Council to Discuss Tax Schedule to Benefit Potential Hockanum Mill Developer

The Town Council is being asked to approve back tax schedule for a businessman who is interested in putting a computer center in the old Hockanum Mill in Rockville.

The council is scheduled to discuss the matter on Tuesday.

In a memo to the council dated Wednesday, Mayor George Apel is recommending that the town enter into an option agreement with Ken Kaplan in order to assign delinquent tax liens to him for the 200 and 161 West Main St. parcels.

In his memo, Apel said that as of June 1, $133,103 is owed on the 6.75-acre 200 West Main St. property, owned by West Main Development LLC.

The property at 161 West Main St. measures 1.59 acres and as of June 1, $11,284 is owed, the mayor said.

The taxes date back to the 2006 Grand List, Apel said.

Kaplan is interested in acquiring the parcels and investing what Apel called "significant resources" in an effort to refurbish them, the memo states. The plan is to anchor the development with a 35,000-square-foot computer technical center "to warehouse computers and peripherals," Apel said.

Other businesses that Kaplan would either own or have an interest in would be housed on the property, Apel said.

"It is anticipated that this project will rejuvenate these long-abandoned
buildings, preserving the historic nature of the properties, and creating both immediate short-term and long-term jobs," Apel said in his memo.

Apel continued, "There are obstacles that are associated with these properties, such as environmental concerns, state and federal historic restrictions, and the deteriorating nature of the structures. For these reasons, assigning the tax liens and executing an option agreement with Mr. Kaplan is recommended to return the properties to the tax base and to move this project forward."

The agreement calls for Kaplan to "purchase" the town's rights to the property for 100 percent of the taxes levied against 161 West Main St. and 50 percent of the taxes levied against 200 West Main St.at the time of the closing.