$10 Million May Be Available for Odenton Improvements

In an age where cash is scarce, business and community leaders in Odenton said there could be as much as $10 million to spend on upgrades to roads and other needs in the area. 

But that cash could go elsewhere unless local leaders let county officials know they want it spent here.

Recent development projects in Odenton have generated millions of dollars in impact fees, which are set aside for infrastructure improvements. It's cash that is desperately needed in Odenton as the town deals with big population growth and increasing traffic. Business and community leaders said they are now working to identify specific projects that could be helped by those impact fee dollars. 

"We have to be aggressive about creating a list of projects that are fundable," said Claire Louder, president of the West Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce.

Officials recently learned that there could be as much as $10 million to spend, but that money could be spent anywhere in Odenton's impact fee zone—an area that includes most of west Anne Arundel County, with the exception of the Arundel Mills area.

Recent legislation passed by the county council gives Odenton priority for any money it raises through impact fees, but the county is still permitted to spend it anywhere in the impact fee zone. (There are seven impact fee zones countywide.)

Louder said one obstacle to putting the money to use here in Odenton is that there are currently no local projects included in the county's capital budget. She said that realistically, projects for Odenton won't be included until the budget for fiscal year 2015. 

The list of projects would likely be crafted by members of the Odenton Town Center Plan Oversight Committe to appear in its annual report, which would be published sometime next summer.

"This year's budget window is closed," committee chairman James Fraser said. "So, we are going to focus on making the priority list for the next annual report as useful as possible with specific 'bite size' pieces that can be funded from this source."

Some possible projects in Odenton include intersection upgrades along Route 175, changes to road patterns near new development projects and accommodations for public transit.