Another Village Center Setback

Plans to inject a little life into the Oakland Mills Village Center are on hold again. A developer that was going to erect an office building, with a little help from the county in the form of a lease, has pulled out of the project, according to this ExploreHoward story.

Metroventures/USA Inc., the Baltimore company developing the site, recently told the county it decided to drop the project after failing to get an extension on its contract to buy the land. A Jan. 8 letter to the county from the developer states that special conditions the county placed on the project delayed the developer’s ability to secure financing and complete the land purchase.

ExxonMobil, the land’s owner, is putting the property back on the market, the letter states. Olusola Seriki, president of Metroventures, and officials with ExxonMobil did not return calls for comment.

It's been a long, long time since Exxon yanked out its pumps and left the village, and there's been little talk about anything happening with the former Giant or Produce Galore sites in Wilde Lake, not to mention assorted vacancies elsewhere.

If the private sector cannot provide a little stimulus, who will?