Columbia/Howard County Development News - Page 2

hpal3 · November 23rd, 2007, 06:00 PM

This sucks! No Columbia or Baltimore news! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!!

hpal3 · November 23rd, 2007, 06:15 PM

Alternative names *
Emporis Building Number 203666

Location
Address *
Postcode *
City Columbia
State Maryland
Country U.S.A.

Technical Data
Height (struct.) 84 m 275 ft
Floors (OG) 22
Construction start *
Construction end 2009
Units (rooms) *

Building in General
Type of construction high-rise building
Main usages *

Architectural style *
Status under construction

Companies involved in this Building*

architect: WDG Architecture, PLLC

Other firms: WCI Communities, Inc..

MasonsInquiries · November 23rd, 2007, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpal3

This sucks! No Columbia or Baltimore news! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!!

hey hpal!!

hope you had a happy thanksgiving as well. this morning, "the 2nd half of thanksgiving" (black friday) was CRAZY!!! we went to the SUPERwalmart up in york and once 5AM came, it was so chaotic. but to keep this conversation on the development-track, the baltimore and columbia areas should be awarded with more SUPERwalmarts. i think we only have 2 in this area (cockeysville and landssowne). they're cool.

hpal3 · November 23rd, 2007, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasonsInquiries

hey hpal!!

hope you had a happy thanksgiving as well. this morning, "the 2nd half of thanksgiving" (black friday) was CRAZY!!! we went to the SUPERwalmart up in york and once 5AM came, it was so chaotic. but to keep this conversation on the development-track, the baltimore and columbia areas should be awarded with more SUPERwalmarts. i think we only have 2 in this area (cockeysville and landssowne). they're cool.

There is a new Wal Mart up Rt. 1 just inside Bmore Beltway. Is it a
SUPER Wal Mart?

hpal3 · November 23rd, 2007, 07:39 PM

http://www.mammaluciarestaurants.com/
Here is a link to new restraunt in Gateway Overlook.

MasonsInquiries · November 23rd, 2007, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpal3

There is a new Wal Mart up Rt. 1 just inside Bmore Beltway. Is it a
SUPER Wal Mart?

yep, that's the landsdowne one, i believe.

sdeclue · November 24th, 2007, 10:57 PM

I really hope they end up building that tower in Columbia. It has become such a bad sprawl out there and there is the opportunity to remake the town into a great little city, especially if mass transit ends up running through there down the road. That tower being built would be the start of a possible wave of towers that could follow it and add more density.

hpal3 · November 25th, 2007, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdeclue

I really hope they end up building that tower in Columbia. It has become such a bad sprawl out there and there is the opportunity to remake the town into a great little city, especially if mass transit ends up running through there down the road. That tower being built would be the start of a possible wave of towers that could follow it and add more density.

Columbia has it's lion share of nimbys! I hope your right.

StevenW · November 25th, 2007, 04:31 PM

Density + Green space = Happiness!

hpal3 · November 25th, 2007, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StevenW

Density + Green space = Happiness!

I aggree! However, the Nimbys in Columbia don't want any kind of development with any height. I don't ever expect 300' plus development around Town Center. I would like to see one additional building 175'-200' to complement the current condo's under construction.

sdeclue · November 25th, 2007, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpal3

I aggree! However, the Nimbys in Columbia don't want any kind of development with any height. I don't ever expect 300' plus development around Town Center. I would like to see one additional building 175'-200' to complement the current condo's under construction.

While some really tall buildings in Columbia would add density and create a nice little skyline, I'm not sure anything over 250-275 is needed. They need to look to create a Silver Spring like area. I was really impressed with Silver Spring the few times I have been there and think both Columbia and Towson should aim to create a similar type of town.

TheGlobalizer · November 26th, 2007, 09:12 PM

Yeah, developers could get some mileage in Columbia if they focus on the green/enviro benefits.

hpal3 · November 30th, 2007, 05:00 AM

A trend in Columbia toward more outdoor shopping and dining might be an indicator that additional changes are on the way. Many say that a vibrant, dense Town Center is key to the development of a true cultural and economic center for Howard County. (Sun photo by Doug Kapustin / September 12, 2007)

Build up the middle of the doughnut. Like so many speaking up on the downtown Columbia vision, I am a long-term, passionate-about-Columbia resident. As newlyweds over 30 years ago we chose the Next America as the hometown in which to settle, raise a family and then gracefully age. In that time, I have been enriched by many community activities, including service on the Columbia Association board of directors back when the visionary Jim Rouse was our chairman.

I am very encouraged about the general community consensus on vibrancy, density, urbanism, Smart Growth, "green," and affordable housing. The "Downtown Columbia: A Community Vision," while somewhat abstract, continues to carry the essence of the charrette.

It is appropriate for county government to lay out a blueprint for the private sector landowners to respond to, and for the community to guide development through a County Council-approved zoning amendment, the Planning Board process, and for sure community political pressure on our elected leaders. I hope the Columbia Association will rise to the occasion and develop a comprehensive vision on how it can provide the 21st-century physical, social and cultural amenities that will continue to make us a national model.

Columbia, as a planned new town, did not evolve in a classical manner, and as a result today faces both unique challenges and opportunities. Will we be the best we can be by thinking in a bold and comprehensive manner, choose a status quo or worst yet find the lowest common denominator? Our downtown is anchored by a large regional mall, a few excellent restaurants and a vibrant Howard Community College as part of a cultural hub. However, downtown is no longer THE location for the investment, corporate office buildings, specialty retail shops or public amenities. We have experienced a form of slow sprawl as corporate headquarters and retail continue to move toward Gateway and the Interstate 95 region. Time is working against us.

In our favor, we have a general public that understands the importance of Smart Growth as opposed to the current sprawl. We have a general public that understands the importance of mass transportation. We are very conscious about building and behaving "green."

We have -- to oversimplify -- created a doughnut and now need to go back and build up the middle before the community goes stale. Howard County government must continue to kick-start further development and redevelopment of downtown. Our leaders can promote a true sense of place. Our leaders can significantly add to our taxable base. The community and our leaders need to have the wisdom and courage of the Howard County commissioners in 1964. There is such a thing as a win-win. The question isn't if we develop, it is how and where we develop.

Roy L. Appletree Columbia

Downtown Columbia found disturbing
I enthusiastically support the advent of the Columbia downtown master plan. The energy generated by the charette needs to be harnessed to fulfill the general plan's promise of a vibrant, dense downtown; of a true cultural and economic center for Howard County.

The current state of downtown Columbia disturbs me. As the owner of Lakeview Title Co., I have been committed to the promise of a true downtown. Our offices have been in the Merrill Lynch Building since the early 1980s, and were named for our fine view of Lake Kittamaqundi.

As the time for lease renewal approaches, I am forced to reconsider the benefits of this central downtown location. In order to maintain my lakeview, I am forced to choose between my current, well located but obsolete building, and several other obsolete buildings. Our parking garage leaks, our elevators are inadequate, our basic heating and cooling systems problematic. Our clients used to complain about lack of parking in our attached garage, but, with the substantial vacancy rate in our building, this has become less of an issue.

My leasing agent is strongly recommending alternate locations. Gateway is the current prestige office area and several tenants from my building have already relocated there. But, he urges, the Corporate 100 area is also booming, with new restaurants and amenities opening at a rapid pace. And then, of course, there is Maple Lawn.

With so many newer, more glamorous and efficient buildings to choose from, Town Center is becoming a "has been" location. If the dream of a vibrant downtown is to be realized, we must focus on redeveloping these older, shabbier buildings or risk outsourcing our economic future to more suburban locations.

We need to encourage business to redevelop so much of what is outmoded, as well as to commit to erecting exciting new structures. Without businesses like mine generating revenue and attracting clients to Town Center, we risk the economic base that is so critical to supporting all the other amenities -- the museums, the galleries, the restaurants, the public places -- that are the crux of the vision for downtown Columbia.

At this critical moment in our development, the whole community has the opportunity to work together to develop and support a county plan that will allow all of the landowners the framework necessary to build the vibrant destination downtown that Howard County deserves.

Lin Eagan Columbia

Enhancing economic vitality is crucial
Recent accounts of public meetings featuring presentations on the Howard County government's "framework" for downtown Columbia's redevelopment indicate some people are worried about future plans.

Many of us are excited about the future and welcome substantial changes to make our downtown more attractive and exciting.

Many of us have not sentimentalized dated, mediocre architecture. And we believe that public art and artifacts can be moved, sometimes to better advantage. What is good should and will be preserved, what is not of value should be replaced by what is better for now and the future.

What must be enhanced is the economic vitality of Town Center. We run the risk of gradual but inevitable erosion of what currently exists unless we re- invest and redevelop the aging infrastructure, including decades-old office buildings, lackluster public spaces, mediocre and often inaccessible amenities and the absence of high-quality facilities for conferences and trade shows.

We need fewer acres wasted by parking lots and fewer cars using Little Patuxent Parkway as a thoroughfare. We need real parking structures for one-stop parking and better options for alternative transportation, as well as a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

We need more up-to-date opportunities for businesses to locate downtown, more housing choices for our current residents and others who would like to live here, as well as more interesting retail options, restaurants and other attractions for people to want to grow their businesses, live, work and recreate here. We need vibrancy.

This is a wonderful moment in Columbia's history, and many of us embrace the possibilities for the future of the place where we live and work.

Caroline Sherman Columbia

hpal3 · November 30th, 2007, 05:05 AM

Columbia invites developer to make plan public
Board asks General Growth to share downtown proposal at open forum
By June Arney | sun reporter
November 28, 2007
The Columbia Association board of directors sent a letter yesterday inviting General Growth Properties Inc. to present its plan for downtown development at a public meeting, following recent controversy over private meetings the developer has held.

"We do understand that your plan may not be finalized at this time," the board wrote in its letter to Douglas M. Godine, vice president and general manager of Mid-Atlantic operations for General Growth. "Recent invitations to various groups within the community demonstrate your desire to engage the public in this important endeavor. The Board of Directors welcomes the opportunity to invite you to an open forum at which you could share your plans with the board members and other interested individuals."

A spokeswoman for the developer declined yesterday to identify a date for such a meeting.

"General Growth is looking forward to sharing its draft Master Plan with the Columbia Association," said Barbara A. Nicklas, General Growth's vice president of marketing for master-planned communities. "GGP is waiting for the revised framework document from Howard County which will influence the proposed Master Plan. In the meantime, GGP continues to meet with experts and community leaders in the areas of the arts, economic development, environmental and housing as it formulates the specifics of its plan."

In recent weeks, Chicago-based General Growth, which controls most of Columbia's downtown real estate, has held private meetings with community groups to discuss redevelopment in Town Center. Some have criticized the developer for not making all of the meetings open, and some officials have even said they would not attend a meeting unless it were open.

"It's very appropriate for the CA board to have made that invitation for an open forum on what GGP has in mind," said Alex Hekimian, who is president of the Alliance for a Better Columbia. "They're saying, 'This is the public's business, so let's do it in public.' "

Whether or not the private meetings are technically legal or not doesn't really matter, Hekimian said.

"It gives the appearance that GGP has something to hide and that they're doing some private lobbying," he said. "They're probably used to having secret meetings and getting by with that. A master plan is not an item for secret sessions."

General Growth will create a master plan proposal and request an amendment to the county's General Plan and petition for necessary amendments to zoning regulations.

Proposed amendments then will be reviewed by the public and presented to the Planning Board and County Council for action.

Two weeks ago, the Columbia Association board sent a four-page letter to Howard County Executive Ken Ulman suggesting that the county's vision be rewritten to specify requirements for developers, identify sources of money for traffic improvements and state clearly how many homes can be built before more public services are needed.

The letter was put together based on ideas expressed by residents at a public hearing about the framework document "Downtown Columbia: A Community Vision," which Ulman released in September.

In the letter to Ulman, the Columbia Association also requested that the plan list amenities and services that the developer and county must provide and address conservation of open space and inclusiveness of all ages and economic levels.

"The County Executive is pleased with the response and suggestions we have received from the Columbia Association and a number of citizens regarding the plan for Downtown Columbia," Kevin Enright, a spokesman for Ulman said in an e-mail response. "The input we have received has been well thought out and has been helpful in this process. The Department of Planning and Zoning is now reviewing and compiling the broad range of comments received."

hpal3 · December 1st, 2007, 06:13 AM

CA prods General Growth to reveal plans in public

11/29/07
By Andrei Blakely

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In an attempt to keep the lines of communication open with Town Center's principal landowner, the Columbia Association has invited officials of General Growth Properties Inc. to present a sneak peek of the company's emerging master plan for downtown Columbia at a public forum.

The board sent a Nov. 26 letter to officials of the Chicago-based developer inviting them to schedule a date to hold such a forum.

The company has hired a team of consultants to help it create a master plan to guide Town Center's redevelopment over the next 30 years.

Hoping to receive some initial public feedback on the plan, company officials this month have presented a working draft to at least eight local community groups in private meetings.

They also offered to show the draft to the CA board in a private meeting.

However, chairwoman Barbara Russell, of Oakland Mills, declined the offer because she was concerned that such a meeting might violate Maryland's Homeowners Association Act, which governs the board's meetings and generally prohibits it from conducting private gatherings.

But Russell is open to the board seeing the plan in a public meeting, she said this week.

"We want them to present to us anything they want to present to us at an open public meeting," she added. "We want to give them the broadest opportunity to make a presentation."

In response to CA's letter, a General Growth vice president said the company will not present its plan to the general public until Howard County officials complete a "framework" document that is intended to guide the writing of the plan.

"General Growth is looking forward to sharing its draft Master Plan with the Columbia Association," Barbara Nicklas said in a Nov. 27 e-mail.

County officials hope to submit a final version of the "framework" document to General Growth in December.

Role grew after charrette

The company's lead role in shaping the 30-year master plan for downtown has evolved over the past two years, since county officials and residents first held a series of public meetings, called a "charrette," to brainstorm ideas about how Town Center should be redeveloped.

In 2005 and 2006, officials released drafts of plans that sought more retail, office and residential development in Town Center.

However, because residents could not agree on a final draft of the plan, County Executive Kenneth Ulman released in September the "framework," which envisions a pedestrian-friendly downtown with improved public transportation and more social vibrancy, but contains no specific suggestions on how reach those goals.

Instead, officials said they will leave the drafting of a specific plan to General Growth, which has been downtown's principal landowner since it bought The Rouse Co., Columbia's original developer, in 2004.

The company's downtown holdings include the Columbia mall and Merriweather Post Pavilion.

This fall, county officials took public feedback on the framework and will release a revised version of the document that contains that feedback next month.

General Growth officials will publicly release a draft of the downtown plan that adheres to the county's revised framework in 2008, company vice president Douglas Godine said.

Company officials also will take public feedback on the draft before submitting a final version to the Planning Board and County Council for approval.

MasonsInquiries · December 1st, 2007, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdeclue

While some really tall buildings in Columbia would add density and create a nice little skyline, I'm not sure anything over 250-275 is needed. They need to look to create a Silver Spring like area. I was really impressed with Silver Spring the few times I have been there and think both Columbia and Towson should aim to create a similar type of town.

i really don't think columbia is trying to become a silver spring. no offense to silver spring, but why would we ever want to? the columbia/ellicott city area has just been rated the 4th best place to live in the country and i'm proud of the work they've done out here. if james rouse was alive today, he wouldn't want columbia having the "city look". we wanna' stay simple, peaceful, spacious, family-oriented. i think "smarth growth" is the key.

gohorns · December 1st, 2007, 10:11 PM

exactly..

yes I do agree that we need to revitalize the town center and stop the sprawl to the extent that companies are choosing to move their offices further out in the suburbs..but let's not go crazy with the tall buildings and density. As someone that has to commute to the DC area every morning...I would much prefer not to have to deal with the kind of traffic around where I live as I do while driving to work..

hpal3 · December 2nd, 2007, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gohorns

exactly..

yes I do agree that we need to revitalize the town center and stop the sprawl to the extent that companies are choosing to move their offices further out in the suburbs..but let's not go crazy with the tall buildings and density. As someone that has to commute to the DC area every morning...I would much prefer not to have to deal with the kind of traffic around where I live as I do while driving to work..

How do you feel about Columbia Plaza Residences?

TheGlobalizer · December 3rd, 2007, 08:52 PM

I'd like a little city center around the mall, with some revitalization of the office/commercial space in that area (something that would actually showcase, rather than hide, the lake).

That said, I agree with all of the comments against turning Columbia into a high-density area. I like Columbia just how it is, more or less.

hpal3 · December 8th, 2007, 04:22 PM

Real estate market downturn fails to cloud economic horizon

12/06/07
By Nate Sandstrom

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Many Howard County businesses predict their sales will increase in 2008, despite a slowed real estate market and uncertainty about the effects of federal expansion at nearby Fort Meade, according to a survey conducted by the local Chamber of Commerce.

Nearly 79 percent of 103 respondents predicted a hike in sales next year, according to the survey results, which officials of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce released at the group's annual Economic Forecast Breakfast Dec. 5.

A majority also said they believe a package of tax increases the General Assembly passed in November will hurt their businesses in 2008.

The breakfast also featured a panel of experts from the real estate, retail and government contracting industries who predicted that the local economy will hit some bumps in 2008 but straighten out in the long run.

"What comes up goes down and what goes down comes up," said panel member Richard Alter, president and CEO of Manekin LLC, one of the region's largest commercial real estate groups.

New tax will 'hurt'

Respondents to the chamber's survey represented a mix of industries, ranging from business and professional services, to construction.

The findings are similar to those revealed in last year's survey.

Although an identical 79 percent of businesses last year said they expected a bump in sales this year, the number of businesses expecting to hire new employees dropped from 60 percent last year to 54 percent this year. The number that predicts level employment in the coming year increased from 37 percent to 43 percent.

Despite those numbers, 58 percent of respondents expect the taxes the state legislature passed in November, which take effect Jan. 1, will "hurt" their bottom lines in 2008, though the survey did not say how.

The Assembly hiked the state sales tax from 5 percent to 6 percent and the corporate income tax from 7 percent to 8.25 percent, among other increases, in response to a projected deficit in the range of $1.5 billion in the upcoming fiscal year.

A plurality of respondents, 42 percent, said it is too early to tell how their business will be affected by the federal government's plan to expand Fort Meade. Local officials estimate military and contractor growth to result in 22,000 new jobs at the base over the next five to seven years.

Fort Meade is located in Anne Arundel County, just across the Howard County line.

Commercial real estate growth related to the expansion has been slower than anticipated when the project was announced in 2005, Alter said during the panel discussion, adding that, in general, commercial land prices have increased in Howard and Anne Arundel counties, without an accompanying decrease in commercial land supply.

"In the long haul (Howard County) is a great place to be ... but in the next 24 months I think the commercial real estate market is in for one of its dips," he said.

Focusing on service

Panelist Steve Adler, the managing partner of the company that runs the Savage Mill shopping center, advised businesses to focus on providing good customer service rather than headlines predicting economic doom.

"In a tough economy ... you want the customers and the businesses that you touch, the employees that you work with, to feel good about who they're doing business with," Adler said.

Larry Davis, managing partner at Rockville-based Aronson Capital Partners, which works with federal government contractors, said an increasing amount of federal dollars dedicated to specific sources may lead to some reduction in government contracts next year. However, federal workers are retiring quicker than they can be replaced, meaning the government increasingly needs contractors to perform many duties, he added.

"We'll see a slowdown in federal contracting, but I don't think we'll see any negative growth," Davis said.

In the housing market, Howard County has continued to see a drop in house sales, said Suzi Padgett, president of the Howard County Association of Realtors Board of Directors.

However, some encouraging signs exist, she said.

Less people are testing the market and more serious sellers will reduce the number of houses sitting on the market, Padgett said.

November 25th, 2007, 04:31 PM	#29
StevenW Born in Baltimore Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Newberry, SC Posts: 10,630 Likes (Received): 12	Density + Green space = Happiness! __________________ Baltimore, my hometown.

November 30th, 2007, 05:00 AM	#33
hpal3 10 IH is dead Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Columbia, MD. Posts: 2,062 Likes (Received): 16	Some letters to the Editor(Baltimore Sun) A trend in Columbia toward more outdoor shopping and dining might be an indicator that additional changes are on the way. Many say that a vibrant, dense Town Center is key to the development of a true cultural and economic center for Howard County. (Sun photo by Doug Kapustin / September 12, 2007) Build up the middle of the doughnut. Like so many speaking up on the downtown Columbia vision, I am a long-term, passionate-about-Columbia resident. As newlyweds over 30 years ago we chose the Next America as the hometown in which to settle, raise a family and then gracefully age. In that time, I have been enriched by many community activities, including service on the Columbia Association board of directors back when the visionary Jim Rouse was our chairman. I am very encouraged about the general community consensus on vibrancy, density, urbanism, Smart Growth, "green," and affordable housing. The "Downtown Columbia: A Community Vision," while somewhat abstract, continues to carry the essence of the charrette. It is appropriate for county government to lay out a blueprint for the private sector landowners to respond to, and for the community to guide development through a County Council-approved zoning amendment, the Planning Board process, and for sure community political pressure on our elected leaders. I hope the Columbia Association will rise to the occasion and develop a comprehensive vision on how it can provide the 21st-century physical, social and cultural amenities that will continue to make us a national model. Columbia, as a planned new town, did not evolve in a classical manner, and as a result today faces both unique challenges and opportunities. Will we be the best we can be by thinking in a bold and comprehensive manner, choose a status quo or worst yet find the lowest common denominator? Our downtown is anchored by a large regional mall, a few excellent restaurants and a vibrant Howard Community College as part of a cultural hub. However, downtown is no longer THE location for the investment, corporate office buildings, specialty retail shops or public amenities. We have experienced a form of slow sprawl as corporate headquarters and retail continue to move toward Gateway and the Interstate 95 region. Time is working against us. In our favor, we have a general public that understands the importance of Smart Growth as opposed to the current sprawl. We have a general public that understands the importance of mass transportation. We are very conscious about building and behaving "green." We have -- to oversimplify -- created a doughnut and now need to go back and build up the middle before the community goes stale. Howard County government must continue to kick-start further development and redevelopment of downtown. Our leaders can promote a true sense of place. Our leaders can significantly add to our taxable base. The community and our leaders need to have the wisdom and courage of the Howard County commissioners in 1964. There is such a thing as a win-win. The question isn't if we develop, it is how and where we develop. Roy L. Appletree Columbia Downtown Columbia found disturbing I enthusiastically support the advent of the Columbia downtown master plan. The energy generated by the charette needs to be harnessed to fulfill the general plan's promise of a vibrant, dense downtown; of a true cultural and economic center for Howard County. The current state of downtown Columbia disturbs me. As the owner of Lakeview Title Co., I have been committed to the promise of a true downtown. Our offices have been in the Merrill Lynch Building since the early 1980s, and were named for our fine view of Lake Kittamaqundi. As the time for lease renewal approaches, I am forced to reconsider the benefits of this central downtown location. In order to maintain my lakeview, I am forced to choose between my current, well located but obsolete building, and several other obsolete buildings. Our parking garage leaks, our elevators are inadequate, our basic heating and cooling systems problematic. Our clients used to complain about lack of parking in our attached garage, but, with the substantial vacancy rate in our building, this has become less of an issue. My leasing agent is strongly recommending alternate locations. Gateway is the current prestige office area and several tenants from my building have already relocated there. But, he urges, the Corporate 100 area is also booming, with new restaurants and amenities opening at a rapid pace. And then, of course, there is Maple Lawn. With so many newer, more glamorous and efficient buildings to choose from, Town Center is becoming a "has been" location. If the dream of a vibrant downtown is to be realized, we must focus on redeveloping these older, shabbier buildings or risk outsourcing our economic future to more suburban locations. We need to encourage business to redevelop so much of what is outmoded, as well as to commit to erecting exciting new structures. Without businesses like mine generating revenue and attracting clients to Town Center, we risk the economic base that is so critical to supporting all the other amenities -- the museums, the galleries, the restaurants, the public places -- that are the crux of the vision for downtown Columbia. At this critical moment in our development, the whole community has the opportunity to work together to develop and support a county plan that will allow all of the landowners the framework necessary to build the vibrant destination downtown that Howard County deserves. Lin Eagan Columbia Enhancing economic vitality is crucial Recent accounts of public meetings featuring presentations on the Howard County government's "framework" for downtown Columbia's redevelopment indicate some people are worried about future plans. Many of us are excited about the future and welcome substantial changes to make our downtown more attractive and exciting. Many of us have not sentimentalized dated, mediocre architecture. And we believe that public art and artifacts can be moved, sometimes to better advantage. What is good should and will be preserved, what is not of value should be replaced by what is better for now and the future. What must be enhanced is the economic vitality of Town Center. We run the risk of gradual but inevitable erosion of what currently exists unless we re- invest and redevelop the aging infrastructure, including decades-old office buildings, lackluster public spaces, mediocre and often inaccessible amenities and the absence of high-quality facilities for conferences and trade shows. We need fewer acres wasted by parking lots and fewer cars using Little Patuxent Parkway as a thoroughfare. We need real parking structures for one-stop parking and better options for alternative transportation, as well as a more pedestrian-friendly environment. We need more up-to-date opportunities for businesses to locate downtown, more housing choices for our current residents and others who would like to live here, as well as more interesting retail options, restaurants and other attractions for people to want to grow their businesses, live, work and recreate here. We need vibrancy. This is a wonderful moment in Columbia's history, and many of us embrace the possibilities for the future of the place where we live and work. Caroline Sherman Columbia

November 30th, 2007, 05:05 AM	#34
hpal3 10 IH is dead Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Columbia, MD. Posts: 2,062 Likes (Received): 16	From the Baltimore Sun Columbia invites developer to make plan public Board asks General Growth to share downtown proposal at open forum By June Arney \| sun reporter November 28, 2007 The Columbia Association board of directors sent a letter yesterday inviting General Growth Properties Inc. to present its plan for downtown development at a public meeting, following recent controversy over private meetings the developer has held. "We do understand that your plan may not be finalized at this time," the board wrote in its letter to Douglas M. Godine, vice president and general manager of Mid-Atlantic operations for General Growth. "Recent invitations to various groups within the community demonstrate your desire to engage the public in this important endeavor. The Board of Directors welcomes the opportunity to invite you to an open forum at which you could share your plans with the board members and other interested individuals." A spokeswoman for the developer declined yesterday to identify a date for such a meeting. "General Growth is looking forward to sharing its draft Master Plan with the Columbia Association," said Barbara A. Nicklas, General Growth's vice president of marketing for master-planned communities. "GGP is waiting for the revised framework document from Howard County which will influence the proposed Master Plan. In the meantime, GGP continues to meet with experts and community leaders in the areas of the arts, economic development, environmental and housing as it formulates the specifics of its plan." In recent weeks, Chicago-based General Growth, which controls most of Columbia's downtown real estate, has held private meetings with community groups to discuss redevelopment in Town Center. Some have criticized the developer for not making all of the meetings open, and some officials have even said they would not attend a meeting unless it were open. "It's very appropriate for the CA board to have made that invitation for an open forum on what GGP has in mind," said Alex Hekimian, who is president of the Alliance for a Better Columbia. "They're saying, 'This is the public's business, so let's do it in public.' " Whether or not the private meetings are technically legal or not doesn't really matter, Hekimian said. "It gives the appearance that GGP has something to hide and that they're doing some private lobbying," he said. "They're probably used to having secret meetings and getting by with that. A master plan is not an item for secret sessions." General Growth will create a master plan proposal and request an amendment to the county's General Plan and petition for necessary amendments to zoning regulations. Proposed amendments then will be reviewed by the public and presented to the Planning Board and County Council for action. Two weeks ago, the Columbia Association board sent a four-page letter to Howard County Executive Ken Ulman suggesting that the county's vision be rewritten to specify requirements for developers, identify sources of money for traffic improvements and state clearly how many homes can be built before more public services are needed. The letter was put together based on ideas expressed by residents at a public hearing about the framework document "Downtown Columbia: A Community Vision," which Ulman released in September. In the letter to Ulman, the Columbia Association also requested that the plan list amenities and services that the developer and county must provide and address conservation of open space and inclusiveness of all ages and economic levels. "The County Executive is pleased with the response and suggestions we have received from the Columbia Association and a number of citizens regarding the plan for Downtown Columbia," Kevin Enright, a spokesman for Ulman said in an e-mail response. "The input we have received has been well thought out and has been helpful in this process. The Department of Planning and Zoning is now reviewing and compiling the broad range of comments received."

December 1st, 2007, 06:13 AM	#35
hpal3 10 IH is dead Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Columbia, MD. Posts: 2,062 Likes (Received): 16	Columbia Flier CA prods General Growth to reveal plans in public 11/29/07 By Andrei Blakely Email this story to a friend In an attempt to keep the lines of communication open with Town Center's principal landowner, the Columbia Association has invited officials of General Growth Properties Inc. to present a sneak peek of the company's emerging master plan for downtown Columbia at a public forum. The board sent a Nov. 26 letter to officials of the Chicago-based developer inviting them to schedule a date to hold such a forum. The company has hired a team of consultants to help it create a master plan to guide Town Center's redevelopment over the next 30 years. Hoping to receive some initial public feedback on the plan, company officials this month have presented a working draft to at least eight local community groups in private meetings. They also offered to show the draft to the CA board in a private meeting. However, chairwoman Barbara Russell, of Oakland Mills, declined the offer because she was concerned that such a meeting might violate Maryland's Homeowners Association Act, which governs the board's meetings and generally prohibits it from conducting private gatherings. But Russell is open to the board seeing the plan in a public meeting, she said this week. "We want them to present to us anything they want to present to us at an open public meeting," she added. "We want to give them the broadest opportunity to make a presentation." In response to CA's letter, a General Growth vice president said the company will not present its plan to the general public until Howard County officials complete a "framework" document that is intended to guide the writing of the plan. "General Growth is looking forward to sharing its draft Master Plan with the Columbia Association," Barbara Nicklas said in a Nov. 27 e-mail. County officials hope to submit a final version of the "framework" document to General Growth in December. Role grew after charrette The company's lead role in shaping the 30-year master plan for downtown has evolved over the past two years, since county officials and residents first held a series of public meetings, called a "charrette," to brainstorm ideas about how Town Center should be redeveloped. In 2005 and 2006, officials released drafts of plans that sought more retail, office and residential development in Town Center. However, because residents could not agree on a final draft of the plan, County Executive Kenneth Ulman released in September the "framework," which envisions a pedestrian-friendly downtown with improved public transportation and more social vibrancy, but contains no specific suggestions on how reach those goals. Instead, officials said they will leave the drafting of a specific plan to General Growth, which has been downtown's principal landowner since it bought The Rouse Co., Columbia's original developer, in 2004. The company's downtown holdings include the Columbia mall and Merriweather Post Pavilion. This fall, county officials took public feedback on the framework and will release a revised version of the document that contains that feedback next month. General Growth officials will publicly release a draft of the downtown plan that adheres to the county's revised framework in 2008, company vice president Douglas Godine said. Company officials also will take public feedback on the draft before submitting a final version to the Planning Board and County Council for approval.

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November 23rd, 2007, 06:00 PM	#21
hpal3 10 IH is dead Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Columbia, MD. Posts: 2,062 Likes (Received): 16	This sucks! No Columbia or Baltimore news! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!!

November 23rd, 2007, 06:15 PM	#22
hpal3 10 IH is dead Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Columbia, MD. Posts: 2,062 Likes (Received): 16	Alternative names * Emporis Building Number 203666 Location Address * Postcode * City Columbia State Maryland Country U.S.A. Technical Data Height (struct.) 84 m 275 ft Floors (OG) 22 Construction start * Construction end 2009 Units (rooms) * Building in General Type of construction high-rise building Main usages * Architectural style * Status under construction Companies involved in this Building* architect: WDG Architecture, PLLC Other firms: WCI Communities, Inc..

November 23rd, 2007, 07:39 PM	#25
hpal3 10 IH is dead Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Columbia, MD. Posts: 2,062 Likes (Received): 16	http://www.mammaluciarestaurants.com/ Here is a link to new restraunt in Gateway Overlook.

November 24th, 2007, 10:57 PM	#27
sdeclue Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 803 Likes (Received): 3	I really hope they end up building that tower in Columbia. It has become such a bad sprawl out there and there is the opportunity to remake the town into a great little city, especially if mass transit ends up running through there down the road. That tower being built would be the start of a possible wave of towers that could follow it and add more density.

November 26th, 2007, 09:12 PM	#32
TheGlobalizer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 683 Likes (Received): 0	Yeah, developers could get some mileage in Columbia if they focus on the green/enviro benefits.

December 1st, 2007, 10:11 PM	#37
gohorns Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: NoVA Posts: 753 Likes (Received): 2	exactly.. yes I do agree that we need to revitalize the town center and stop the sprawl to the extent that companies are choosing to move their offices further out in the suburbs..but let's not go crazy with the tall buildings and density. As someone that has to commute to the DC area every morning...I would much prefer not to have to deal with the kind of traffic around where I live as I do while driving to work..

December 3rd, 2007, 08:52 PM	#39
TheGlobalizer Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 683 Likes (Received): 0	I'd like a little city center around the mall, with some revitalization of the office/commercial space in that area (something that would actually showcase, rather than hide, the lake). That said, I agree with all of the comments against turning Columbia into a high-density area. I like Columbia just how it is, more or less.

December 8th, 2007, 04:22 PM	#40
hpal3 10 IH is dead Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Columbia, MD. Posts: 2,062 Likes (Received): 16	Real estate market downturn fails to cloud economic horizon 12/06/07 By Nate Sandstrom Email this story to a friend Many Howard County businesses predict their sales will increase in 2008, despite a slowed real estate market and uncertainty about the effects of federal expansion at nearby Fort Meade, according to a survey conducted by the local Chamber of Commerce. Nearly 79 percent of 103 respondents predicted a hike in sales next year, according to the survey results, which officials of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce released at the group's annual Economic Forecast Breakfast Dec. 5. A majority also said they believe a package of tax increases the General Assembly passed in November will hurt their businesses in 2008. The breakfast also featured a panel of experts from the real estate, retail and government contracting industries who predicted that the local economy will hit some bumps in 2008 but straighten out in the long run. "What comes up goes down and what goes down comes up," said panel member Richard Alter, president and CEO of Manekin LLC, one of the region's largest commercial real estate groups. New tax will 'hurt' Respondents to the chamber's survey represented a mix of industries, ranging from business and professional services, to construction. The findings are similar to those revealed in last year's survey. Although an identical 79 percent of businesses last year said they expected a bump in sales this year, the number of businesses expecting to hire new employees dropped from 60 percent last year to 54 percent this year. The number that predicts level employment in the coming year increased from 37 percent to 43 percent. Despite those numbers, 58 percent of respondents expect the taxes the state legislature passed in November, which take effect Jan. 1, will "hurt" their bottom lines in 2008, though the survey did not say how. The Assembly hiked the state sales tax from 5 percent to 6 percent and the corporate income tax from 7 percent to 8.25 percent, among other increases, in response to a projected deficit in the range of $1.5 billion in the upcoming fiscal year. A plurality of respondents, 42 percent, said it is too early to tell how their business will be affected by the federal government's plan to expand Fort Meade. Local officials estimate military and contractor growth to result in 22,000 new jobs at the base over the next five to seven years. Fort Meade is located in Anne Arundel County, just across the Howard County line. Commercial real estate growth related to the expansion has been slower than anticipated when the project was announced in 2005, Alter said during the panel discussion, adding that, in general, commercial land prices have increased in Howard and Anne Arundel counties, without an accompanying decrease in commercial land supply. "In the long haul (Howard County) is a great place to be ... but in the next 24 months I think the commercial real estate market is in for one of its dips," he said. Focusing on service Panelist Steve Adler, the managing partner of the company that runs the Savage Mill shopping center, advised businesses to focus on providing good customer service rather than headlines predicting economic doom. "In a tough economy ... you want the customers and the businesses that you touch, the employees that you work with, to feel good about who they're doing business with," Adler said. Larry Davis, managing partner at Rockville-based Aronson Capital Partners, which works with federal government contractors, said an increasing amount of federal dollars dedicated to specific sources may lead to some reduction in government contracts next year. However, federal workers are retiring quicker than they can be replaced, meaning the government increasingly needs contractors to perform many duties, he added. "We'll see a slowdown in federal contracting, but I don't think we'll see any negative growth," Davis said. In the housing market, Howard County has continued to see a drop in house sales, said Suzi Padgett, president of the Howard County Association of Realtors Board of Directors. However, some encouraging signs exist, she said. Less people are testing the market and more serious sellers will reduce the number of houses sitting on the market, Padgett said.