Howard County Executive Calvin Ball on Thursday announced moves to jump-start plans for a lakefront library and new affordable housing units in Columbia — top priorities on which there has seemingly been little progress.

After months of no updates about the planned library, Ball said he was eager to get shovels into the ground on both projects.

“Columbia stands out as one of America’s greatest success stories,” Ball said at a news conference in the Merriweather District. “With new progress on affordable housing and a much-needed central library at the Columbia Lakefront, we are building a downtown that embodies innovation, connection and opportunity for all.”

Ball, a Democrat whose second term ends next year, is seeking to allay concerns about delays since the library project’s much-ballyhooed announcement in March 2023.

One key difference is that Ball would like the county to own the land on which the library would be built. Ball recently asked the County Council to adopt a resolution to purchase the lakefront parcel from the Howard Research and Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Howard Hughes, the master developer for downtown Columbia.

This past spring, some council members voiced frustration that Ball’s library plan didn’t include acquisition of the planned library site.

The county will oversee the project and conduct a competitive process to select designs and construction firms, according to a county-issued FAQ sheet.

Ball announced plans for the glassy, $144 million lakefront library in March 2023, saying it would represent “a giant leap for our future." However, the project stalled amid questions about the county’s acquisition of the land and concerns about the $144 million price tag, parking and even whether the lakefront site was the best location for a library.

Some wanted the central library to be rebuilt at its existing spot nearby, off Little Patuxent Parkway.

But Tonya Aikens, the Howard County Library System’s president and CEO, is happy with the lakefront location.

The new library, Aikens said, “will be a place for everyone, every generation, every background, every story, to come together, to connect across cultures, to share knowledge, creativity and hope. When we open the doors to this new library, we open the doors to opportunity.”

In May, Council Chair Liz Walsh told The Banner that the library’s delays stemmed from Texas-based Howard Hughes. Walsh said at the time that she wanted the county to own the lakefront property where the library would be built.

At a spring budget work session, council member Christiana Rigby said “the cleanest, most straightforward thing seems to be to just sell the land” to the county.

“We would like to pay fair market value for this land and then everybody could move forward,” she said.

Under Ball’s newest plan, the the county will work with Howard Hughes and other unnamed parties on alternative parking solutions that could reduce the overall cost of the project. The county will also prepare a new cost estimate after selecting a design firm and advancing other planning efforts.

The case for the new library and affordable housing units can be found in the Downtown Columbia Plan, a 30-year master plan approved by the council in 2010 and amended in 2016. The plan provides guidance and recommendations on how to redevelop downtown with respect to the environment, land use, housing, transportation and design.

In addition to the library resolution, Ball submitted a budget amendment that would allow the county to begin using allocated state funding for the library design.

If the council approves the legislation and the land acquisitions progress, the Howard Research and Development Corporation “will convey a parcel” in the Merriweather District for new affordable housing. County officials hope to advance library designs in the winter with the goal of presenting a spending plan in the spring.

Howard County would pay for the library site; the land for the affordable housing in Merriweather District would be provided free of cost, according to the county.

Kristi Smith, president of the Maryland region for Howard Hughes Communities, said the announcement will help fulfill the Downtown Columbia Plan’s vision with county officials and “reflects our collective long-term commitment to creating and sustaining a place where both people and businesses thrive.”

The Downtown Columbia Plan calls for 900 affordable housing units to be built throughout the downtown area, including at least 120 mixed-income housing units in the Merriweather District. The Merriweather units’ timeline is expected to take three to four years, with the first step being securing the project’s financing sometime in 2026.

Half of the Merriweather units will be deemed “affordable for households earning up to 60% of the area median income,” according to the county.

After the library is completed, the existing central branch will be demolished and the site will be turned into 200 mixed income housing units.

The council is expected to review Ball’s legislation next month.

In a statement Thursday, Rigby said “this project renews Columbia’s legacy as a place where innovation and inclusion go hand in hand, while advancing long-awaited plans for new affordable housing in the Merriweather District.”