the headquarters of a business incubator. Then, with the change in administration, the building was deemed too expensive to renovate and I gather it was considered a bad purchase in general. 

That was in 2015. Where are we now? What progress has been made on this? I feel that there must be a more in-depth story here after three years. And, after all this time, I still have never seen the inside of this building and I fear that I never will. 

I’m still waiting for HGTV to swoop down and turn it into an Extreme Home. Although it also might make a fabulous space for something to do with Howard Community College. In the meantime I have lots of imagination and very few facts. Educate me, Columbia/HoCo friends.

What’s going on with the Flier Building?