Like many Columbia Villages, the broad state of Oakland Mills can be viewed by two interrelated forces that describe the same set of circumstances in the daily life of a Village: Oakland Mills has a lot of problems. Oakland Mills has a lot of opportunity. At times, these forces are in tension and tend to tear at the community. Other times, these forces are in compression and crush the middle ground. On occasion, these forces work in the same direction at the same time.
Recent discussions regarding the Howard County Housing Commission’s intent to purchase the Verona apartments, located near the Oakland Mills Village Center, have (in my opinion) emphasized the potential problems. Opportunity does find its way into the discussion, but at this time it is minimal.
Based on a number of conversations I have had with Oakland Mills residents, the expectations for the area near the Oakland Mills Village Center are high, and the desired change from the current condition is dramatic. The conventional wisdom is as follows: “Oakland Mills has its fair share of lower income housing. What Oakland Mills needs is more high income housing.” Beyond these framing statements, I cannot find much of a plan. Yes, the Oakland Mills Village Board authored a Master Plan (PDF) that has a stated goal of more high end housing, but the plan lacks detail on how to achieve this goal.
Perceived Problems
It appears many that oppose the Howard County Housing Commission purchase of the Verona apartments are laser focused on a single metric: What are the expected future incomes of those that would reside on the properties? The implication is that if the number of lower income residents increases, even by the smallest of integer numbers, it would be too much for the neighborhood to bear. In my opinion, it is a clear, bright line that smacks of classism and really does not have a place in Columbia.
I have heard two theories from those in opposition. The first is a deflection, and can be summed up as follows: “Why don’t they put this mixed income housing in _____ (fill in your own supposedly upscale neighborhood here, usual suspects are River Hill, Maple Lawn, Elkridge, Ellicott City, etc) instead of Oakland Mills?” I have not had any conversations with the Commission, but the answer to this obtuse question is obvious. These types of initiatives by the Housing Commission are pretty straightforward. Through the strategic purchase and renovation of properties, coupled with effective local management of current and future tenants, the Housing Commission can turn a profit that is redistributed into other local initiatives. Although technically possible, the feasibility of purchasing property at a premium and expecting a return on investment to further the Commission program would be far more difficult. So yes, given a long enough time line, I would expect the Housing Commission to pursue mixed income housing in other parts of the County – but today that opportunity exists in Oakland Mills.
The second theory relates to the schools near the Verona apartments. In this world view, there is a direct correlation between the number of lower income residents and the percentage of children that receive Free and Reduced Meals (FARMs) at the local schools. This proposed correlation then translates into lower property values and a general decline of the entire neighborhood. I find this thinking particularly vile and insipid. It sets up the local student population as a straw man against development. The youngest in our neighborhoods deserve require unconditional love and respect. They must be given every opportunity to succeed. They should never be used as pawns.
View Oakland Mills blocks in a larger map
Map of Stevens Forest -
The paragraphs below discuss the area shown in the above map. It is an approximate representation of the Stevens Forest Elementary School walking shed. Unfortunately, the walking area does not directly align with boundaries drawn by the US Census. For this reason, the areas north of Kilamanjaro Road and south of Farewell Road are not considered. In the case of the area north of Kilamanjaro Road, the Census boundary also includes houses along the east side of Thunder Hill Road in Talbott Springs, and dilute the housing representation north of Kilamanjaro Road. Similarly, the area south of Farewell Road also includes households in Orchard Hill and a portion of the Fairmeade Road area of Owen Brown.
In addition, the US Census redrew the map lines within Oakland Mills between the 2000 and 2010 Census. For this reason, some of the single family homes in southwest Stevens Forest are included in the discussion of apartment areas. As a point of reference for the discussion below, the areas shown in the map above and shaded in blue are the apartment areas of Stevens Forest. The orange areas shown represent the single family home areas.
Conversely, the apartments (to include Forest Ridge, the Verona, and Grand Pointe) are about 1100 units. Within those households, 129 had school age children present. By 2010, that number was 195, an increase of 65 households. So currently, approximately 20% of the apartments send children to Stevens Forest Elementary. Another point to consider is that among the apartments in Oakland Mills, many of them are rented at market value. I would caution anyone from inferring that the 195 apartment households sending to Stevens Forest Elementary School equates to the households qualifying for Free and Reduced Meals. If the subsidized housing at the Verona increased to 40%, that would translate to approximately 60 more households. If the percentage of households holds at approximately 20% (the Columbia Association has done a lot of research on this, and they believe the percentage of family households will actually decrease in the future), that would give 12 more households with school age kids. So we are talking about a dozen homes impacting the local school system.
Conversely, the general case shows that single family homes are purchased by higher income earners. If a greater proportion of these houses were the homes of children sent to the local schools, the proportion/percentage of lower income students would decrease. Simply said, a higher instance of families that participate in the FARM program may not indicate a concentration in low income residents, it can indicate an absence of higher income residents (in established single family housing units) with children.
Perceived Opportunities
On the opportunity side of the discussion, I have identified at least three possible scenarios. The first is laissez-faire. Pretty much, let the market determine the outcomes associated with the properties surrounding the Oakland Mills Village Center. If there is an upside to this scenario, it is that there is little to do. Beyond any regulations associated with the transfer of real estate and due diligence on the part of financial institutions involved in the transaction, an entity would no doubt purchase the apartments and operate the property in accordance with their internal management norms. Unless specified by the seller, there is no guarantee that the eventual buyer would have offices in Howard County, or even in the state of Maryland. Given the track record with other property owners in Oakland Mills, most notably Exxon-Mobil and Cedar Properties, I would question if a distantly located owner would understand or work well with the Oakland Mills governance structure. In the end, the change would be far less than dramatic and the vision for high end housing would be pushed farther into the century.
The second opportunity is the aforementioned high income housing development that many in the Oakland Mills area desire. The concept is high in allure, but is crippled by a lack of details of a finished product. If you poll the well informed citizen bystanders in Oakland Mills as to what a high end housing development is, you get a lot of different responses. Some describe something that looks remarkably similar to what the Verona looks like now, but with high end appliances and marble countertops. Others will describe a vacation they took to Portland, OR or Savanna, GA. On that vacation, they saw a particular building, or city block. They will describe in passionate detail of how this could work in Oakland Mills, irrespective of the supporting infrastructure that made that one place unique. A third contingent is not too specific on details, but emphasizes things like LEED certification, sustainability and renewable energy. I think it is possible for a high-end multi-unit building to find a place near the Oakland Mills Village Center, but I don’t think there is a design that will meet all of these disparate expectations.
It might be a good idea for folks in Oakland Mills to take a look at a dozen or so suburban high end developments in the region and consider the aspects they have in common. Take a look at the apartments adjacent to the shopping center on US 1 and Contee Road. Park your car and walk the distance between the Arundel Mills complex and the Baltimore Washington Parkway. This is what is being built in the region, and think about how they would fit into Oakland Mills. Most are five stories high and are stick-built. If the preference is for steel construction, the minimum heights of these developments quickly go past ten floors. If high end housing is what they desire, that is what most likely would show up.
If Oakland Mills is smitten with this idea of high-end housing units, I suggest they bring in some of the developers of this type of property. Get to know them, and understand what and how they build. Demonstrate a willingness to be flexible. Right now, Oakland Mills is developing a reputation for speaking loudly about problems with county parks, US 29 crossings, and mixed income communities. If a high end developer had a choice to purchase a property either in Oakland Mills or anywhere else, one of the deciding criteria would be how much cooperation they could expect from the surrounding community. Honey and vinegar my friends, honey and vinegar.
The last opportunity is the one put forth by the Howard County Housing Commission. As currently described, the Commission would provide local oversight and management of the Verona property for ten years. After ten years, the Commission would propose a redevelopment of the property. Recent reporting on the proposed redevelopment contains references to increasing the number of subsidized housing units to 40%. This roughly translates to an increase of 60 units. Many in the community are focused on this number, but I want to point out here some of the things that are beyond a number.
What comes with the redevelopment is a design based in 21st century thinking. Design materials, building efficiency, location and quality of on-property amenities and even parking will all be a vast improvement over the current 1970’s era design. Another point to consider is the new construction will be on a scale that will be a positive impact on the neighborhood. Much like many forward thinking Stevens Forest residents opted for vinyl siding over the traditional T1-11 plywood cladding, new development often induces more new development.
Although material improvements will be a benefit, the culture brought by the Howard County Housing Commission is also an improvement. As a non-profit, it is mission focused and directs its profit back into the community. Moreover, the Commission is local and responsive to the community. On balance, this may be the best opportunity in Oakland Mills. Not so much because of the development itself, but because of what it brings with it.
Is Perception Reality?
The main reason I wrote this blog post is because most of the discussion about the Verona apartments comes with subtext. Let me say up front, this is not universal, there are people out there that have voiced their opinions based on direct and personal experiences with the people that live in Oakland Mills apartments. For most of the others, the subtext speaks to the distance in Oakland Mills. Because if you listen carefully, their discussion is not about Mary and Robert that live in an apartment. It’s not about Cindy, a Stevens Forest Elementary School student and the daughter of Kyle and Jennifer. It’s about a national study that warns of neighborhood decline. It’s about percentages, unmoored from what is actually happening in the neighborhood. As Oakland Mills moves forward, they will have to integrate apartment dwellers into the discussion. They have been without a voice for far too long.
How will Oakland Mills look a decade from now? The answer to that question is very much up in the air. What we do know is that there is a new property owner that wants to improve things in Oakland Mills. I would encourage the Oakland Mills Village Board to work closely with the Howard County Housing Commission in the next few years. Keep the conversation going about what is going on in Monarch Mills, Burgess Mills, and Columbia Landing. Encourage the Commission to have current residents in the Verona apartments to participate in the Village Board process. The Village Board should also engage other apartment owners in a discussion of what they see happening in the next ten years. It would be nice to see more than one property owner upgrading their buildings and if the work could be well coordinated, even better. It is in this way the Village Board can get the problems and opportunities in Oakland Mills moving in the same direction.