Columbia/Howard County Development News

[hpal3]

Concerns raised over development
Traffic, environment, historic site at issue in Route 32 housing
By June Arney | sun reporter
February 6, 2008

Environmental concerns, traffic-flow issues and potential damage to historically significant sites are among the concerns neighbors are raising to a proposed 264-unit housing development along the Middle Patuxent River at the edge of west Columbia.

Recent evidence indicates that the site of the proposed Riverdale project is near caves that might have been used by Harriett Tubman, the runaway slave who led hundreds of slaves to freedom, said Bridget Mugane, president of the Howard County Citizens Association.



But the project of Dale Thompson Builders Inc., slated for a 30-acre site at Cedar Lane and Route 32, is far along in the planning process.

"We encourage the developer to meet with the community and listen to them and to be a good neighbor, but at this moment in time, the opportunity for the neighbors to contest what is being developed legally is past," said Kimberley Flowers, deputy director for planning and zoning for Howard County. "It meets the zoning, it meets the subdivision regulations."



Negotiating room
Still, room for negotiation remains as the project moves forward, Flowers said.
"If it hasn't been built yet, it would seem to me that there's an opportunity between the property owner and the community to engage in discussions of how they can be in a mutually beneficial relationship," Flowers said.

Project plans came back from the developer Jan. 18, and the county Department of Planning and Zoning has 45 days from that date to send it back or to approve it, Flowers said.

Mugane's group finds it troubling that such a project is being contemplated at the edge of the river even as the Columbia Association is working to create a watershed plan.



'Very beautiful'
"It's just so counter to the public policies that have been put in place to protect the watershed," she said. "It's very beautiful. It's sort of a wilderness site. It's heartbreaking to see any development at all there - much less dense development."
No one from Dale Thompson Builders returned phone calls.

The Citizens Association continues to hold meetings to discuss the matter.

"We'd like to find a way to have this become a preservation parcel, or barring that, to reduce it to 140 rather than 262 units," Mugane said.

To Brian England of Hickory Ridge, who has walked the Little Patuxent environmental area for 20 years, the potential environmental implications of the proposed Riverdale development are a major concern.



'Sensitive area'
"That's a sensitive area because it's so near the river," said England, president of British American Auto Care. "At the moment, it's hard to get an idea of what's going on. It's where the river floods, and there are concerns about the flood plain. There's not enough information out there on the environmental impact."
England also is worried about a plan that he said would redirect traffic by funneling cars off Route 32 to a traffic light.

"I think that's crazy," England said. "You inconvenience everyone. I don't get how that's a solution."

Some have criticized the evolution of the project, which has enabled it to get larger through the years.



2004 plans
In 2004, a project proposed by developers Dale Thompson and Donald R. Reuwer called for 140 townhouses and a two-story office building on the site.
By moving a sensitive planning boundary, the project gained immediate access to more than 400 housing allocations in Columbia.

Without the zoning adjustment, the project would have to wait years because housing allocations in the southeastern district had been taken by the Maple Lawn, Maryland and Emerson developments.

[sdeclue]

Originally Posted by hpal3

WCI returns deposits on condo tower
By June Arney | sun reporter
February 1, 2008

WCI Communities Inc. has returned deposits to everyone with reservations for its Plaza Residences - the 23-story tower planned near the Columbia lakefront - while keeping the reservations intact, the company said in a statement this week.

"We appreciate their patience as we look forward to the continued successful development of the Plaza Residences," Robert H. Grabner Jr., vice president/senior project manager of the tower division of WCI Mid-Atlantic U.S. Region Inc., said in a statement. Grabner assumed responsibility for the Columbia project last month.



The glitzy Wincopin Circle showroom for the luxury condos is locked tight, and a sign at the front door announces that it is open by appointment only.

Barbara Byrd, who lives in the nearby Lakeside condos with her husband, was one of those surprised last week to receive a deposit check back from WCI.

"They said they thought it was unfair to hold our money any longer," she said Wednesday. "They said the soonest they could get anything going was mid-2009. I've been waiting since two developers ago for the project to get off the ground."

Byrd said her excitement when she first saw WCI clear the land quickly evaporated when she saw grass planted on it.

"It doesn't look like anything is happening now," she said.

Byrd said she expects the company will change the height of the proposed building.

"I think ultimately they want community goodwill, and so they might make some changes to their initial plan," she said of the project in which height has been an issue.

Her husband is eager to move into the proposed tower, but her enthusiasm has waned slightly, she said.

"Because it's been so long, I'm fairly comfortable where I am," she said. "I don't know how expensive they'll ultimately be."

The Plaza Residences are awaiting a Maryland Court of Special Appeals ruling regarding the appeal of the site development plan. No date for the hearing has been set, and one is not expected before June, according to the WCI statement.

"We remain very optimistic about the project," Grabner said in the statement. WCI was "particularly heartened" by the Jan. 16, Howard County Circuit Court decision dismissing the petition for judicial review, he wrote.

"The ruling to dismiss that petition is just the latest in a string of rulings that favor construction of the Plaza Residences," he said. "We believe the appeal that remains before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals will be similarly situated."

This month, Florida developer WCI announced that it had renegotiated an amendment to its revolver and term loan agreements to give it greater operating and financial flexibility in the lagging housing market.

"The company still has a rocky road ahead of it," Eric Landry, an analyst with Morningstar, wrote in a recent report.

The closure of the local sales office, except by appointment, is not surprising given the housing market, some say.

"It's an example right in our own community of the impact of the housing slump," said Del. Elizabeth Bobo, whose legislative district includes Town Center, where the tower is planned. "What I hear from people in the industry and related industries is that it's hitting the high-end market as hard as any others. It's a major local example of what's happening across the country."

Land for the tower project was acquired by the Rouse Co., which then was purchased by General Growth Properties Inc. That connection, the proximity to planned downtown development and WCI's financial struggles have fueled speculation that WCI and General Growth might make a deal in connection with the property. Some opponents of the project have asked that GGP buy the property back. But there is no evidence to support that such a deal is in the works.

"That transaction was between the Rouse Co. and WCI, and we really have no role in this issue," said Gregory F. Hamm, regional vice president and general manager of Columbia for General Growth Properties. "They lease space in our building, and we wish them the best. It's a very tough housing market."

Terrible news. I thought they had already begun site work for the building and now the earliest it will break ground is more than a year from now?

[hpal3]

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

This project is huge!

[MasonsInquiries]

Originally Posted by sdeclue

Terrible news. I thought they had already begun site work for the building and now the earliest it will break ground is more than a year from now?

yeah, i was furious when we recieved our deposit back. my wife really wanted to move in this place!!

[sdeclue]

Originally Posted by hpal3

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

This project is huge!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is the huuuuge swatch of land you can see right around 198 that's just off 95. Just huge plot of flat land that has already been cleared out. It's pretty amazing that nothing has been built so close to DC and so close to 95. Maybe even more amazing nothing will start there for another several years.

[sdeclue]

Originally Posted by MasonsInquiries

yeah, i was furious when we recieved our deposit back. my wife really wanted to move in this place!!

Sorry to hear that. It would have been a great place to live. Let's hope it still gets built and you can move in sometime in the relative near future.

[hpal3]

Originally Posted by sdeclue

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is the huuuuge swatch of land you can see right around 198 that's just off 95. Just huge plot of flat land that has already been cleared out. It's pretty amazing that nothing has been built so close to DC and so close to 95. Maybe even more amazing nothing will start there for another several years.

This project kicked off with the ICC. Site development is underway. The entire project will be bounded by Rt 198, Old Gunpowder Rd, parts of RT 1,
Virginia Manor Rd and Amendale Rd. Huge is an understatement!

[hpal3]

Williams-Sonoma opening in mall


02/14/08
By Mike Santa Rita

Email this story to a friend


Williams-Sonoma, a chain of kitchen and gourmet stores, is scheduled to open a store at the Columbia mall at the end of May, according to a company official.

The store is tentatively scheduled to open on the lower level of the mall, near Macy's, on May 31, said Karen Welsh, the project manager of new stores for Williams-Sonoma.

Welsh added that the opening date could change depending on construction schedules.

Williams-Sonoma's move to the mall would come almost five months after Bun Penny, an independent gourmet food store, closed its mall store Jan. 4, after more than 35 years of operation.

Owner Jeff Ditter said he closed the store because he could no longer afford the rent.

At the time he closed the shop, Ditter said that he had heard that Williams-Sonoma was coming to the mall though he did not know if the company was going to replace his store.

Kristi Betz, a mall spokeswoman, said Feb. 12 that Williams-Sonoma would open in a different location than the one Bun Penny rented.

Williams-Sonoma will join three other retailers that will open stores at the mall this spring, Betz said.

dELiA*s, which sells footwear, room furnishings, clothing and sports equipment aimed at teenagers, will open a 3,797-square-foot store March 15, on the mall's upper level, near Sears.

Also March 15, FACES Cosmetics will open a 783-square-foot store on the lower level of the mall, near JCPenney.

Pumpkin Patch, which sells children's clothing, will open a 6,095-square-foot store on the lower level, near Lord & Taylor, March 25.

[hpal3]

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

[hpal3]

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

[Silver Springer]

Deposits Refunded By Developer WCI
Columbia Luxury Condos Stalled

By Susan DeFord
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 7, 2008; Page HO03

Ellicott City resident Joan Abdallah thought she would be moving into her new condominium at the Plaza Residences this spring. Instead, the 22-story tower in Columbia remains unbuilt. And now Abdallah has her hefty deposit back.

The condominium's developer, WCI Mid-Atlantic U.S. Region, announced last week that deposits were being returned to people who had reserved units in the $60 million project and that its sales offices, in Columbia's former Exhibit Center Building, would be open only by appointment.

Reservations in the 160-unit project still will be honored, according to a statement by Robert H. Grabner Jr., vice president and senior project manager for WCI's tower division.

"We remain very optimistic about the project," he said.

But WCI Communities, based in Florida, has seen its fortunes decline rapidly as the housing market has eroded and WCI's debt burden grew precariously heavy. Last month, the company announced it had reached an agreement with its creditors to help it weather the real estate downturn, allaying fears that the company faced bankruptcy.

Construction was initially delayed as local opponents filed an array of appeals after the Planning Board's approval of the project two years ago. Two Howard County Circuit Court rulings have gone against opponents, who have appealed one of those decisions to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. A hearing will be scheduled in June, according to a clerk with the state court.

In recent months, there had been utility work on the 1.4-acre property near the intersection of Little Patuxent Parkway and Wincopin Circle. But earlier this week, there was no activity at the fenced site, and the ground was covered with straw. The sales office was dark, with unopened mail scattered in the lobby entrance.

Abdallah, a former educator, organized Fair Play Columbia to counter challengers of the project. She said she spoke regularly with WCI officials, and she endorsed the idea of the deposits being returned. At one point, she said, there were more than 80 reservationists in her group. But their numbers dropped as debate continued over the project.

"There were people who were saying the reservationists were not going to get their money back. That spin was out there," said Abdallah, who described her deposit as "more than $20,000." "I thought it would help the credibility of the company if the money was to be returned."

Gary Kaufman, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Micros Systems of Columbia, said that he received his $50,000 deposit on a penthouse suite and that WCI asked him to reconsider purchasing a unit if the project proceeds.

"To me, it's them being civilized," he said. "I look at it as a positive in dealing with that company."

Meanwhile, Abdallah is optimistic that someday she'll have an address in the high-rise.

"It's going to come," she said. "A number of us are still very committed to it."

[Silver Springer]

That tower is a beauty! By the way what is your favorite Howard County PUD?

Mine is Maple Lawn Maryland! The architecture in that development is a level that all developments should aspire to be at.

[hpal3]

Originally Posted by Silver Springer

That tower is a beauty! By the way what is your favorite Howard County PUD?

Mine is Maple Lawn Maryland! The architecture in that development is a level that all developments should aspire to be at.

You hit the nail on the head! I drove thru there the other day and I was amazed at how far along this development has come. Emerson would be my second favorite.

[MasonsInquiries]

Originally Posted by hpal3

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

yep, i'll be there too.

[hpal3]

Wow, Columbia has sticky status.

[hpal3]

Originally Posted by MasonsInquiries

yep, i'll be there too.

I'll look for you there. As April approaches I'll let you know what i will be wearing that night so you will recognize me.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by hpal3

You hit the nail on the head! I drove thru there the other day and I was amazed at how far along this development has come. Emerson would be my second favorite.

I recently took a short cut through Maple Lawn and was blown away. Where is emerson?

[hpal3]

http://www.emersoncommunity.com/index.html

Originally Posted by Huck

I recently took a short cut through Maple Lawn and was blown away. Where is emerson?

Emerson is closer to Savage than Columbia. It is visible from I-95, off of Gorman Rd.

[hpal3]

http://www.troutsegall.com/news/4_30_2007_1.html

This place has been here forever. I don't think I'll miss it though.

[hpal3]

http://www.handhrock.com/elkridge.html#

View page 2 for street level view of Elkridge Town Centre