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Neighbors press Centennial to take over South Potomac medians; council asks staff for more analysis
Summary
Residents and the Village at Centennial Master HOA urged the city to accept responsibility for landscaped medians along S. Potomac Street. Public works outlined costs and options; council asked staff to return with additional details and outreach to affected residents.
Centennial — Residents of subdivisions east of South Potomac Street urged the City Council during the Jan. 7 public-comment period to accept an offer from the Village at Centennial Master Homeowners Association and nearby landowner Castle Primm to transfer ownership and maintenance of the landscaped medians on S. Potomac Street to the city.
Several speakers said their individual HOAs pay monthly fees for median maintenance while some adjacent property owners do not contribute; speakers asked the city to assume responsibility to create an equitable outcome. Greg Lansky said the corridor is “a gateway to the city” used by people traveling to City Hall and Centennial Center Park and urged council to approve the transfer. Steve Rogers, a past HOA president for Peakview Village, said residents see no value in belonging to a master HOA whose only visible function is median maintenance and supported city takeover so the HOAs could dissolve.
Public Works Director Jeff Denkenbring presented background and a formal offer submitted by Castle Primm and the master association. Denkenbring said Castle Primm and the master association originally funded some work, capped the irrigation supply and had submitted a formal offer; Castle Primm’s representative had indicated the company had already spent money on surveys and repairs. City staff reviewed the offer under the city’s 2015 median-transfer policy and raised concerns about the likely cost of improving and maintaining the medians.
Denkenbring said two ways to limit future city costs would be to hardscape the medians (concrete or rock) or to accept long-term maintenance funding from the HOA. He presented contractor estimates: hardscape with high-quality concrete was roughly $250,000 and rock cover was roughly $50,000–$100,000 (estimates provided by proponents and a city-contracted service provider). He also said reclaimed-water rules and the need for certified operators to work with Aqua’s reg-84 reclaimed-water system had contributed to the maintenance challenges.
Council members expressed caution. Several said they were sympathetic to the residents but worried the city would set a precedent and create an open-ended financial obligation that other communities might seek to pass on to the city. Multiple council members asked staff to gather more data, verify estimates, and confirm that the property owners and HOA members understand the likely trade-offs (for example, replacing irrigated landscape with a low-maintenance rock hardscape and possibly removing smaller landscaped features).
Council did not vote to accept the offer on Jan. 7. Staff said they will compile the meeting record, collect additional detail on costs and financing, and return to council with a recommendation; staff also said they would ensure the HOA documents and constituent outreach demonstrate community understanding of any change in landscaping and maintenance.
