Emerson Master HOA News

You may have seen the weekly newsletters from the Emerson Master HOA, but there are a number of significant items that I felt would be good to collect in one place:

1. Emerson has a new on-site General Manager, Jose Palacios, who has prior experience with managing a large HOA. Contact information has been updated on our web site.
• Steffanie Nollie will remain involved with Emerson as the Portfolio Manager, but now will guide multiple properties. 
• Lisa Fields is the assistant manager for Emerson HOA.
2. Demolition of the old Clubhouse was supposed to start last week and is expected to take 3-4 weeks.
1. The crews were to start at 7 AM which is the earliest permitted under Howard County noise regulations (quiet hours are 10 PM to 7 AM).
2. The Emerson Front Office will temporarily relocate to the Maryland main office down the road at 8920 Stephens Road, Suite 101. They will still be reachable at the same office number (301-317-4044).
1. Many issues that are the jurisdiction of Howard County can be reported via Tell HoCo or on the non-emergency line for police, fire, and EMS (410-313-2200).
2. Power, gas , and street lighting outages should be reported to BGE.
3. The Clubhouse rebuild will be led by Project Manager Antonio Cruz, who is also Vice President of Construction for Knott Realty. The General Contractor will be Whiting Turner. The Architect is DCS Design (Davis Carter Scott) and they have posted a web page with the design.
4. Emerson Master HOA Board:

Autumn Walk at Emerson News 8/24/20

1. Stephens Road Bridge Project: Closure next week o/a 8/30/20
2. Night Hours: After 10 PM
3. Welcome new neighbors!
4. Landscaping & Maintenance
5. Clubhouse Plans Revealed 8/27/20
6. Emerson Food Trucks: Wed, Fri, Weekends
7. Emerson Upgrades & Initiatives (driven by Emerson Community volunteers)
8. Hammond High School: $76M Renovation/Expansion Has Begun

News Items August 2020:

1. Stephens Road Bridge Project: Closure on/about Sunday 8/30/20 

• Stephens Road to close for about a week to relocate water/sewer lines during work hours (7 AM - 4 PM)
• Afterwards, construction of new bridge to begin, may take as long as 2 years
• Project lifts the bridge out of the floodplain (raising it 7-8 feet). Will also widen Stephens, add sidewalks, and add a median for traffic calming.
• Will have two spans, so for the most part should always have one span open without major detours
• Full info at bottom

2. Day/Night Hours: After 10 PM

Special Emerson Town Hall with HoCo Executive 9/24/19

Emerson held a Special Town Hall with Howard County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball in the Emerson Clubhouse on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 from 7 PM to 9 PM.

Dr. Ball also brought many of his senior leadership team and Department Heads with him to answer a wide-ranging set of questions (posted below for easy reference).

The video feed was also broadcast live to the external Emerson Facebook Page and to the Emerson Forum:

• https://www.facebook.com/emersoncommunityassociation/videos/2317221785208611/

Some highlights:

Howard County Focus on the Route 1 Corridor

Savage County Association (SCA) and Howard County Citizens Association (HCCA) are hosting all of the candidates for Howard County Council in Districts 1 and 2, as well as our District 3, in an open forum to discuss the revitalization of the Route 1 Corridor.

Date: Monday, Oct. 22, 2018
Time: 7 PM
Location: Carroll Baldwin Hall, 9035 Baltimore St., Savage, MD 20763

Expected attendees are:

• District 1: Raj Kathuria, Liz Walsh
• District 2: Opel Jones, John Liao
• District 3: Christiana Rigby

You can get reminders and updates by clicking the "Interested" button on the Facebook event:

• Howard County Focus on Route 1

Howard County has awarded a $300K contract to RKG Associates, a DC-based consultancy, to assist in revising the Master Plan for the Route 1 Corridor (which the Department of Planning and Zoning considers to be the part of Howard County east of I-95).

To see the scope of the work envisioned by DPZ, you can read the RFP for this contract:

• Master Pan for Route 1 Corridor Consulting Services (RFP No. 14-2018)

A summary of the RFP's goals:

Howard County Performing Comprehensive Review of Zoning Regulations

Howard County Department of Planning & Zoning (DPZ) sponsored a very informative session on the comprehensive review of Zoning Regulations on Wed. Mar. 29 at North Laurel Community Center (NLCC).

There will be a year-long process of public engagement and feedback sessions, plus written input will be welcomed.

More information (and eventually a feedback submission link) will be at:

https://www.howardcountymd.gov/regulationassessment

• In Phase 1, zoning documents will be examined over the next year with the intent to recommend ways to:

- simplify the code,
- make it easier to read and understand, and
- make sure it has the right tools to either preserve the existing character of zones (e.g., the rural west) or help a zone achieve its intended goal, as defined in Howard County plans approved by the Council.

• In Phase 2, the regulations would be rewritten.

• Specific to our area, a Route 1 planning study will also be done at the end of the year running concurrent with the zoning regulations review.

---

Details:

1. HoCo will conduct a new Route 1 study to plan revitalization in late 2017 or early 2018. 

Overview: Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) Recommendations

One of the topics of the November meeting of the Southern Howard County Civic Association (SHCCA) covered the recommendations provided to the Howard County Executive by a task force convened in 2015 to consider changes to the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO).

APFO was enacted in 1992 to slow the exploding growth of housing in Howard County, and to ensure that public infrastructure (schools and roads) were capable of handling growth.

It defines criteria ("tests") for determining when developers must provide funds or mitigations to prevent school overcrowding and road congestion.

There wasn't sufficient time to completely cover the topic, but highlights are provided below and Howard County's Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) Jeff Bronow is willing to meet with the community again if there is interest.

Highlights:

Howard County Officials to Discuss Route 1 Revitalization and APFO on Nov. 1

(Please note that although both topics are on the same agenda, APFO addresses congestion from new housing in all of Howard County and not just the Route 1 Corridor.)

Howard County officials will be the guests at the next meeting of the Southern Howard County Civic Association (SHCCA) on November 1st at 6:30 PM in the North Laurel Community Center (NLCC).

• Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) 
• Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) Task Force 

There will be two topics:

• 7:00 PM: Route 1 Revitalization
• 7:45 PM: Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO)

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 [add to Facebook calendar]

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: North Laurel Community Center (NLCC), 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel, MD 20723

At this meeting Howard County will provide an overview of the review committee's recommendations for the first major changes to APFO since 1992, which govern what contributions developers must make for schools, roads, and other public infrastructure to account for the increased burdens created by growth.

The committee spent hundreds of hours over the course of 2015-2016 discussing the changes and this is your chance to understand the recommendations in a condensed form.

These recommendations are expected to form the basis for discussions between the Howard County Executive and the County Council when they consider making changes to the law over the next year.

To learn more about APFO, go to Howard County's web site at:

https://www.howardcountymd.gov/About-HoCo/County-Executive/Adequate-public-facilities-ordinance-task-force

Related Posts:

• Howard County Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) Overview (1/12/16)

Howard County Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) Overview

On Wednesday, January 13, 2016, the Task Force chartered by Howard County Executive Alan Kittleman to perform the first comprehensive review of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) will meet in Ellicott City for one of two remaining working meetings.

The Task Force plans to wrap up its discussion in the January 27th meeting two weeks later, with a final meeting on February 10th.

Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) Task Force
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Time: 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM

So what is APFO, why should you care, and what are the issues being discussed?

What is APFO?

APFO was instituted in 1992 as a mechanism for Howard County to manage growth and the impact of new development on schools and roads.

Howard County did this by controlling the number of housing allocations. Developers are not able to build without housing allocations, and their projects must undergo a review to determine the cost of mitigating the impact on local school capacity and traffic congestion.

Developers have the option to either perform the required improvements themselves or pay into a County fund for that purpose.

(It should be noted that the courts have ruled, however, that the County cannot indefinitely delay development. If developers have housing allocations and the correct zoning for their projects, they can proceed after 4 years even without the improvements.)

Why should you care about APFO?

APFO attempts to establish reasonable thresholds for ensuring that funding is available to increase school and road capacity, to offset the impact of growth from new developments.

These issues have a major effect on quality-of-life issues in our community, especially in a place like Howard County that places high value on its top-performing school system.

What are the APFO issues being discussed?

The questions raised in the review revolve around the scope of what should be included (i.e., should the impact on more than just schools and roads be considered), what are "reasonable" thresholds and criteria, and how often the process should change.

Among the topics expected on tomorrow's agenda are:

Notes: Emerson Town Hall with Council Member Jen Terrasa (Dec. 2015)

Howard County officials were the invited guests at Emerson's December 2015 Town Hall in the Emerson Clubhouse. Featured were:

• Kathleen Donodeo, Transportation Planner in the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning
• Jen Terrasa,  Howard County Council Member for District 3
• Kate McLeod, Special Assistant to Ms. Terrasa

The primary topics for discussion were transportation issues (including the lack of public transportation in Emerson and traffic), the status of infrastructure improvement local projects (primarily the Stephens Road bridge and sidewalks), school funding, and zoning and development. 

Public Transportation

Howard County Zoning Director Meets Community in North Laurel (Dec. 2015)

Howard County's new Director of the Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) Valdis Lazdins was the primary speaker at the December 1, 2015 open forum of the Southern Howard County Civic Association (SHCCA) in North Laurel, MD.

Howard County's DPZ has a very large effect on many of the quality of life issues in our area, to include the potential redevelopment of Route 1.

They manage the zoning regulations in Howard County, and review developer proposals for their impact upon schools, the environment and congestion (traffic).

DPZ's Approach to Development in Howard County

Mr. Lazdins spoke about his philosophy for the zoning process and his belief that engagement with the community was essential for successful outcomes.

He stated that any community will always be going through a constant state of change, and that there are three components to creating great design that is a good fit for Howard County:

1. Preserve: Identify the the things that the community values, and that you want to write zoning regulations to keep
2. Enhance: This is more difficult, as you have to define what it means -- housing? streets? sidewalks?
3. Transform: The toughest part, especially if an area hasn't hit bottom yet where it has become clear to everyone that radical change is needed

Mr. Lazdins cited his broad and diverse background, including in the public sector (Chief of Special Projects for Montgomery County, and City Planner for Grand Rapids, MI) and as a partner in a professional planning firm (with other partners from the Rouse Company in Howard County) where he worked on projects across the country, to include the 3-year effort to replace the Woodrow Wilson Bridge outside of DC.

After listening to several residents express their concerns, he stated that it was clear to him that the Route 1 Corridor needs more attention in the 2016 DPZ work plan presently being put together.

Assessment of the DC-MD-VA Region

Notes: Howard County Executive Alan Kittleman Talks About Redevelopment

Howard County Executive Alan Kittleman was the featured guest at the November 3, 2015 meeting of the Southern Howard County Civic Association (SHCCA) meeting in the North Laurel Community Center (NLCC).

The meeting was an open forum for the approximately 50 members of the community in attendance to ask questions of Mr. Kittleman and express their concerns.

The main topics centered around redevelopment in the southeast corner of the County, the current review of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) developer fees, and how new budget constraints will affect Howard County's ability to address the lack of a long-promised swimming pool at NLCC.

Next:

• Tuesday, December 1, 2015 @ 6:30 PM: SHCCA Meeting, Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) Director Valdis Lazdins 
• TBD in 2016: Town Hall with Howard County Executive Alan Kittleman in North Laurel/Savage

Redevelopment in Savage/North Laurel

Mr. Kittleman expressed concern that too much commercial zoning had been changed to residential zoning along the Route 1 corridor, which he feels should be one of the economic engines of the County.

He cautioned it is the Howard County Council that controls zoning and not the Executive, and that furthermore there are a number of residential projects already in the pipeline, but stated he would like to see more commercial office and manufacturing development along Route 1.

Another complication is that Route 1 requires coordination with Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties, as well as the Maryland State Highway Department and Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT).

Mr. Kittleman was also asked about specific issues:

Notes: Howard County Officials Talk About Route 1 Revitalization

HCEDA CEO Larry Twele
[from HCEDA's web site]

Larry Twele, the CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) was the featured guest at the October 6, 2015 monthly meeting of the Southern Howard County Civic Association (SHCCA).

Other officials included Mark Thompson of HCEDA as well as Erik Gillenwater, who is the Howard County Police Department (HCPD) Community Resource Officer for our area.

The focus of the meeting was upon redevelopment in Southeastern Howard County (in particular, the Route 1 Corridor), with Officer Gillenwater answering questions about crime as well. 

Southern Howard County Civic Association (SHCCA)

SHCCA meets on the first Tuesday of each month in the North Laurel Community Center, hosting Howard County officials in an open forum discussion with residents and business owners.

Upcoming events:

• Tuesday, November 3, 2015 @ 6:30 PM: SHCCA Meeting, Howard County Executive Alan Kittleman 
• Tuesday, December 1, 2015 @ 6:30 PM: SHCCA Meeting, Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) Director Valdis Lazdins 
• Saturday, December 5 @ c. 5:30 PM: Savage Holiday Bridge and Tree Lighting (with cider, Santa, and caroling) 

North Laurel Community Center (NLCC)

Highlights

Mr. Twele talked about the tools available to Howard County and HCEDA to promote development, as well as the constraints the County faces in redeveloping Route 1.

• Howard County has two primary tools: zoning and tax policy 
• Need for a long-term plan for the entire area 
• Responded to concerns about the impact of the Coastal Sunbelt facility being built on Whiskey Bottom (especially on traffic) 

Mr. Twele encouraged the audience to return on December 1st when DPZ will be able to address the long-term vision more directly. HCEDA will also return at that time.

Officer Gillenwater answered questions about crime in the area, and talked about HCPD initiatives to address muggings in Columbia and Laurel with the increased use of plainclothes officers on footpaths and on bikes.

HCEDA’s Mission 

According to Mr. Twele, HCEDA’s mission is to promote business in Howard County. To that end he has a small staff of 17 that administers small business loans and tax credits, helps with marketing, and has a business development team that just increased from 2 to 4 staff members.

Howard County Officials to Address Route 1 Redevelopment, Crime on Oct. 6th

The new Southern Howard County Civic Association will be hosting Howard County officials to address redevelopment and crime along the Route 1 corridor in southeastern Howard County on October 6th.

Southern Howard County Civic Association Meeting
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Time: 7 PM
Location: North Laurel Community Center, 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel, MD 20723

Guests:

• Mr. Larry Twele, Howard County Economic Development
• TBD, Howard County Police Representative

Discussion: Economic development in the southeast area of Howard County with focus on Route 1 and crime.

For more information:

Konterra Opening Delayed to 2018

In an article on June 11, 2015 in the Prince George's edition of The Maryland Gazette, representatives of the Gould family (the developers of Konterra) and several local officials discussed the current state of the project.

From the Konterra Fact Sheet

The opening date for Konterra Town Center East, planned as a mixed use retail center with office space and some residential housing, has been pushed back from 2015 to 2018.

Work is proceeding on building the east entrance to the Konterra development, with more construction expected this summer.

Several buildings have already been built on the 2200 acres of scattered parcels that comprise Konterra, straddling I-95 between MD-198 south to MD-200 (the Intercounty Connector). Town Center is expected to be about 740 acres in size.

The overall plan for Konterra includes:

• 1.5 million square feet of retail (comparable in size to The Mall in Columbia)
• 3.8 million square feet of office space
• 4500 multifamily rental and condominium residences
• 600 hotel rooms

Other Laurel Projects

As the local market has recovered in the last few years, several other Laurel developments have been revitalized.

WalkHoward Open House on April 14th

If you would like to provide input into the Howard County Pedestrian Master Plan, you can provide feedback online or attend WalkHoward's last Open House on Tuesday, April 14th at 7 PM at Elkridge Landing Middle School.

Sponsored by Howard County's Office of Transportation, this community outreach campaign is part of an effort to update the 2007 plan for building a system of sidewalks, pathways, bus stops and roadways to make walking easy and safe.

Notes: Emerson HOA Meeting & Elections 11/24/14

Highlights of the Emerson Board Meeting on 11/24/14:

• Elections
• Three new Board Members elected, very heavy participation in the election
• Howard County Officials in attendance
• Councilwoman Jen Terrasa (District 3)
• Howard County Chief of Traffic Kris Jagarapu 
• Extended Q&A Session
• Local road projects
• Wincopia Farms/Walden Woods
• Process for upgrading roads, adding traffic calming
• Open Resident Forum

Details:

1. Elected to the Emerson Board of Directors for 2-year terms:

Metro Green Line at Konterra?

With the opening of new roads around the Konterra site, as well as vague references to the first phase of the $3 billion Konterra Town Center East project coming in 2015, is it possible Washington Metro's Green Line could be extended to Konterra?

Konterra Map

Although no proposals are under active consideration, it would bring DC Metro within 10-15 minutes of Emerson.

Several old news articles about Konterra have alluded to requests from the developers of Konterra to the state and county for not only the new highway exits from I-95 and MD-200 which were just opened, but also a DC Metro stop at Konterra.

There is a MARC station at Muirkirk Road on Route 1 near the new intersection with MD-200, about 1.5 miles from the Konterra exit on I-95.

A study for the Maryland Legislature in 2007 looked at several options for extending the Green Line from Greenbelt to BWI:

Final Stretch of Intercounty Connector Opens Monday 11/10/14

The final 1.5 mile stretch of MD-200 (the Intercounty Connector, or ICC) opens Monday morning between I-95 and Route 1 in Laurel.

Click the map to go to the full size PDF map on maryland.gov

Pricing on the new section of the all-electronic toll road will match the rest of the ICC, with the peak price occurring during rush hour of the work week (6 AM - 9 AM, and 4 PM - 7 PM Monday through Friday).

The roadwork provides a new intersection on I-95 (Exit 32) to the new Konterra Drive, while MD-200 will now extend from the existing Exit 31 eastward to a new interchange with Route 1 between Contee Road and the Muirkirk MARC station.

There will also be a limited interchange between MD-200 and the south end of Konterra Drive.

(Note that the Konterra web site says rather vaguely that the "first phase of Konterra Town Center East is due to deliver in 2015.")

Click the map to go to the full size "Continuous Flow" PDF fact sheet
on maryland.gov

The Route 1 intersection uses a "Continuous Flow" design, where eastbound left-turning traffic from the ICC is routed over the westbound traffic prior to Route 1, to minimize the impact from left-turning vehicles at the stop lights on Route 1.

Related Articles:

• Final Section of ICC, New I-95 Interchange to Open By Monday (Patch.com, 11/5/14)
• Final Part of Intercounty Connector Set to Open (Washington Post, 11/5/14)

Town Centre at Laurel Grand Opening

The Grand Opening for Towne Centre at Laurel will be on Saturday, November 15 from 3 PM - 6 PM.

About half of the businesses are already open and here is the schedule of events over the next couple of weeks:

Savage MARC Station Construction

The Savage (Dorsey Run Road) MARC Station, the nearest station to Emerson on the Camden Line, has been a construction zone since April with the work scheduled to be completed in late 2014 or early 2015 to support a larger redevelopment effort called Annapolis Junction Town Center.

A new 4-story parking garage will have 704 free parking spaces for MARC commuters. A new traffic light will also be installed at the exit to Dorsey Run Road.

This work is part of a $180M project which broke ground on June 9, 2014 called Annapolis Junction Town Center to convert the Savage MARC Station into a new Transportation Oriented Development (TOD) site, with a mix of residential, office, and retail development centered around public transit: