New Roger Carter Community Center in Ellicott City to Open in June

The opening date for Ellicott City's state-of-the-art, $15 million community center is set for June 15, according to Howard County Recreation and Parks.

Residents who drive down Ellicott Mills Drive to get to Main Street have probably seen the large, glass facade rising from the ground over the past year.

In the front window, the rock climbing wall is clearly visible. On the inside, a large pool is the centerpiece of the facility. According to the center's website, the pool consists of six swimming lanes, an attached shallow area, and a dedicated diving section. In addition, the pool area has a retractable roof, allowing the center to let the air in on balmy summer days.

The two-story center also features indoor and outdoor basketball courts, a 6,000 square foot fitness room, an elevated track and an aerobics studio.

"The pool has been filled and the facility will be completed around Memorial Day weekend," wrote Thomas Carbo, director of Howard County Housing in his May 2013 director's report.

"It's amazing how much gets finished every day," said Raul Delerme, the chief of the bureau of capital projects, park planning and construction for recreation and parks, who visited the community center in early May. "It's coming right along."

He said by next week, they'll start bringing furniture into the facility.

Construction on the facility began in Dec. of 2011, according to Delerme.

The communtiy center was built as a larger plan to develop the former Hilltop Housing area in Ellicott City.

Directly next to the community center is Burgess Mill Station, a housing complex constructed over the past year. 

Much of Burgess Mill Station started pre-leasing apartments in August of 2012 and residents started to move in on December 1, according to Rhoda Mancuso, an assistant manager with Humphrey Management, which leases the units.

Mancuso said of the apartments that are finished, only two remain to be leased.

"We completely pre-leased with the exception of two units," said Mancuso. "I've done a lot of lease ops and it's never gone this fast."

She said the location near Main Street, along with low pricing has led to the properties being rented quickly. Currently Burgess Mill is home to 198 tenants, according to Mancuso.

"It's the only place I've ever workd that you don't have to sell," said Mancuso.

Prices range from $1,200 for a one bedroom up to $2,400 for a three bedroom unit. When completed, the project will also contain 25 subsidized units which will be filled with families from the rental voucher program, some of whom have already moved in, while others will move in before October 31, according to Carbo's May director's report. The Department of Housing is currently interviewing families who will move into the development, according to the report.

Phase two of the Burgess Mill project includes the development of Ellicott Terrace as well as the former Roger Carter Center, which is near the bottom of Rogers Avenue. The development is planned to contain 75 units, 45 of which will be income restricted and 30 that will be rented at market rate, according to a Maryland Department of Housing report, which estimated the development to cost $17.2 million. Construction on phase two is scheduled to begin this summer and finish next year.

The plan for phase three includes 76 new residential units as well as a parking deck where Lot F currently is near Main Street, according to Carbo's February director's report. The parking deck is planned to include up to 210 public parking spaces, according to the report.