Columbia/Howard County Development News

[hpal3]

Developer to set forums for Columbia planning
By Larry Carson | Sun reporter
January 9, 2008
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In his first public appearance yesterday, General Growth Properties Vice President Gregory F. Hamm tantalized about 100 people with a list of concepts but no specifics on his firm's plans for redeveloping central Columbia.

"This is my maiden voyage speaking to the Columbia community. It's a week or two earlier than I would have liked" because he had no concrete news to convey, he told an early-morning crowd at a meeting of advocates for transportation at the Bain Center in Harper's Choice. He took over from Douglas M. Godine a month ago, becoming the third general manager of Columbia in two years.



Next week, the 45-year old Northern Virginia resident said, his firm will announce a schedule of community meetings that will precede release of General Growth's draft redevelopment plan, followed by another round of meetings and discussion before specific zoning changes are submitted to Howard County officials.

"If done properly and collaboratively, we can make progress," Hamm said.

He appeared to make a good first impression on a crowd peppered with veteran Columbia activists, such as Del. Elizabeth Bobo, who have not been shy about criticizing proposals such as the 23-story condominium tower or the planned town's developer.

Bobo, who represents the Town Center area, greeted Hamm as "Greg," as she rose to congratulate him for making his first appearance a public one. He called her "Liz" in return. Bobo told a lunch crowd Saturday at a League of Women Voters meeting that she had called Hamm about the demise of the 36-year-old Bun Penny store at The Mall in Columbia, an event that troubled some older residents.

Two County Council members -- Mary Kay Sigaty, a Democrat who represents west Columbia, and Jen Terrasa, a Kings Contrivance Democrat -- also attended, as did Marsha S. McLaughlin, the county planning director.

Hamm narrated a PowerPoint presentation that touched on the concepts that most Columbia residents have said they want enhanced as part of the redevelopment. Those include economic housing diversity, better transportation and pedestrian access, more social and business vitality, plus a transparent public process that values the opinions of residents.

But though he talked about General Growth's plan to hire a "world renowned transit consultant" and a desire to do a major upgrade of the town's storm water runoff system, Hamm offered no details. He said the new transit consultant's ideas could change conclusions reached in earlier transportation studies that dwelt mostly on traffic and roads. Mixing residential, commercial and office uses together could also cut the need for parking because people can walk more, he said.

"Significant improvements on storm water could be made in large steps," he said. A resident suggested that General Growth consult with the Columbia Association to coordinate his plans with theirs to dredge the town's lakes, which were designed to capture sediment before it reached the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay.

The relationship of the Town Center project with nearby village centers is something else Hamm had no answer for, he said, responding to a question from former County Councilwoman Mary C. Lorsung. He said General Growth will begin meeting with village residents and officials soon. He also declined to answer a question from Roy Appletree about when the company would hope to begin profiting from a redevelopment project.

Bridget Mugane, president of the Howard County Citizens Association, told Hamm, "It's been very distressing to watch General Growth Properties to this point." She urged Hamm to work with the Columbia Association and people in the community.

"Bring the county in, not a draft you run by the community," she urged.

Hamm said that is his intention, including using the dialogue at yesterday's meeting.

"Without cooperation, nothing good will happen," he said.

After the 75-minute meeting, Sigaty and McLaughlin said that they would rather Hamm and General Growth take their time and create a good plan than push a proposal forward just to end the protracted debate.

County Executive Ken Ulman had said he hoped to see a proposed plan come to the county by early spring, but McLaughlin said summer might be more likely before anything gets to the county Planning Board, which must consider the proposal before it gets to the County Council.

"In the long run, if they take their time upfront, it's going to be a better process," Sigaty said.

"It's going to take time," McLaughlin said, agreeing that the plan will be "more on target," the more careful work is done in preparation.

[hpal3]

Riverdale plan rejected


Planners say road would create hazard
01/10/08
By Andrei Blakely


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The plan for a 264-unit mixed-use development near the intersection of Cedar Lane and Route 32, in Columbia, would create potentially unsafe traffic conditions and must be revised, county and state planning officials say.

Traffic planners for Howard County and the State Highway Administration have found that the developer's plan for an entrance road to the project could create hazardous conditions on Cedar Lane near the interchange, according to the county and state's review of the sketch plan.

The Clarksville-based Dale Thompson Builders has proposed building the development, which would be called Riverdale, on a 30-acre parcel of land near the interchange and the west Columbia village of Hickory Ridge.

Thompson has submitted to the county a preliminary sketch plan to build 152 townhouses and 112 age-restricted apartments at the site. State traffic officials also have reviewed the plan.

The sketch plan shows an entrance to Riverdale off the northbound lane of Cedar Lane at Cedar Lane's current intersection with Grace Drive, essentially extending Grace Drive across Cedar Lane.

That design worries county traffic planners who say it would force traffic exiting eastbound Route 32 onto northbound Cedar Lane to immediately merge across two lanes of traffic to make the turn into Riverdale, creating a potentially dangerous situation.

State engineers add they are concerned that the proposed Riverdale entrance would cause traffic exiting westbound Route 32 onto northbound Cedar Lane to face problems merging, said David Buck, a spokesman for the State Highway Administration.

State and county officials have informed Dale Thompson Builders Inc. that it must revise the plan if the company wants to proceed with the approval process.

Stormwater

County officials also requested that the developer provide more technical information to show that the stormwater management plan for Riverdale meets standards set by the Maryland Department of the Environment and that it has reserved the necessary amount of space for forest conservation and included additional sidewalks in the plan.

"Once we submit comments to (the developer) they have to address it and resubmit it," said Kimberley Flowers, deputy director of the planning and zoning department. "Nothing at this moment would indicate that they can't move forward as long as they address those comments."

The assertion that the development needs more sidewalks, better access to Cedar Lane and adequate forest conservation also has been raised by residents in Hickory Ridge.

Last September, Gregg Schwind, chairman of the Hickory Ridge Village Board, wrote to county officials detailing the village's concerns with Riverdale.

Those concerns also include the idea that the development's roads would be too narrow to permit emergency vehicles to properly navigate and that the added residences would create traffic congestion on local roads.

Schwind could not be reached for comment.

Joan Lancos, Hickory Ridge's special events coordinator and liaison to the county on land issues, said village officials are "glad" to see some of their concerns included in the county's response.

But they are not completely satisfied, she said.

"What the village board is indicating is that they wished the project was much less intense," Lancos said.

The developer has until Jan. 18 to revise the sketch plan to meet the county's requirements.

If officials approve the sketch plan, Thompson would then have to gain approval from the Department of Planning and Zoning of a site development plan before the project could be built.

Officials at Dale Thompson did not return telephone calls seeking comment

[hpal3]

Bun Penny, a mall fixture, ends a decades-long run


01/10/08
By Mike Santa Rita

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Jeff Ditter, longtime owner of Bun Penny Market & Cafe, surveys the empty shelves on the establishment's final day open for business, Jan. 4. When Eileen Pastor walked into Bun Penny Market & Cafe at the Columbia mall Jan. 3 she was shocked to find empty shelves -- and to hear that the shop was closing after more than 35 years.

"I didn't know it until I walked in the door. I was blown away," Pastor, of Kings Contrivance, said. "I love their sandwiches. They're plentiful and they're fresh. The price is right. The coffee is good."

Although shelves that once were stocked with gourmet food and drinks were empty Jan. 3, customers continued to line up at Bun Penny's sandwich counter just one day before the store closed for good Jan. 4.

Owner Jeff Ditter, 48, said he could no longer afford to pay the rent the mall's owner, General Growth Properties Inc., was charging him.

In addition, the store, which also featured an espresso bar, wines and beers, had found its customer base siphoned off by a growing number of stores and supermarkets in Columbia offering gourmet foods, he said.

The 6,000- square-foot store had become "bigger than what we can support," Ditter added. "We were not just a sandwich shop with coffee --but we're not a gourmet supermarket."

High mall rent forces closure

Ditter's daughter, McKenzie Ditter, 18, said that General Growth had recently raised the store's rent to $38,000 a month, which was too steep for the family- owned business to afford. McKenzie Ditter said she did not know what the rent previously was.

Jeff Ditter declined to comment on whether General Growth raised his rent.

"We just got to a point where we needed to leave and (General Growth) made it possible for us to exit gracefully," he said, declining to describe the deal in more detail.

In a prepared statement, Karen Geary, the mall's general manager, also declined to comment on details related the store's lease.

"Bun Penny has been a tenant of The Mall in Columbia for many years and we will work with them to make their next transition as smooth as possible," she added in the statement. "We will miss their presence at our center."

A mall spokeswoman did not return an e- mail asking for specifics on how the company would help with the transition.

'We were like a family'

Bun Penny opened in 1971, shortly after the mall opened, Ditter, a Hickory Ridge resident, said.

He added that he began working at the store in 1980, at age 21, and worked his way up to a manager's job. He bought Bun Penny from the previous owner in 1990.

Ditter told his employees the day after Christmas that the store would close, he said.

Yvonne Beck, 54, an employee for more than nine years, said she was stunned when she heard that the store was closing.

"The thought of going somewhere else and getting a new job was kind of scary," she said. "I was sad. Really sad. Shocked, too, you know. We were like a family here."

Ditter said he did not know what would replace Bun Penny at the location, adding that he heard that Williams-Sonoma, an upscale kitchen equipment store, was coming to the mall, though not necessarily to the Bun Penny space.

A mall spokeswoman said no lease had been signed for the spot and would not comment on whether Williams-Sonoma was coming to the mall.

A Williams-Sonoma spokeswoman did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

Ditter said he has no plans to reopen Bun Penny elsewhere. McKenzie Ditter said the family was thinking of continuing the store as a catering business.

She added that Bun Penny's closing would be a loss to the mall because the store's employees were responsive to customers and the community.

"Usually when you have a smaller store, the families who own them live in the community and have lived there for a long time and they understand the community," she said. "They have more personality."

On Jan. 3, as they waited in line, Eddie and Eileen Lucero, of Wilde Lake, said they started coming to Bun Penny 10 years ago because of its sandwiches, adding that they, too, were surprised to learn of the closing.

"We thought he had good business here," Eddie Lucero said. "There's always a line."

[sdeclue]

That story about initial site work being done on the Columbia tower is about 3 or 4 months old. I wonder if the construction of the actual building has begun yet.

[hpal3]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...,6588411.story

[hpal3]

A strong sense of history, community
By Brad Schleicher and Michelle Deal-Zimmerman | Sun reporters
January 13, 2008



In the late 1600s, when colonists sailed inland along the Patapsco River, a port sprang up just below a ridge that was inhabited by a number of elk. The area was called the "Ridge of Elk," while the port became known as Elk Ridge Landing.

Today, Elkridge has an identity just as unique. According to Kevin Doyle, former president of the Elkridge Community Association and co-chair of the Route 1 Revitalization Task Force, there is a strong sense of community in the area, despite the fact that the town is bisected by Interstate 95.



"The location is a blessing and a downfall," he says. "It's little more than 20 minutes from Baltimore, Columbia and Ellicott City, but the area is often overlooked, making development a slow process."

Many Elkridge residents have ties to the town that go back several generations. Lawyers Hill is a well-known, historic area of Elkridge. The cluster of larger, estate-size houses got its name when a Baltimore attorney bought land there in the early 1800s. His friends soon followed suit, buying land nearby. People at the Elk Ridge Landing described the newcomers' homesteads as being "lawyers hill." Several lawyers and judges live there today.


Housing stock // "You can find any house that you want in Elkridge," says Steve Beall, a Realtor for Creig Northrop and the Northrop Team in Clarksville.

"Elkridge has condos, townhouses, some older single-family houses and some newer developments," he says, adding that new homes sell for between $600,000 and $800,000.

However, there are plenty of lower-priced options for first-time homebuyers. Townhouses usually sell for less than $300,000, while single-family houses start around $400,000.

"It's like a little blue-collar town and now it's starting to grow up," Beall says. "It's getting more upscale housing in the area. And it's got the golf course [Timbers at Troy]."

Lyndwood is a popular new development with a variety of house styles. Ryan Homes is building townhouses off U.S. 1.

In Lawyers Hill, "you don't see a lot of resales in there, everybody just kind of stays," says Beall.


Rentals // The area has a diverse selection of rentals, including apartments, townhouses and single-family houses. Monthly prices range from $1,000 to $2,300, according to Beall.


Kids and schools // All of the elementary and middle schools that serve Elkridge continually surpass state proficiency levels in reading and mathematics.

The majority of elementary-age students are served by Elkridge Elementary and Rockburn Elementary. However, a small percentage attend Bellows Spring Elementary and Deep Run Elementary. The middle schools that serve the area are Elkridge Landing Middle, Bonnie Branch Middle and Mayfield Woods Middle.

The high schools that serve the area are Howard High and Long Reach High -- both have an attendance rate above 92 percent and a graduation rate above 91 percent.


Crime // On the whole, it's nothing serious. According to Sherry Llewellyn, a Howard County police spokeswoman, there are few violent crimes or home break-ins in the area. "Elkridge is pretty reflective of the county as a whole," says Llewellyn. "Complaints tend to be items stolen from parked cars and property destruction."


Shopping // Elkridge has a shopping center at the corner of U.S. 1 and Montgomery Road, but the area is also close to Arundel Mills Mall.


Dining in // There is a Super Fresh off U.S. 1 and Montgomery Road, a Giant Food on Marshalee Drive and a Herr Food on Hanover Road.


Dining out // Although there are a lot of restaurant options, most are quick and casual. For upscale dining, the Elkridge Furnace Inn offers authentic French cuisine.


Nightlife // There isn't a bustling nightlife scene in Elkridge, but it is close to bars, clubs and restaurants in Historic Ellicott City, Columbia and downtown Baltimore.


Recreation // Elkridge is home to the public, 18-hole Timbers at Troy Golf Club. It is also near Rockburn Branch Park, which has nature trails and areas for picnicking.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by sdeclue

That story about initial site work being done on the Columbia tower is about 3 or 4 months old. I wonder if the construction of the actual building has begun yet.

Drove by the other day. Nada.

[hpal3]

Originally Posted by Huck

Drove by the other day. Nada.

Mark my words, the developer is going to cave and scale back on this development.

[hpal3]

Union is funding opposition to Wegmans


01/17/08
By Nate Sandstrom

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After receiving a flier at her home in November criticizing a traffic study commissioned by Wegmans as part of its plans to build a new grocery store in east Columbia, Helen Weems found herself with one question: Who sent the flier?

Christopher Carroll asked himself the same question when he received a similar flier around New Year's Day.

A Web site advertised on the mailings provided neither Weems nor Carroll, both Columbia residents, with the information they sought; it mentioned only an organization named Responsible Growth for Columbia and did not identify any of the group's members.

Carroll thought he might find the answer to his question when, later that week, he received a call from a woman who "launched into a spiel" about Wegmans' plan to build a store at the intersection of Snowden River Parkway and McGaw Road, he said.

But when he asked the caller whom she represented, she hung up, Carroll said.

He and Weems said they were bothered by the anonymity of the grocer chain's critics.

"Anyone has the right to say whatever they want to say," Weems said. "But at the same time, say who you are. Tell me what your vested interest is."

Behind the curtain

Neither the mailings nor the Web site mention the Mid-Atlantic Retail Food Industry Joint Labor Management Fund, a group funded by grocery store employee unions to fight large retail stores.

However, Torrey Jacobsen, the fund's executive director, said in an interview this week that his group has been providing financial and organizational support to residents who oppose Wegmans, including organizing volunteers to make phone calls like the one Carroll received and paying for the fliers criticizing the Wegmans traffic study.

Jacobsen said he did not know how many calls the group made or how many fliers it mailed and refused to identify the residents he said the union fund is supporting.

His group opposes large stores, such as Wegmans, because the stores cause increased traffic, pay lower wages, offer worse benefits than unionized stores and hurt existing businesses, Jacobsen said, adding that the group also is battling a planned Wegmans in Anne Arundel County.

The union fund also paid a consultant who presented a traffic study to the Howard County Planning Board on Jan. 3 that criticized the traffic study that Wegmans submitted, Jacobsen said.

The Wegmans study concludes that after the company adds new traffic signals and expands and lengthens turn lanes on roads surrounding its planned grocery site, traffic flow created by the store will be within the county's standards for adequate roadways.

Although officials in the county's planning and zoning department approved the Wegmans traffic study, the Planning Board is scheduled to consider it again before ruling on a site development plan for the company.

The union fund also covered a $250 filing fee for four county residents who last week appealed the county's approval of Wegmans' traffic study to the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning, Jacobsen said.

Concerns about the identity of who is paying for the materials opposing Wegmans are "irrelevant," Jacobsen said, and wrongly shift the focus of the debate about the store away from the flaws in Wegmans traffic study. Those flaws, he said, include a miscalculated number of projected trips the store would create through the intersection of McGaw Road and Stanford Boulevard.

Mark DeLuca, deputy director of the Department of Public Works, said the county has reviewed the complaints against the study but still finds the signals and road improvements Wegmans proposes to build adequate to address the traffic its store would create in the area.

Others involved

Several county residents not connected with the union also are working to oppose Wegmans as part of Responsible Growth for Columbia, Jacobsen said, adding that one of the fliers the group sent was written by a resident and that another operates the group's Web site. He refused to identify either resident.

The Web site is registered to Philip Rousseau, an Owen Brown resident who is among the four people appealing the county's approval of the Wegmans traffic study.

Rousseau, who is not a member of the union, said he was unaware of the Web site -- and unaware that it was registered in his name -- until a reporter from this newspaper informed him of the site's existence in early January.

He added that the use of his name on the site without his knowledge did not trouble him because he considers himself a member of Responsible Growth for Columbia. He is worried that Wegmans will increase traffic along Snowden River Parkway, particularly at its intersection with Rustling Leaf, he said.

Rousseau said he joined the group after a man named Craig Martin approached him at his home this fall and said he represented a group concerned about traffic in the area. Rousseau said he later learned Martin worked for a union group, although he did not know which one.

Martin is an intern at the labor fund, Jacobsen said.

Attempts to reach Martin were unsuccessful.

Traffic concerns

Owen Brown residents William Johnson and Ron Yaffee also are appealing the county's approval of the Wegmans traffic study.

Johnson said he is not with the union but is a member of Responsible Growth for Columbia, and that he is concerned with the amount of traffic on Snowden River Parkway.

Yaffee said he is not a member of any group but is worried Wegmans will increase traffic in east Columbia. He added that he formed an "alliance of convenience" with the union because it could help him voice his concerns.

The fourth appellant is Carvel "Buddy" Mays, an Ellicott City resident and president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 27, which represents Safeway and Giant employees.

Mays said he has concerns about Wegmans hiring non-union employees, but is also worried, as a county resident, about traffic the store would create.

Request for transparency

Weems and Carroll, who received the fliers, said they question the opposition group's claims because it has failed, in their view, to adequately identify its members.

"They may all have legitimate criticisms, but if they're not willing to say who they are and how they're funded, it's hard to know whether the (concerns) are legitimate or motivated by something else," said Carroll, a member of the open government advocacy group Common Cause Maryland.

County Council member Calvin Ball, a Columbia Democrat who has met with residents concerned about Wegmans, called anonymous fliers problematic.

"I think people have the right to free speech, but if anyone in the community wants to operate in an open and transparent way, it's helpful when they come out and say 'Here's who I am, and here's my concerns.'" Ball said.

Jo Natale, a Wegmans spokeswoman, said the company believes union officials have coordinated public attacks on Wegmans stores, pointing to a challenge by an official of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 to a store the company plans to build in Prince George's County.

That union is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Retail Food Industry Joint Labor Management Fund.

"Everyone sees this for what it is: an obvious attempt to stifle competition and growth," Natale said of the union's opposition.

[hpal3]

Mixed-use plans for Wilde Lake


Village center would get more residences
01/17/08
By Andrei Blakely


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The owner of the Wilde Lake Village Center is considering a possible plan to replace the center's vacant grocery store with a four- to six-story building containing residences and ground-level stores, according to a member of the village board.

Officials of the New York-based Kimco Realty Corp. are expected to release a plan early this year to add such a mixed-use building to the village center, said Philip Kirsch, Wilde Lake's representative to the Columbia Association Board of Directors, who attended a Nov. 19, 2007 village board meeting in which a Kimco official discussed the company's plan.

At the meeting, Kevin Allen, a leasing agent at Kimco, told the board of a potential company plan to construct such a building on the site of the center's former Giant grocery store, which closed in 2006, Kirsch and several members of the village board said.

If such a building is constructed, it likely would extend beyond the grocery space, Kirsch added.

"This isn't putting in a dozen townhouses," he said. "This is a major renovation there."

Kimco also wants to make the Wilde Lake project a prototype for adding residential development to other village centers in Columbia, according to the minutes of the Nov. 19 meeting.

Kimco owns six of Columbia's 10 village centers, including River Hill, Kings Contrivance, Harper's Choice, Hickory Ridge, Dorsey's Search and Wilde Lake, which was built in 1967 and is Columbia's oldest center.

The mixed-use development is intended to bolster the village center, which has struggled in recent months, by adding more potential customers to its environs, Kirsch said.

The center has seen its customer traffic drop since Giant Food closed its grocery store in 2006, according to Tony Tringali, a village merchant, and several village officials.

Parking garage included

Allen also told village officials at the Nov. 19 meeting that Kimco plans to construct a parking garage at the center to accommodate the housing, according to the minutes.

Kimco officials have met with county officials to discuss the possibility of amending Columbia's New Town Zoning to allow residential units in the village center, the minutes state.

The Howard County Planning Board would have to approve adding residential development in the center, said Robert Lalush, a planner for Howard County.

The Zoning Board also would have to approve a change to the village's zoning to allow more residential units, said County Councilwoman Mary Kay Sigaty, a Democrat who lives in Wilde Lake.

Sigaty said that Allen has told her that Kimco is considering building residences in the village center, adding that she believes that such a mixed-use development would be good for Wilde Lake.

Allen will not speak to the press about the company's plans for the village center, said his administrative assistant at Kimco.

Tom Simmons, president of Kimco's mid-Atlantic region, did not return a telephone call seeking comment on the plan.

Board decision expected

Six of the seven members of the village board attended the Nov. 19 meeting with Allen, according to the minutes.

Several said in later interviews that Allen told the board at the meeting that Kimco was interested in building residential units in the village center.

The board expects to finalize a written response to Kimco at its Tuesday, Jan. 22 meeting, Kirsch said.

One potential conflict in the plan involves the type of housing that should be built in the center, said board member Christopher Tsien, who attended the Nov. 19 meeting. Tsien said he would prefer to see high-end housing for upper-middle class residents.

Linda Odum, the board's vice chairwoman, who also attended the Nov. 19 meeting, said she believes that housing could help the village center and would prefer housing that people could own rather than rent.

Housing "will increase density and lend more life to the village center at all hours of the day," said Odum, who is a real estate agent.

Kirsch wants a grocery

Kirsch said he is not opposed to building housing in the village center, but would like to have an anchor grocery store open in the village.

The minutes from the Nov. 19 meeting state that Allen told the board that Kimco is still in discussions with small grocery stores as possible tenants, 1 but that the company hopes to find a high-end grocery store for the center.

"Kimco sees the likelihood of getting a grocery store to be greater if there is residential development" to bring in customers, Odum said.

Meanwhile, merchants in the center continue to struggle without an anchor grocery to attract customers, said Tringali, who owns Anthony Richard Barber Shop.

Tringali said he does not know what to make of Kimco's apparent plan for the center, adding he believes that some of the talk of adding housing seems to be rumor.

"I understand something is supposed to occur," he said. "But even if something is a plan it doesn't mean that it is etched in stone. I think a mixed-use project would be a good idea, but they have got to get moving."

Village Board chairman Vincent Marando could not be reached for comment.

[hpal3]

From unused brick yard to model Rte. 1 project


01/17/08
By Gwendolyn Glenn

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A $500-million, mixed-use development known as the Brick Yard is rising from the remains of a former brick manufacturing plant located on the east side of Route 1, between Contee and Muirkirk roads.

Officials at Dallas- based developer Jackson-Shaw say they expect to complete two of the project's 11 office buildings by April, with five additional buildings finished by the end of the year. The buildings will have a total of 750,000 square feet of office space.

Although he would not give specific names, Thomas Aylward, a vice president for Jackson-Shaw, said leases are close to being signed for three of the buildings, which three Prince George's County businesses plan to use as offices and distribution centers.

As construction advances at the 60-acre office park on the Laurel side of the Brick Yard property, Jackson-Shaw officials are still waiting for the green light from Prince George's County's planning board to begin the residential portion of the project, planned for the 65-acre southern end of the site, in Beltsville. That portion will include nearly 1,300 townhouses, apartments and single-family homes.

Initially, the entire 125-acre site was approved as a light industrial business park. But residences were added at the urging of County Council member Thomas Dernoga, who represents Laurel.

"We convinced them to take advantage of the MARC station (nearby on Muirkirk Road) and make it a mixed-use project," Dernoga said.

Jackson-Shaw officials submitted detailed site plans to the county planning board for the residences last month. They are calling the development a "smart-growth" project because of its close proximity to the MARC train station.

They predict that 25 percent or more of the property's residents will use MARC -- and eventually Metrorail, if the Green Line is extended, as some hope, to Muirkirk Road.

The Brick Yard's residential units, some of which will be adjacent to the MARC station, will consist of 860 apartments in two-, four- and five- story buildings, with retailers on the ground floors. There will also be 380 townhouses and 51 single-family homes, starting at $300,000 and $450,000 respectively.

Aylward said he was not concerned about finding buyers for the residences in the current weak real estate market.

"We're located between the FDA, White Oak facility, NASA, Fort Meade, NSA, University of Maryland, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and other key campuses with lots of jobs," he said. "People (want) to be closer to where they work."

The Brick Yard project site was once home to the Washington Brick Company. Beginning in the early 1900s, the company mined iron ore and clay, and manufactured bricks.

After changing ownership several times, the facility closed in 1992, after which it was used by General Shale Brick of Tennessee to sell brick from outside sources. Jackson-Shaw bought the property in 2004.

To preserve the brick-making history of the site, the developers plan to convert a 1926 building once used as an office for the brick and mining operations into a coffee shop.

Jackson-Shaw also plans to include four stormwater management ponds in the project. Area developments such as Laurel Lakes on Cherry Lane have had major problems with stormwater management ponds filling up with sediments and pollutants. Laurel Lakes residents have tried, unsuccessfully, to get their two lakes dredged over the past 10 years.

"Our ponds won't be for sediment control and we're making them much deeper than they need to be," Aylward said. "Our mission is to build it so it won't have to be dredged."

Aylward said the company is not concerned about clay and sediment clogging up the ponds, which the Brick Yard's homeowner's association will have to maintain in future years.

"We've done mine reclamation (planting grass and shrubs) to stabilize the area, so there won't be any (polluted) surface runoff going into the pond," Aylward said.

Aylward said the site's access to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Route 1 and Kenilworth Avenue should allay concerns about increased traffic.

Additionally, the county is requiring Jackson-Shaw to add turn lanes at Muirkirk and Cedarhurst, and conduct signal studies for Muirkirk Meadows near the Konterra development, and at Mid Atlantic Boulevard and Contee Road. The developer will also extend Mid Atlantic Boulevard by a quarter of a mile.

Dernoga praised the Brick Yard development as a big improvement over what used to be at the site.

"The Brick Yard benefits the immediate vicinity by taking land used for obnoxious heavy industry and converting it to a mixed-use development that will make use of the MARC station and lead the way to the extension of the Green Line," Dernoga said.

"This project should serve as a good example of transitioning from incompatible uses to uses that promote more mass transit facilities for the greater Laurel-Beltsville area."

If the county approves the plans, Aylward estimated the project could be completed in three to five years.

In addition to the Brick Yard community, Jackson-Shaw officials want to join with the state to build a similar but smaller project on the MARC train station's five-acre parking lot next door.

[jeremai]

Originally Posted by hpal3

Mixed-use plans for Wilde Lake


Village center would get more residences
01/17/08
By Andrei Blakely

I worked in Wilde Lake village Center for four years until fall 2006. I had no idea the Giant had closed; must have been soon after I left. It was very small and wasn't the most pleasant place to shop, so I can't say I'm surprised. The mixed-use plans sound good.

[hpal3]

Originally Posted by jeremai

I worked in Wilde Lake village Center for four years until fall 2006. I had no idea the Giant had closed; must have been soon after I left. It was very small and wasn't the most pleasant place to shop, so I can't say I'm surprised. The mixed-use plans sound good.

I'm amazed that the Giant at Wilde Lake village closed. Safeway at
King's Contrivance is closed and being replaced by Harris Teeter.
Which after all, is better for King's Contrivance. I wonder why these
stores closed? Rent to high or lack of buiss..

[hpal3]

http://www.hceda.org/

[hpal3]

New manager named for Columbia project
WCI executive to assume responsibility for tower
January 18, 2008
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Robert H. Grabner Jr., vice president/senior project manager of the tower division of WCI Mid-Atlantic U.S. Region Inc., has assumed responsibility of the Plaza Residences development, a 23-story tower planned for downtown Columbia.

Grabner replaces William Rowe, who recently left WCI to work with another development firm in the area.

Grabner will also be responsible for WCI's tower development activities in Virginia, which include the Club on Quincy, a mixed-use condominium development in Arlington.



Florida developer WCI has faced increasing financial pressure in a struggling condominium market. Locally, delays on the Columbia tower project, on Wincopin Circle, have stemmed from a court action filed by four plaintiffs to stop the project in a case that's pending.

Also, two bills that would have potentially blocked the tower died in the Howard County Council in November when there were not enough votes for passage.

Based in Bonita Springs, Fla., WCI has been a leading builder of upscale communities in Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland for 60 years.

[hpal3]

http://www.hceda.org/realEstateDetai...p=Office&id=45

I've never seen this rendering before.

[MasonsInquiries]

Summer/Fall 2010 delivery? cool!! more good news for HC!!

[MasonsInquiries]

Summer/Fall 2010 delivery? cool!! more good news for HC!!

[hpal3]

Originally Posted by MasonsInquiries

Summer/Fall 2010 delivery? cool!! more good news for HC!!

The area along rt.32 and Dorsey Run is going to take off like a bat out of hell
With BRAC and the close proximity of NSA and Ft. Meade.

[hpal3]

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v...localnews&om=1

Brickyard mixed use goes Green, developer will recycle brick and concrete.