The long-awaited, long-debated redevelopment of Long Reach Village Center in Columbia will be stalled another year after county officials decided recently not to review the project this spring.

The delay is essentially a matter of this year’s elections. The county’s Zoning Board had previously said that any cases wanting to be decided this year would have to be scheduled and heard by mid-April — so that the decisions could be rendered before the June 26 primary election.

The Zoning Board is composed of members of the County Council members, and by law cannot hear cases during an election year after the primary.

Orchard Development Corp. president Scott Armiger, developer of the project, said he was informed in a memo to his attorney, Todd Brown, last week that the Zoning Board could not schedule a date by mid-April to hear the case — thus putting its review on hold.

“The Zoning Board members worked to find additional dates and were unable to find possible hearing dates before the deadline,” wrote Robin Regner, administrative assistant for the zoning board, in the memo.

“Therefore, your request to schedule prior to the seating of the new Council/Zoning Board is denied.”

The earliest Long Reach could go before the Zoning Board for approval would be December 2018, when a new County Council takes office. Four of the five current council members are not running for re-election.

Amy Gowan, deputy director of the Department of Planning and Zoning, said that it is likely the case will not be heard until early 2019, considering the time it will take the new council members to “get up to speed” on planning and zoning matters.

The board also recently chose not to hear the redevelopment plans for Hickory Ridge Village Center in Columbia, due to concern that the case could not be heard in one night because of the significant community interest in the project.

Plans to revamp the ailing Long Reach center have been underway since 2014.

Earlier this month the county’s Planning Board unanimously approved plans for the Long Reach project, the final step before it could head to the Zoning Board.

Plans for the revamped village center include a mixed-use center with more than 400 residential units and a village green.

The developers initially proposed to have the first buildings open in 2020, but Armiger said that’s now not likely to happen until 2021.

Orchard’s purchase of the county’s portion of the property, 7.7 acres, is now also on hold for a year, as the sale is contingent on the Zoning Board’s approval.

“We were very disappointed. We had worked so hard and so diligently to make that April date,” Armiger said.

“I don’t know what more we can do to have it heard.

“I thought we did everything we were supposed to do, we know how important this is to the county and to the community,” he said.

“It’s a shame it’s going to sit for a year with no activity.”

kmagill@baltsun.com