CA Opposes New Tennis Center

 The Columbia Association is fighting plans by a nonprofit group called Howard County Tennis Patrons to build an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, 12 indoor courts, 18 lighted outdoor courts, a clubhouse and offices, according to the Sun. The HoCo Council held a public hearing this week and has scheduled a vote July 29. The patrons are seeking approval of a 40-year lease on 14 acres of county land near Troy Hill in Elkridge.

Every group represented at the hearing supported the plan except for the Columbia Association, which operates 24 outdoor and 9 indoor tennis courts throughout the planned town. Chief Operating Officer Rob Goldman said tennis earns CA $1.7 million in revenue annually in fees and he fears the loss of $500,000 a year after the new complex opens.

"I don't feel there's enough demand to fill all these courts," he said, adding that the county would subsidize the nonprofit by covering any deficit, taking only a percentage of revenues as rent and plowing half that back into the facility. That's unfair competition, he said.