Howard County officials have quietly taken the first step to sell six historic buildings on Old Ellicott City’s Main Street, telling state authorities this week the county does not have the resources to fully restore them.

Saving the flood-prone properties from demolition was among County Executive Calvin Ball’s stated priorities when he began his first term in 2018. Portions of the historic structures, and four others situated close to Maryland Avenue, constricted the flow of water to one of the oldest parts of Ellicott City, which was recovering from two deadly and devastating floods in two years.

Ball called his predecessor Allan Kittleman’s proposal to raze the 10 buildings counterproductive and in 2019 proposed a plan that aimed to balance public safety with historic preservation. Rear portions of the six buildings, in the 8000 and 8100 blocks of Main Street, that encroached on the Tiber Branch channel were later removed. County officials hoped to renovate and reoccupy the buildings and said they would remain county-owned until the flood mitigation plan was fully implemented.

Much has changed for Howard County since then. The county’s ambitious $140 million flood mitigation plan for Ellicott City, called the Safe and Sound initiative, is over budget and behind schedule, thanks to complications of the COVID-19 pandemic. The centerpiece of the plan is a milelong tunnel to redirect floodwaters away from Main Street. Federal and state funding has also dried up at a time when the county is facing a $194 million backlog of deferred maintenance for its schools.

Those hurdles weren’t a factor in the county’s decision to offload the properties, Deputy Chief of Staff Brian Shepter said.

“It was really motivated by a desire to see these buildings brought back to useful life, and the private market is in the best position to make that happen,” he said.

Maryland property records show the county spent about $4.6 million to acquire the six buildings, which are unoccupied and located on a prime strip of lower Main Street.

Shepter said another $3.5 million was spent on the partial deconstruction, stabilization and renovation. The nearby Caplan building, which the county reopened as a local goods incubator and marketplace in October, is not among the properties officials are looking to sell.

To list the properties, Howard County officials first needed the state’s sign-off because the county had used two state bonds totaling $750,000 to finance the acquisition.

The Maryland Board of Public Works — composed of Gov. Wes Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman and Treasurer Dereck Davis — on Wednesday approved without discussion the county’s request to sell the properties without repaying the grant. No speakers signed up to comment on the county’s request ahead of the vote.

Councilwoman Liz Walsh was unaware of the county’s request, tucked in a 214-page agenda, until contacted by a reporter.

Walsh, a Democrat whose district includes Old Ellicott City, is running for Ball’s seat. Ball, also a Democrat, is term-limited and cannot seek reelection.

Walsh and her staff said they’ve inquired several times about the county’s plans for the six buildings.

“For them to be advancing it like this is so shady,” she said.

More approvals are needed before the county can dispose of the properties. Shepter said Howard County is party to an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Historic Trust and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Final approval must come from the County Council, he said.

Because the buildings were purchased with general obligation bond revenue, the county must reinvest proceeds from the sale into another capital project. Officials will choose which project to spend the money on closer to the time of the sale, Shepter said.

It’s not clear how other community stakeholders along Main Street will react as plans for the properties take shape. A representative of the Ellicott City Partnership, which represents small businesses in the historic district, did not respond to a request for comment.

Residents and visitors benefit from a vibrant Main Street, Nicholas Redding, the president and CEO of Preservation Maryland, said in a statement. The advocacy group opposed the demolition plans years ago.

“When approached thoughtfully and sensitively — as we fully expect from our partners at Howard County — these efforts can achieve positive results for both the community and its historic character,” Redding said.

Baltimore Banner reporter Pamela Wood contributed to this story.

Correction: Two captions in this story have been updated to remove inaccurate language on the locations of historic buildings.