Columbia Compass

HoCo Blogger Flashback

2011-11-01T10:56:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday night, my wife and I saw comedian John Oliver at the National Theatre in Washington DC. Just after we took our seats, Evan Coren stopped by to say hello.

The above picture was taken when Evan was the CA Board member from Kings Contrivance. In addition to being on the CA Board, Evan had the Howard County Blog. The blog has been inactive since 2009, and for good reason. Evan told me that he now lives in Downtown/Penn Quarter Washington DC. I think the blog post from Evan that I will always remember is the one that shows up if you follow the link to his blog. Evan had taken the time to conceive a comprehensive mass transit design for Howard County, complete with links to existing DC Metro lines and Baltimore. Now that he lives in DC, Evan told me that he had sold his car and uses the Metro for almost all of his transportation needs (hooray).

Evan, it was great seeing you, I hope I will have the chance to stop by and chat the next time I am in DC.

hocoblogs@@@

Prejudice Comes to New Town

2011-10-31T12:36:00.002-04:00

I think it has been said a million times, but let’s begin with a quick review. Columbia, Maryland was born with two basic premises: First, a town that is planned from its outset would result in a better city. Not a perfect Utopia, but a better place for people. Second, Columbia welcomes people from all races, religions, ethnicities, and economic means. Diversity is a strength within, and throughout, this community.

These foundation pillars were tested last week during a Zoning Pre-Submission Hearing conducted by the Howard Hughes Corporation. As reported by Explore Howard and Columbia Patch, long time resident and Town Center Village Board member Joel Broida was quoted as follows:

From Explore Howard:

"Putting in 817 units with rentals is like setting up a hotel," he said. "When you're a rental unit, you're transient. You do not become part of the neighborhood. Columbia is great, and I would hate to see it become a transient, hotel-like community."

From Columbia Patch:

Joel Broida, a Columbia resident since 1971, said he fears the bulk of 817 new residences could be rental homes.
Renters don't have the sense of investment in a community that homeowners have, Broida told Hughes officials.
"Renters don't have pride in the community," he said. "They aren't the ones to pick up that piece of paper someone dropped."

Sadly, the singling-out of people who live in apartments as undesirable was picked up, and expanded upon, by a few pseudonymoniuos commenters online.

It is rare that I ever hear someone that has lived most of their life in the Next American City voice such clear prejudice against any component of the community. And to clarify just how sharp this derogatory language is, let us try and remove the economic status veneer from his statements:

"Putting in 817 units with ~~rentals~~ [religious group]s is like setting up a hotel," he said. "When you're a ~~rental unit~~ [religious group], you're transient. You do not become part of the neighborhood. Columbia is great, and I would hate to see it become a transient, hotel-like community."

"~~Renters~~ [Ethnic group]s don't have pride in the community," he said. "They aren't the ones to pick up that piece of paper someone dropped."

I believe that Columbia must be open to all people. That is a promise made at its founding and it is a promise that our generation must uphold. To pursue a policy going forward that Columbia will only be open to people with the financial deep pockets to put 20% down on a mortgage and have high FICO scores will result in a fast track to gentrification.

I think it is imperative to state that folks that live in apartments are much like any other component in our community. They are mothers and daughters, sons and fathers. They are our co-workers, retired folks and veterans. They are teachers and doctors, nurses and accountants. They work for the government and private industry. They are janitors and corporate executives. They pay taxes and worship with us in faith. They dine in the same restaurants, they vote in the same elections, and they attend Zoning Pre-Submission Meetings. They should not be the subject of scorn based on the fears and hate of anyone, no matter how long he has lived in Columbia, no matter his position in the community.

hocoblogs@@@

Generation Investigation

2011-10-26T11:11:00.002-04:00

While exploring alternate methods to characterize the Howard County age demographic data, I came back to the paragraph in my earlier post that deals with rationalization of the young adult and senior populations. Throughout that paragraph are theories ascribed not to age groups, but to generations that exist in those age groups at that time.

Taking this cue, I turned to the word of Neil Howe and William Strauss. These two scholars led the field in generational theory. I found useful their identification of birth years for current generations and the nomenclature ascribed to each generation. According to Strauss and Howe, those generations present from 1970-2010 are as follows:

Because the Strauss and Howe generation definitions do not fall neatly into decennial increments, I had to slightly alter the generational definitions to allow for use with the Census dataset:

The next step was to apply these generational definitions to the Howard County Population age demographic data:

Collecting the data on a generational basis yields the following table and graph:

A quick note about the graph and table above. With 2010 as the exception, U.S. Census data typically does not track discrete age groups beyond 85-years old. Therefore, it is difficult to account for populations greater than 85. I am aware that there are more than a few people in Howard County that are near or actual centigenerians, and I for one am happy to have them in our communities. However, from a statistical standpoint, it is difficult to impossible to characterize their populations when constructing graphs in the 1000’s.

Taking the Broad View

Initial analysis of the Howard County population by generation chart shows some similarities to the previously discussed Howard County population by age group chart. In 1970 the generations were closely grouped (relatively speaking). In the year 2000, three population constituents (this time boomers, gen-x’s, and millennials) had almost identical population numbers. In 1970 a similar convergence is also present in the Population by Generation chart. In this year, the GI, Silent and Gen-X constituents each represented approximately 20% of the total county population. It is interesting that a similar convergence is not present in the Population by Age Group Chart.

But what is truly remarkable about this chart is how it is different from the age group chart. Recall in the age group chart that the middle aged and senior population constituents have experienced rapid positive growth over the last twenty years, while the youth and young adult growth was shown to be slower. In the generation chart, the roles are reversed. The Lost generation, born between the years 1883-1900 had long since peaked. The GI (1980), Silent (1990) and Boom (2000) generations have all shown a population peak and are in decline. Conversely, the Gen-X (13’rs to my friends in the know), Millennial, and Homeland generations have experienced positive upward growth.

The GI Generation (born approx 1901-1925)

In 1970, the 12,238 members of the GI Generation were between the ages of 45-69 and represented almost 20% of the county population. In 1980, the GI Generation (age 55-69) population peaked (13,029) as they began to dominate the Senior age group. Although this generation increased in population, their percentage of the total population dramatically decreased from 19.77% to 10.99% due to much faster growth of other generation populations.

Since 1980, the GI Generation has steadily declined in a concave-down characteristic. Today, the GI Generation (age 85-109) dominates the Meta-Senior age group and currently number 3,152 persons.

Silent Generation (born approx 1926-1940)

In 1970 the Silent Generation, age 30-44, occupy the upper portion of the Young Adult age group and are just beginning to populate the Middle Aged age group. At 13,841 persons, they are second only to the Boomers in size and represent 22.36% of the population. The Silent Generation increases its size by 50% over its 1970 population and grows to a size of 20,830 persons by 1980.

By 1990, the Silent Generation peaks at 21,443 persons and with an age range of 50-64, occupy the upper Middle Aged age group, with the eldest component of the generation entering the Senior age group. Since 1990, the Silent Generation population in Howard County has progressively declined as these members move into the Senior age group. Currently, the Silent Generation in Howard County is 15,123 persons strong and constitute 5.27% of the total population.

Boom Generation (born approx 1941-1960)

The Boom Generation is one of three generations that has come to dominate many aspects of life in Howard County. By 1970, Boomers were between 10-29 years old. At a size of 20,693, Boomers represented 33.42% of the total county population. From the period 1970-1990, the Boomer population grew with a near-linear characteristic (22,976 persons added 1970-1980 and 25,575 persons added 1980-1990) and over the twenty-year period grew faster than any other generation constituent. However, from the period 1970-2010, the Boomers have not had the fastest growth in any one particular decade.

In 1990, the Boomers were near their peak of influence in Howard County. Numbering 69,244 and ranging in age from 30-49, Boomers straddled the Young Adult/Middle Aged demarcation line and constituted 36.96% of the total Howard County population. This is the largest percentage of total population for any generation during the study period.

After 1990, Boomer population increased at a much slower pace and peaked in 2000 at 74,478 persons. Although this represents the zenith of Boomer population, it came with a 6% drop in percentage share of the total population due to the dynamic positive growth of younger generations. From 2000-2010, the Boomer population showed a population decline for the first time and a second 6% drop in total population percentage share. Today 1-in-4 Howard County residents is a Boomer.

Generation-X (born approx 1961-1980)

Gen-X provides a unique condition in that it is the only generation studied that the population is known in 1960. By 1970, the Gen-X’rs had increased from 0 to 13,023 persons. As stated above, Gen-X’rs (13,023), Silent (13,841), and GI (12,238) Generations all had nearly identical populations in 1970. During the 1970’s the Gen-X population growth was the fastest rate for the 1970’s and by the end of the decade the Gen-X population more than triples. Also of note is that by 1980 the Gen-X’rs solely occupy the Youth age group.

In 1980 1-in-3 Howard County residents is a Gen-X’r and the Gen-X’rs almost match the population of the Boom Generation (40,015 v. 43,669). Also of note is that the Gen-X population in 1980 was larger than the Howard County Lost, GI and Silent generations combined.

After 1980, Gen-X grows at a slower but near constant rate for the next three decades. From 1980-1990, Gen-X adds 16,034 people. In 2000, Gen-X owns the Young Adult age group and has added another 16,624 to achieve a generation population of 72,673 people. Between 2000 and 2010, Gen-X’rs begin to enter middle age and add 13,996 people despite soaring home prices and the economic downturn. In 2010 there were 86,669 Gen-X’rs living in Howard County.

Millennials (born approx 1980-2010)

The Millennials appear ten years into the study period. During their first decade in existence, the Millennials quickly become recognizable generation, ending the 1980’s with 29,262 persons. Compare this number with the size of Gen-X in 1970 (ten years after Gen-X began) – 13,023. In fact, the Millennial population growth rate was the fastest growth rate during the 1980’s; faster than the Gen-X’rs, faster than the Boomers. To be fair, there were a lot more households in Howard County during the 1980’s than in the 1960’s.

By the year 2000, the Millennials have more than doubled to 74,085 persons and now constitute 29.89% of the total Howard County population. As noted above, in the year 2000, the Boomers (74,478), Gen-X’rs (72,673) and Millennials (74,085) all had nearly identical populations. During the ‘00’s, the Millennials grew very slowly and added 1,174 people to the total Howard County population. In 2010, there were 75,259 Millennials in Howard County.

Homelands (born approx 2001-Present Day)

The Homelands have been with us for only a short time. Next year, the 1^st Homelands will enter middle school. Let’s hope a better name is given to this generation by then. From a population standpoint, in just one decade, the Homelands have arrived in much the same manner as the Gen-X’rs, and the Millennials. What is interesting about the Homelands is that after their first decade on earth (and Howard County) increased in population to 37,920.

Intermediate Conclusion

So what does all this mean? First, recall the Population by Age Group chart discussed in a prior blog post.

Compare the above chart with the chart that we have been discussing here.

The reason these two charts depict the same data differently is because they track the data differently over time. The Population by Age Group chart provides a set of signposts through time. It is a gatekeeper function. Said another way, it answers the question, “How many of a certain age have passed through at this time?” The Population by Age Group chart does an adequate job of “what” but provides little else.

With respect to the Population by Generation chart, the data is grouped by generation and then the generations are tracked over time. This provides the data in a different light. If the Population by Age Group chart provided a magnitude, the Population by Generation chart provides the direction.

Taken together, what these two graphs do is generate a lot of intriguing questions. For example, why is the “Young Adult” curve on the Age Group chart almost identical to the “Boomer” curve on the Generations chart, even though the Boomers were completely in the Middle Aged group by 2000? Why does the Age Group chart show the Senior and Meta-Senior curves increasing while the Generation chart shows the GI, Silent and Boomer Curves all decreasing?

In our next installment, we will take a look at some of these questions, and we will talk about housing units too. Stay tuned.

hocoblogs@@@

Who are we and how did we get here?

2011-10-24T10:46:00.001-04:00

The time immediately after the decennial census is filled with wonder and renewed uncertainty. One of the prime objectives of the census is redistricting, and the various maps generated at different levels of government have occupied many a blog post here in Howard County. One other byproduct of the Census is it helps us gain a greater understanding of our larger community. It can be used as a type of ruler, marking data at discrete times to show trends. It can also be used as a mirror, reflecting the various characteristics that make up the community.

It is in this spirit that I have been doing some digging. The U.S. Census Bureau released a trove of local 2010 Census data last August. Given the data found at the Bureau, I went on to the Maryland Department of Planning to compliment the data released in August. What follows here is my attempt at reconciling how Howard County has evolved since 1970.

Area of Agreement

The graph above shows Howard County total population from 1970 – 2010. Clearly, we have a lot more people here than we did in 1970. As far as the characteristic of the line, it is a near linear positive upward curve with an approximate slope of 5800. That is, averaged over the last forty years, Howard County has added approximately 5800 people per year.

Constituent Populations – How do you slice a pie that keeps getting bigger?

Where things get somewhat sticky is how the age-related Census data is broken down. Although completely anecdotal, I have heard at more-than-a-few public meetings various iterations of “Howard County is Aging Rapidly” (“there are as many residents over 65 as there are children in Howard County,” “sixty is the new forty,” among others). Conversely, as a parent of a school-age child (and one younger), I tend to keep an eye on school capacity, and those numbers are not declining. The reality is that all age groups have seen a dramatic increase over the last forty years.

Therefore, having no clear guidance on grouping of ages, I have (admittedly arbitrarily, but with a bent toward evenhandedness) collected Howard County population age groups by twenty-year increments (0-19, 20-39, 40-59, 60-79, and 80+). In addition, I also ascribed loose labels to each age group (youth, young adult, middle aged, senior, and meta-senior). Although the individual reader may take exception to the referenced labels contained herein, please keep in mind that these are the best I could come up with, and I am more than willing to entertain alternate naming standards.

The grouping of the Howard County population constituent age groups are depicted below both graphically and in tabular form.

Description by Decade

In 1970, the youth component is the dominant constituent in Howard County. Over 4 out of 10 Howard County residents is under the age of twenty. Young adults and the middle aged combine to make up half the county population and the seniors and meta-seniors collectively represent 8% of the county.

During the 1970’s all Howard County age groups see population increases. By 1980, the youth age group is overtaken by the young adults. The youth percentage share has decreased from 1-in-4 to 1-in-3 and the young adult constituent alone makes up nearly 37% of the population. Meanwhile, the middle aged, senior, and meta-senior constituents all more than double in size, but maintain hold their percentage of population (within 1%) of 28%, 7% and 1% respectively.

By the end of the 1980’s most of Columbia was built out and areas in western Ellicott City were seeing dramatic development (Turf Valley, Centennial Lane area, etc). Youth population grows at almost the same pace as during the 1970’s; however, the young adult constituent maintains its growth pace (at twice the growth rate of the youth constituent), and the middle aged population growth rate accelerates. So by 1990, the youth dominance retreats to about 28% of the total population, the young adult constituent gains a percentage point (now 37% of the total population) and the middle aged surge to now represent 1-in-4 people. Seniors almost double in population and meta-seniors also double, maintaining their 7% and 1% shares of the population, respectively.

In the 1990’s, growth expands along MD-103 and Montgomery Road corridors. River Hill development is underway. Waverly blossoms to the north. Middle aged growth rate (avg=2673 persons/year) bests the middle aged growth rate from the 1980’s (avg=2,230 persons/year). Youth population increases at a faster rate during the 1990’s than the previous two decades, while young adult population growth rate slows to a trickle, adding 2,401 persons for the entire decade.

The behavior of these three population constituents during the 1990’s culminated in the great Howard County population confluence. In the year 2000, according to the United States Census Bureau, the youth (74,085), young adult (72,673) and middle aged (74,478) population constituents all were within 1.5% of each other.

Also during the 1990’s, the Howard County senior population fell off the “doubling every decade” curve, but did add more persons during the decade (7,551) than during the 1980’s (6,079) and as a result increase their percent share of total Howard County population from just under 8% to 9%. Meta-seniors continue to double their population during the decade and stand 4,570 strong.

In the ‘00’s Maple Lawn is in full swing. Senior housing becomes an industry in Howard County. Infill development comes to the county. During the 1^st half of the decade, real property values (and corresponding housing prices) soar. By the end of the decade, a “correction” is underway. From the population convergence, the youth and middle aged population constituents continued to increase in size, although at a slower rate. The young adult population posted a slight negative growth, started the decade at 72,673 and ending at 69,804. The senior population increases significantly, from 22,036 to 38,032. This represents the 2^nd largest growth for the decade (middle age increase was larger). Seniors now represent 13% of the Howard County population. Meta-seniors also increase in size to 6,606 persons.

Initial Conclusion

For all the numbers over the decades, the key question here is what does it all mean? For the most part, the youth, middle aged, and meta-senior constituents have near-linear growth characteristics (although at different slopes) during the last forty years. With respect to young adults and seniors, both constituents demonstrate linear behavior over the first twenty years. After 1990, the young adult constituent growth is characterized by a concave down curve, while the senior population constituent is concave up.

The rationale behind the young adult and senior constituent behavior is less than clear. As far as I know, only speculative theories and hypotheses exist. It is a certainty that the construction of age restricted (55+) housing escalated with the introduction of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) in the early 1990’s and has progressed over the last twenty years. The shear bulk of the aging boomer generation also plays a part. Another popular theory is that the younger generations consciously choose the urban setting of the big cities in the region and hold low regard for the single family lots and cul-de-sacs that dominate much of Howard County’s housing stock. Lastly the economic booms and busts over the last two decades must be taken into consideration with respect to both seniors choosing to “age in place” and available housing options (and the ability to secure financing for said housing) for young adults.

As depicted in the graphs above, the Howard County age demographic trends are fairly clear and provide a basis for further analysis; however, the data is missing an important aspect. This aspect is imbedded in the evolution of norms over time and the changing characteristics that accompany youth, mid-age and retirement. Much as it is difficult to discern how well Sandy Koufax would pitch against Albert Pujols or Red Auerbach’s nine NBA coaching championships to Phil Jackson’s eleven NBA coaching championships; the young adults of the 1970’s were in many ways different than the young adults of today. As they say in the world of sports – “they are of different eras,” and that aspect cannot be conveyed by simple classification of age groups. Indeed, age groups serve as static markers that are scalar by nature. They depict a magnitude, but provide no indication of direction.

In the near future, I will provide an alternative analysis of Howard County population growth over the last forty years. Stay tuned.

hocoblogs@@@

CA Aquatics Makes a Virtual Splash with a New Online Commenting Tool

2011-07-28T15:51:00.000-04:00

So how is your summer going? Given the waves of heat that started before school ended and have recently come back with a vengeance I hope a few of you have been able to get out the Columbia Outdoor Pools. Concurrent with the hot weather, CA is working on the Aquatics Master Plan to improve the Indoor and Outdoor pool experience for the foreseeable future.

To their credit, CA has been reaching out to the public in a number of ways. As a few of you may remember, CA sponsored two public workshops in March 2011. CA created a resident-populated CA Aquatics Master Plan Task Force (yes, I am a member and no, we don’t have cool t-shirts or hats) that has been plumbing the depths of SWOT charts and providing feedback to CA staff. CA has engaged specific segments of the population in focus group sessions. In addition, CA maintains (and updates) a CA webpage that provides all the background data related to the CA Aquatics Master Plan process.

Today, the Columbia Association took another step in community outreach. They have put up on the web the Aquatics Commenting Tool (ACT) (Microsoft Silverlight required to view) This tool allows the community to provide comments specific to any aquatic facility (either indoor or outdoor) or comments that can apply to all outdoor pools.

I encourage the entire Columbia community to go to the site and comment often. However, I would like to provide a few personal observations. Keep in mind that the CA Aquatics Master Plan intends a long horizon. Comments should reflect what the community would like to see at a particular pool over the long term. Things like what activities or experiences the community would like to see. Programs that are missing or could be improved. Infrastructure (parking, bath houses, shade structures) and amenities that the community believes would improve attendance. Keep it classy.

I know that not everyone can attend meetings to express their views, so please use this tool to let your wishes and concerns be heard. The ACT website will remain active throughout the rest of the summer and will close on September 15, 2011. So take some time to visit and let your voice be heard!

hocoblogs@@@

“Walkable Urbanism” Event Leaves me Hungry for More

2011-06-09T22:59:00.000-04:00

On June 1, 2011, CA and HHC co-sponsored “21st Century Development Plans – How Will Columbia Measure Up?” at the Spear Center in downtown Columbia. HHC Vice-President John DeWolf, CA President Phil Nelson, and Brookings Institute Fellow Chris Leinberger walked an audience of almost 300 through the past 50 years of American real estate development and firmly laid the foundation for what is in store for the next 30 years. (To be fair, Mr. DeWolf and Mr. Nelson provided mostly introductory remarks and Mr. Leinberger did the heavy lifting, but the tone and content of John and Phil’s words set the stage for a great evening.)

Although at the time of this writing, there has been no coverage by traditional media sources (newspaper, TV, radio), the HoCo blogging community has really stepped up to report and comment on the event. Trevor Greene @ HoCoPolitico was first out of the box, with his personal observations posted just three hours after the event. On Thursday morning, HoCoRising provided his insight regarding one particular exchange during the event. And particular takes on the event were covered by Sarah Says, The Rocket Powered Butterfly, and HoCoConnect. However, the blog post by Frank Hecker is without a doubt the best first person account of the proceedings on Wednesday night. I urge anyone who was not in the room to visit his account of the meeting.

My personal observations of the event have evolved over the past few days. Let me be clear, Mr. Leinberger is a gifted presenter and easily held my attention of two hours. He presented powerful and complex concepts that explained how development occurred in the past and how it is changing going forward. I learned a lot on Wednesday night.

That being said, I have come to think that the event could have been, somehow, better. By better, I really mean deeper and localized to Columbia. For instance, Mr. Leinberger made use of clips from the 1985 movie “Back to the Future.” He asked the audience to focus on the built environment in the movie, from both the 1950’s and 1980’s. Putting aside the notion that downtown Hill Valley, both the 1955 and 1985, are caricatures of their time, his point was made. However, given the 30-year timespan in the movie, some historical photography showing downtown Columbia 30 years ago, juxtaposed with how downtown Columbia looks today, may have driven home the point that as Mr. Leinberger stated, “Columbia has flat-lined over the last thirty years.”

Staying with the built-environment-as-reflected-in-pop-culture theme, Mr. Leinberger also discussed how the built environment was portrayed through the years on television. Specifically, he showed clips of “I Love Lucy” and discussed how in the 1950’s the suburbs were depicted as the preferential place to live, whereas TV shows in the 1990’s depicted characters, such as those on “Seinfeld” living a walkable urban environment.

As a side note, Frank Hecker posits in his blog post (linked above) that the often-cited situation comedies Seinfeld, Friends, and Sex and the City “are manufactured images targeted at predominantly white middle-class consumers interested in the comedic and dramatic adventures of other white middle and upper-middle class consumers. Part of the Hollywood strategy here was to recast minorities from urban threats to background contributors to urban atmosphere.” To an extent, I agree with Frank’s comment; although I tend to include The Cosby Show and Living Single as part of the “walkable urban television shows.” Both were popular and supposedly located in Brooklyn, NY. In addition, there is popular support for the theory that Friends “borrowed” from the Living Single show.

One final point to make about pop culture and the built environment; I believe the pendulum has swung back toward drivable suburban in the small-screen landscape. Since the demise of “must see TV,” today’s sit-coms (Two-and-a-Half Men, Modern Family) are firmly planted in suburbia, replete with lots of driving to and from events (I swear, if Claire and Phil Dunphy’s Toyota Sienna minivan had a name, it would require a screen credit at the end of the show). Sex and the City was succeeded on HBO by The Sopranos, a show about a mob boss, in suburban New Jersey. Even Weeds was based on the premise of a widowed suburban housewife making ends meet through the drug trade, to the point that “Little Boxes” served as the show’s theme song. Once again, in most of these shows, minorities are sorely underrepresented.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, most TV crime dramas (principally the various CSI and recently defunct Law and Order franchises) are still played out in the urban environs, reinforcing the image of the city as a dangerous place; and yes the crime dramas are the 1970’s ideal of a societal melting pot when compared to the sit-coms mentioned above.

Hey, My Inner Geek is Screaming – What About the Data?!

Yes, this discussion surrounding the built-environment-as-reflected-in-pop-culture is great bar room chatter, but we should get back to the data. For instance, Mr. Leinberger displayed for the audience a “heat map” indicating the (per household) CO2 emissions in the Chicago area.

The story that the map tells is that walkable urbanized areas contribute far less to climate change (on a per-household basis) than the drivable suburban regions. It stands as an alternate portrait to the “green” pictures typically associated with the drivable suburban setting and the “brick and mortar” images associated with the walkable urbanized setting. I have no quibble with the imagery. It is clear that when viewed on a per area basis, central cities produce a lot of pollution. When viewed on the per capita (be it per person, per household, etc) basis, walkable urban demonstrates itself to be the better bargain.

Showing a map of Chicago provides a great example in the abstract. Supporting the theory with local data would have driven the point home for those in the audience. As a matter of fact, the folks that created the Chicago maps (and friends of Mr. Leinberger), the Center for Neighborhood Technology, have also put together a web site that allows the user to do display similar data for much of the United States.

The picture below was taken from this website and can be obtained by centering the map on Columbia and zooming in to the bounds of the city. The areas on the map depict the amount of CO2 emissions on a per household basis. Much of Columbia is a deep shade of red, indicating that on a per household basis, these parts of Columbia put out more than 8.6 metric tons of CO2 each year. If you live inside LPP (Clary’s Forest), Faulkner Ridge, Bryant Woods, Fairway Hills, Talbott Springs, the Treeover section of Jeffers Hill, Locust Park, Huntington, or inside Cradlerock Way (Owen Brown), the per household emissions in your neighborhood are between 6.5-8.6 metric tons per year. Lastly, if you live in Vantage Point or Governor’s Grant (both in Town Center), the per household emissions are between 5.1-6.5 metric tons per year.

What is also interesting about this map is the large swaths of white. These areas of Columbia are more recognizable by their names; Columbia Mall, Oakland Ridge ~~Industrial~~ Business Park, Gateway. What they all have in common is that there are no (or very few) households in these areas, once again reinforcing the single use zoning prevalent in Howard County and Columbia.

In addition to the fine work done by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, a consortium of universities and government agencies have come together to create a CO2 database for the entire nation. Whereas the Center for Neighborhood Technology maps displayed CO2 emissions from automobiles, the Vulcan maps consider all man-made sources of CO2 emissions (note, Google Earth plugin required to view map). The database is searchable down to the county level. I will leave it up to the reader to compare Howard County’s numbers to surrounding districts. Suffice it to say, more than half our CO2 emissions come from Onroad Transportation.

Is There More Data to Consider?

Yes! Later in Mr. Leinberger’s lecture, he was describing the different types of walkable environments and stated that the Washington DC area had the largest concentration of walkable environments in the nation. He specifically highlighted development in Arlington County, VA along the Wilson Boulevard corridor.

One of the interesting numbers Mr. Leinberger provided was that the Wilson Boulevard corridor is about 2.5% of the land mass in Arlington County and 55% of the property taxes collected. It would have been helpful at this point in his lecture to discuss the work done by Peter Katz, the Sarasota County (FL) Director of Smart Growth (). Mr. Katz’s work falls right in line with the Mr. Leinberger statement, but also goes much further. Mr. Katz’s analysis was reported by Mary Newsom @ Citiwire as follows:

Indeed, that three-quarters of an acre of in-town urban-style (14- to 16-story) development is worth more property tax revenue than a combination of the 21-acre WalMart Supercenter and the 32-acre Southgate Mall. Even a mid rise (up to about seven stories) mixed use building brings in $560,000, and the low rise (up to three stories with residential over retail) brings in over $70,000 per acre — more than three times the return of Southgate Mall.

And,

Still, evidence is piling up of the benefits of compact, in-town development compared with auto-centric greenfield development. With a smaller carbon footprint, it’s kinder on the environment. It’s kinder on residents’ waistlines, too, as they’re likely to walk more and drive less. And now there’s evidence it’s kinder to government coffers, as well. And that’s an attribute worth some serious attention.

If this data was presented in conjunction with the Arlington County data provided by Mr. Leinberger, the point becomes clear: Throughout the country walkable urbanism is providing significant additional revenue to the local governments in the form of increased property taxes.

One last thing about Arlington, VA. Without a doubt, urban planners, government officials and environmentalists have often times praised the development around Metro stops in Arlington as good urban design. As Mr. Leinberger said, “To do walkable urbanism right, Columbia needs to understand what is going on in Arlington.” And I get that. I have read and understand the concepts. What I would like to see are the hard numbers. I would like to see a progression of traffic studies, from about 1995 to present day, depicting traffic conditions on Wilson Boulevard, Clarendon Boulevard, Fairfax Drive, Glebe Road, and Washington Boulevard. I would like to see the US Census Journey to Work data, from 1990, 2000 and present day (in its American Community Survey form) showing any difference in “County-to-County workflows,” average commuting time, the percentage of people using mass transit, the number of people that drive alone, and the number of vehicle miles traveled. This would go a long way to “understanding Arlington.”

Quarters, Dollars, and Dreams that Evolve

One of headline-grabbing quotes from Mr. Leinberger prior to his lecture was his assertion that “If Washington had been located 20 miles farther south of Columbia, the master-planned community would have failed.” I found this to be an interesting flip on history. It is my recollection that the Rouse Company bought up land in Howard County because it was between Baltimore and Washington. Sure, stating that building a planned community is fraught with risk and that failure was a real possibility is certainly within the bounds of discussion, but to extend those statements to ignore the initial conditions is just plain irresponsible.

During his lecture, Mr. Leinberger spoke to this aspect under the a larger discussion of the “favored quarter.” The favored quarter, as it applies to Baltimore is well described by Myron Orfield in his 1997 paper, Baltimore Metropolitics: a Regional Agenda for Community and Stability (pdf):

The “favored quarter” (a term coined by real estate consultants) dominates regional economic growth and garners a disproportionate share of the region’s new roads and other developmental infrastructure. Its housing markets are highly restrictive, its social needs small and often declining. However, it has too few local workers for local jobs and traffic congestion that cannot be solved by new highways. In the low social need sector growing communities corner the market in low-density executive housing and/or business tax base with low service requirements. Fiscal zoning is the process by which communities zone or plan to develop expensive housing and/or commercial-industrial property with low service demands so as to increase their tax base per household and keep their costly social need (and taxes) down.

Christopher Leinberger and his colleagues at Robert Charles Lesser and Co. (RCL & Co.), one of the most successful real estate consulting firms in the country, have made a great deal of money locating for businesses the “favored quarter” in a given metropolitan area.42 These quarters are developing suburban areas that have mastered the art of skimming off the cream of metropolitan growth, while accepting as few metropolitan responsibilities as possible. RCL & Co. look for areas with concentrations of housing valued above $200,000, high-end regional malls, and the best freeway capacity. As these communities grow affluent and their tax base expands, their exclusive housing market actually causes their relatively small local social needs to decline.

In the Baltimore region, Leinberger’s favored quarter is the tract of land that surrounds Interstate 83, in the Towson area and north into central Baltimore County. This favored quarter includes places just to the north of Baltimore that we have identified as areas with high tax base and low social need; such as Towson, Luthersville-Timonium, and Mays Chapel. Leinberger also identifies two secondary favored quarters as being the Owings Mills and the White Marsh areas. The area of White Marsh has also been identified in our study as a low social need place. These secondary areas may become more important in future years as the I-83 favored quarter north of Baltimore is held back by strict zoning ordinances and limited available infrastructure.43 In addition to these favored quarters identified by Leinberger, using similar techniques, our study has identified other places of low social need, predominantly located in Howard and Anne Arundel Counties.

I believe that the favored quarters in the Washington DC and Baltimore regions (and the success of Columbia) are tied to, and in service of, the American Dream. Mr. Leinberger touched on this early in his lecture. He spoke of the American Dream, and how it has changed over time. In early American (United States) history, the American Dream was tied to an agrarian ideal. As Mr. Leinbeger stated, “40-acres and a mule” were enough for a family to provide for itself.

As the manufacturing, industrial and transportation industries matured during the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, the American Dream evolved into the suburban ideal. It was during this maturation period in which the foundation of the favored quarter was laid in Baltimore and Washington DC. In Baltimore, the Jones Falls that runs through the city proved to be a beneficial site for early mills. With any industrialized waterway, the affluent area was predominantly upstream, given, among other things, cleaner water. In addition, upland regions were desirable to the affluent because they could escape the heat of the city during the summer months. In Washington DC, the creation of the C&O canal and later the railroad created the transportation infrastructure for the well-to-do seeking relief from the city. From these initial beginnings, the favored quarters evolved into the areas we know today.

It is also worth mentioning the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act of 1924 (and revised in 1926). This landmark legislation was produced by the Department of Commerce under the guidance of then Secretary Herbert Hoover. This act provided for the separation of land uses and accelerated the transformation of the American Dream in which the place of residence is separate and distinct from the place of work.

With respect to Columbia, let me refer back to Mr. Leinberger’s opening remarks. At the beginning of the evening, Mr. Leinberger praised the work of Columbia’s founder Jim Rouse and stated that he was ahead of his time. Although Mr. Rouse failed to persuade the United States Patent and Trademark Office to locate within Columbia, the city’s regional proximity to the National Security Agency, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, the Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Social Security Administration provided ample employment opportunities. Each of these facilities either opened or dramatically expanded during the 1960’s. In particular, the types of jobs at these facilities; analysts, engineers, scientists, technicians, physicists and other degreed professionals were what I believe are the seeds of what Richard Florida has called the "Creative Class.” In this way, intended or not, a generation of Columbia residents prospered in a way that wasn’t even defined until thirty years later. Mr. Leinberger’s favored quarter discussion is valid within the context of regional manufacturing and industrial legacies; however, in the current information age and the emerging experiential age, the thinking will have to change. To be fair, Mr. Leinberger did hint at this rethinking during his discussion.

All things considered, it has been more than a week since the meeting, and I’m still buzzing. As I said on Twitter the next day, “I laughed, I learned, and I start this day with renewed hope.” Part of this renewed hope is that we will have more of these type events in the near future. On that note, I have one last request. I hope that in future meetings, CA and HHC can provide some sort of babysitting on site so that young families can attend. Doing so will open up the number of people that can attend, and that can’t be a bad thing.

Stop What You are Doing, and Listen

2011-05-26T11:14:00.001-04:00

I was listening to the Maryland Morning program yesterday morning on WYPR (88.1 FM). On Wednesday mornings, the program features a segment called “Connecting Family with Meredith Jacobs.”

Yesterday’s segment was one of those stories that the folks in the public radio realm refer to as a “driveway moment.” As in, the story is so good; you will sit in your driveway to listen to the whole story before removing your car key from the ignition.

The subject of this segment was Meredith’s reflections on summer swim team. I’m pretty sure Meredith does not live in Columbia, but the description of her experience with her child’s summer swim team would be easily recognized by the more than 2000 Columbia Summer Swim League members and their families. She accurately describes the social interactions between swimmers, and between parents (aka “Jamie’s mom” or “Alex’s dad”); the team camaraderie, the individual achievement.

All said, it was a joy listening and reflecting on my own experience as a swimmer and as the parent of a swimmer. It should be required listening for all parents of school age kids in Columbia (or anywhere there is an active summer swim team program). So if you have kids, or were once a swimmer, take a listen.

Click to Listen: “Connecting Family with Meredith Jacobs” – Summer Swim Team

Columbia Summer Swim League practice starts next Tuesday at your local neighborhood pool. If you or your child is at all motivated by this, I look forward to seeing you at the pool on Saturday mornings. Go Wilde Lake Watercats!!

Columbia Demographics 1990-2009 – Useful Eye Candy

2011-05-16T09:57:00.000-04:00

To help better understand demographic change, I have taken the time to put together a map that helps depict the changes in Columbia, MD. Shown below is a map of most of Columbia. My apologies to the folks in Dorsey’s Search north of MD 108, the US Census boundaries in your area do not match up easily, and it would take me weeks to put together the numbers in your neighborhood.

For the remainder of Columbia, I have outlined the year 2000 Census Tracts that comprise the city. If you click on a section of the map, it will display the name of the neighborhood and the total population for that area in 1990, 2000, and 2009 (estimate). In addition, each pop-up window includes the statement “click here for details.” I encourage everyone to “click here.” By doing so, it will direct you to a spreadsheet that displays the detailed demographic data for the geographic area and in many parts of the city, it tells an interesting story. For instance, the Columbia Association is concerned about the decline of those 21-54 years old in Columbia. In the Hopewell neighborhood, this age group has seen a 40% drop (estimated), but attendance at the Hopewell pool is one of the best in the city. This is just one example of the dynamic changes occurring throughout the city over the last twenty years.

It is important to note here that the 2009 data is an estimate, and at times carries a large margin of error. The US Census Bureau is releasing state 2010 Census demographic data throughout this month. When the new 2010 data becomes available, I will update the map and spreadsheets.

Also, in the lower left corner of each spreadsheet, shaded in blue, the limited data from the 2010 Census can be found. I encourage you to look at it. In many cases, the 2010 Census data does not correlate with the 2009 estimates.

Coming up soon: Let’s look at CA Aquatics Pool Attendance Data!

Diving into CA Aquatics Demographics

2011-05-15T08:43:00.000-04:00

So it’s been more than a few weeks since the Columbia Association Aquatics Department kicked off its Master Planning Process (http://www.columbiaassociation.com/aquaticsmasterplan/), and to be frank, there is something about the numbers presented that have been bothering me. The first thing that put me on the path of unbelievably ridiculous research was a slide that CA put up during their master planning workshops. The slide (pdf – Slide 18) entitled “How Much Does it Cost?” detailed the capital costs of pools over the lifetime of Columbia. The first pool listed is the Bryant Woods Pool. It was built in 1968 for a cost of $41,000. The last pool on the list is River Hill Pool. It was built in 1995 for a cost of $1.2M.

The implication was that the cost to construct pools has increased dramatically over the years. I had a problem with this for several reasons. First, the Bryant Woods Pool is a six-lane, rectangular pool with (by today’s standards) an undersized diving well and an adjacent wading (baby) pool. The hot tub at Bryant Woods was part of an upgrade and built in the 1980’s. The River Hill Pool is an eight-lane pool with beach entry, the site also includes a spray structure in the beach entry area, a snack bar, shade structures, a beach volleyball court and hot tub. Even the baby pool has a spray mushroom. By comparison, I believe that both the men’s and women’s bath house at Bryant Woods could fit inside a single side (sex) of the River Hill bath house. In other words, it is difficult to compare a base model 1968 Dodge Dart, with bias tires, lap seat belts, drum brakes, no air-conditioning and AM radio with a top-of-the-line Lexus; with anti-lock brakes, airbags, multi-disc CD player, leather all-around, sunroof, and thousands of goodies at the high end.

Secondly, it occurred to me during the public workshop meeting that when the Bryant Woods Pool was constructed in 1968 for $41,000, the houses surrounding the pool were selling for about $27,000 (admittedly some more, some less). When the River Hill Pool was constructed in 1995 for $1.2M, the houses in River Hill were selling for about $500,000 (admittedly, some more, some less). From this point of view, it appears that pool construction costs have gone up, but have roughly remained at pace with the cost of constructing houses (and yes, like the BW v. RH pool scenario, there are dissimilarities in the housing stock amenities, but they do trend with the type of pool in each neighborhood. In other words, if a house of the style found in Bryant Woods was built in River Hill, it would cost less; however, if the pool in River Hill was a rectangular pool without the bells and whistles, it would cost less too).

Lastly, and this is where CA could be most helpful, it would be beneficial to understand how much of the capital budget the Bryant Woods Pool consumed in 1968 and how much of the capital budget the River Hill Pool consumed in 1995. CA would have to provide the numbers, but given the number of lien payers in 1968 (approx 2,000) v. 1995 (> 76,000) (and the resultant $0.75 per hundreds assessed paid), I believe the River Hill Pool constituted a smaller portion of the capital budget than the Bryant Woods Pool.

For the reasons stated above, I think CA Aquatics was a little misleading about “How much it costs.”

Hey! We’re (Still) Here!

Another set of data that didn’t seem quite right to me can be found on the Columbia Association – Aquatics Master Plan web page. Under the title “Existing Conditions and Trends,” the following passage can be found:

Built and upgraded over 40 years, Columbia's inventory of aquatics facilities are aging and require investment to continue to offer programs and amenities that meet user expectations.

At the same time, Columbia's demographic trends show that our population is aging - the median age today is almost 40 years old, whereas it was 32 in 1990. In addition, residents in their prime child-rearing years (aged 21 to 54) have decreased as a proportion of the population from almost one-half of the population in 1990 to one-third of the population today.

To understand and respond to these and other trends, the Columbia Association is undertaking a master plan to set the framework for future capital investments and programs to keep our aquatics program strong and to make sure investments are made wisely.

The above paragraphs paint a pretty dramatic picture. It portrays Columbia, broadly speaking, as getting older. To an extent, this is true. I checked the median age numbers at the U.S. Census and they are correct. The median age in Columbia is increasing.

What is troubling is the second piece of data: “In addition, residents in their prime child-rearing years (aged 21 to 54) have decreased as a proportion of the population from almost one-half of the population in 1990 to one-third of the population today.” To be kind, this is a 100% factually untrue statement.

I looked up the Columbia demographic data over at the United States Census webpage; first the 1990 and 2000 decennial Census data, and then the data from the 2009 American Community Survey. Note: The 2009 American Community Survey is an estimate conducted by the US Census Bureau. The 2010 Census decennial demographic data (say that five times fast) has not been released for Maryland. It is expected to be released within the next two weeks.

As shown below, the 1990 Census data indicates people aged 21-54 made up 60% (not 50%) of the population. Over the last 20 years, this age cohort has seen a decline to 50% (estimate) of the population. This 10% decline over 20 years is a much slower rate than the 17% decline offered by the Columbia Association Aquatics Department.

What is most interesting about the Columbia demographic data is that yes, as a proportion of the total population, those aged 21-54 have seen a decline; however, for twenty years the total number of people has remained remarkably constant. The realization for the Columbia Association isn’t that 45,495 people in 1990 constituted 60% of the population or that 45,236 (estimate) in 2009 constituted 50% of the population. What is most important is that 45,000 people, most likely lien payers and membership owners don’t take kindly to being marginalized by some “fuzzy numbers.”

Taken at face value, the (factually incorrect) demographics above paint one picture, but they do not reveal the total picture. I am very concerned that CA is approaching this based on proportionality. I think it is wrongheaded thinking. It whispers “divide and conquer.” This position is similar to the “how much does it cost” statement by CA above.

Most other institutions do not use the proportionality argument. Hypothetically, if eighty kids need to be bused to a local elementary school, the public school system provides buses for them. If at some time in the future there becomes a dramatic increase in need for busing at the high school level, but eighty kids still need to be bused to the elementary school, the school system provides more buses. They don’t say to the elementary school parents, “you know, as a proportion of the total bus rider population, the elementary school kids have declined, so we’re going to cut off their service to the elementary school.”

Now is the time for the Columbia Association to get back on the right track. It is time for the Columbia Association to commit, loudly and clearly, to providing (at a minimum) the amenities and services that were available over the last twenty years because the population that wants these services has not changed over the last twenty years. The Columbia Association should also embrace the change that comes with a growing senior population, but not at the expense of others in the community.

John and David

2011-05-09T13:31:00.000-04:00

As the Columbia community begins to settle in with its new (insert your own “relationship analogy” here: partner, step-dad, drummer, etc..), John DeWolf; it may be instructive to look broadly at Howard Hughes Corporation. This morning, HHC announced David Striph as the Senior Vice President position for its Hawaiian assets.

This announcement is significant because, although half-a-world away, the HHC (nee GGP) owned Ward Centers, located in Honolulu’s Ala Moana District has progressed on a roughly parallel track with Columbia, Maryland. During the mid-2000’s, then GGP embarked on a master planning process for both Columbia and the Ward Centers. In each case, GGP needed zoning changes to realize the master plans. In Hawaii, the Ward Center master plan was submitted to the Hawaii Community Development Authority.

Subsequent meetings generated dozens of supporters and many that opposed the Master Plan. To get a bit of the flavor surrounding the master plan, here is a report from the October 16, 2008 Honolulu Star Bulletin:

There were people both in support and opposition to the plan, which demolishes most of the existing buildings at Ward over the next 20-plus years, transforming the skyline with up to 4,300 more residential units in the form of mid- and high-rises throughout the 60-acre neighborhood.

[A] group calling itself the Kakaako Coalition held a rally at Sheridan Community Park an hour and a half before yesterday's public hearing.

Carrying signs and wearing red T-shirts, the group's position was that HCDA should require an environmental impact statement and traffic study before considering approval of the plan.

[M]any stakeholders were concerned as well about preserving open space and view planes, which could be blocked by high-rises along Ala Moana.

In addition, Frierson said, the neighborhood needs more affordable housing and fewer upscale projects targeting second-home owners.

Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?

Moreover, the Hawaii Community Development Authority approved the zoning (8-1) in January of 2009 and the Howard County Council approved local Columbia zoning (5-0) in February 2010.

Another interesting point to consider is that although the Ward Centers is on 1/10^th the land of Downtown Columbia (60 acres v. approx 600 acres in Maryland), the magnitude of development is fairly similar. In the press release announcing John DeWolf, the Downtown Columbia project is described as follows:

Columbia Town Center has an approved master plan to create up to 13 million square feet of mixed-used development. The plan includes up to 5,500 residential units, approximately one million square feet of retail, approximately five million square feet of commercial office space and 640 hotel rooms.

Whereas the Ward Centers described in the HHC press release for David Striph are described as:

Ward Centers is comprised of approximately 60 acres situated along Ala Moana Beach Park and is within one mile of Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. Ward Centers currently is a 550,000-square-foot shopping district containing six specialty centers and over 135 unique shops, a variety of restaurants and an entertainment center, which includes a 16-screen movie theater. In January 2009, the Hawaii Community Development Authority approved a 15-year master plan, which entitles a mixed-use development encompassing up to 9.3 million square feet, including up to 7.6 million square feet of residential (4,300 units), five million square feet of retail and four million square feet of office, commercial and other uses.

So is there any insight into Howard Hughes Corporation, given that they announced the hiring of two men (yes, I noticed that too) to carry out two master planned developments in the span of four days? The jury is out (being that hiring announcements are a bit formulaic), but there are some clues in each announcement.

The introductory paragraph in each press release emphasizes the accomplishments of each Senior Vice-President. For comparison, here is the background on John DeWolf:

Mr. DeWolf brings over 30 years of real estate experience to his new role. Most recently, Mr. DeWolf ran his own consulting practice leading real estate strategy, portfolio management and start-up guidance for multi-billion dollar businesses. Mr. DeWolf was Executive Vice President Real Estate/Strategic Initiatives for New York & Company where he oversaw the addition of 225 stores, the closing of 100 stores, and downsizing of over 250 stores. Additionally, as head of strategic initiatives he managed the development of two accessory store concepts and four new store prototypes. Previously, Mr. DeWolf had senior leadership roles with New England Development, Woolworth Corporation and The Disney Stores, Inc.

And the background on David Striph:

An industry veteran, Mr. Striph has financed and managed over two billion dollars worth of real estate assets during his career, including mixed-use, retail and high-end residential projects. Prior to joining Howard Hughes, Mr. Striph served as Senior Managing Director at Westmount Realty Capital, a Dallas, Texas-based real estate investor. Mr. Striph was also Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group, Vice President at Fremont Investment & Loan, and President of Amresco Capital Trust.

In addition, each press release provides complimentary quotes from Howard Hughes Corporation Leadership. John DeWolf receives the following from HHC CEO David Weinreb:

"The Maryland Communities, Landmark and West Windsor are important strategic assets for the company. John brings the acumen and experience necessary to ensure that the full potential values of these key assets are realized, ” David R. Weinreb, Chief Executive Officer of The Howard Hughes Corporation, stated. “John’s appointment is a clear example of our dedication to identifying the best leaders for our management team, and our commitment to the time and exploration necessary to find the ideal leaders for each vital role.”

While David Striph is the recipient of accolades from Weinreb and HHC President Grant Herlitz:

"David’s multi-faceted background in commercial real estate makes him the ideal leader for our assets in Hawaii,” stated Grant Herlitz, President of The Howard Hughes Corporation.

“Ward Centers is a key example of the untapped value within The Howard Hughes Corporation’s portfolio. We have the approvals to redevelop the property with up to 9.3 million square feet of mixed-use development,” stated David R. Weinreb, the company’s Chief Executive Officer. “This opportunity has the potential to include thousands of residential units with unobstructed ocean views and to materially enhance the property’s retail presence.”

In the end, it is all too early to make any judgments about either executive, but it will certainly be interesting the observe the trajectory of both projects as each of these individuals fulfill their roles in their respective communities.

Election Editorial Response

2011-05-08T10:34:00.001-04:00

When my copy of the Columbia Flier arrived on my driveway early Thursday morning, I expected coverage of the recently completed Columbia elections. A piece by Sara Toth on fellow Wilde Lake resident (and elected Wilde Lake Village Board member) Regina Clay has been up on the Explore Howard website for a few days. Sara does a decent job covering the bases, but I was really insulted by the editorial regarding the Columbia Elections. The editorial begins as follows:

Stop us if you've heard this one.

Eight years ago in this space we called upon the Columbia villages to put their heads together and standardize their election rules. It didn't happen.

Y’know, I love it when any entity gets up in front of the community and says “We told you to do something about this eight years ago,” and then for eight years does nothing to improve the situation. It just shows the level of community commitment and professionalism in the organization.

Moreover, Explore Howard whitewashes a lot of Columbia election/Governance history between the 2^nd and 3^rd sentences quoted above. So to help set the record straight, let’s look at what did happen.

1^st, the history

It is a well-known fact that the differences between Villages on Columbia Election Day exist because voter eligibility is derived from the Covenants in each Village. The Covenants vary from Village-to-Village, but the one thing that is constant is there exists a high bar to change the Covenants. For example, the Wilde Lake Covenants can only be changed “by execution of an instrument signed by not less than 90% of the lot owners.” So to change voter eligibility from “lot owners and tenants” to “all residents over the age of 18” would require 2,357 lot owners (90% of 2618 dwelling units. (Source, Columbia Association 2011 Public Information Guide, p. 23) to sign a petition (or similar) to approve the change.

The term of office also varies by Village. Some Villages have two-year terms. Some Villages have one-year terms. The term of office is not in the Covenants, it is spelled out in the Village Articles of Incorporation (aka Charter). Again, using Wilde Lake as an example, the terms of office are as follows:

Beginning with the first annual meeting of the Association to be held on or before march 1, 1968, the members, at each such annual meeting, shall elect five (5) directors, at least two of whom shall be elected from among the membership of the Association, each for a term of one year.

It also states:

“The members of the Association shall in each year elect from among the members thereof a representative to serve a one year term as a member of the Columbia Council.”

Now, amending the Articles of Incorporation requires first an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the Board of Directors (Village Board) and a majority of the members entitled to vote. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 1310 property owners and renters that would need to approve the change.

Now the intention here is that neither the Covenants nor the Articles of Incorporation are easy to change. What has become the accepted “wisdom” is that it is nearly impossible to change either document.

Fast Forward to 2003

Let’s recall the events that provoked the Explore Howard editors all those years ago to call “upon the Columbia villages to put their heads together and standardize their election rules.” Back in the Spring of 2003, then Howard County Councilperson David Rakes went to the Long Reach polling place (Stone House) to vote. Mr. Rakes had previously lived in Oakland Mills, but within the last year rented an apartment in Long Reach. Given that he was a renting an apartment, he was asked to provide a copy of his lease as proof of residence. In a related article , Mr. Rakes stated, “This is nothing but a false barrier; it's discriminatory." In the same edition of the Columbia Flier, the editors cobbled together an editorial that lamented the low voter turnout (this time Hickory Ridge did not reach a quorum) and the Rakes controversy. Toward the end of the editorial, they stated:

“We call for an assembly of village officials _ a constitutional convention, if you will _ to establish in time for next year's village elections uniform rules governing the voting process that remove as many barriers to participation by residents as possible.”

Now for those whom have the time and energy, “standardize their election rules” (2011) does not exactly comport with “uniform rules governing the voting process that remove as many barriers to participation by residents as possible;” (2003) but we are going to stick to broad principles here.

The Last Great Governance Discussion

After the 2003 Columbia elections, the idea of election reform was not ignored. In fact it was a topic of discussion amongst every Village Board. Residents provided input. Boards discussed how to change the unchangeable (Covenants). Exo-Covenant and Supra-Covenant ideas were put forth and debated. Lawyers were consulted. The last great covenant discussion was unearthed and discussed at length. Ultimately, the Columbia Association electeds convened a second Governance Committee, whose only task was to study election reform. This committee studied four different reform proposals, took input from residents and village board members, and issued a report that can be found here: NOTE: links to appendices do not work.

The result of all this input was filtered through the Columbia Council/CA Board of Directors. There was general acceptance that Village Board elections were locked in by the Covenants and Articles of Incorporation of each Village and could not be changed. The CA Board endorsed a plan in which Columbia residents would participate in two simultaneous elections. Elections for Village Board and Columbia Council Representative would proceed as they always have. But every other year, all village residents over the age of 18 would also vote for Village representation on the CA Board of Directors. Technically, this would achieve a standardized election for the CA Board of Directors. Residents in Dorsey's Search, Kings Contrivance, Long Reach, River Hill and Wilde Lake would vote in odd-numbered years, while those in Harper's Choice, Hickory Ridge, Oakland Mills, Owen Brown and Town Center would vote in even-numbered years.

Under this arrangement, the elected CA Board of Directors would be charged with carrying out the business of the Columbia Association, while the elected Columbia Council Representative would either be the same person (assuming they ran for both positions) or would be a “figurehead.” This is the “2005 endorsement” that is mentioned in this week’s Explore Howard editorial.

To try and rectify any loose ends, CA’s legal staff created a “compact” to be signed by all the Village Board and Columbia Association. Ultimately, this proposal was met with much resistance by many actors. The Alliance for a Better Columbia exercised much hand waving and worried about potential lawsuits from corporations that would no longer have the same voting rights. Villages currently under the one vote per property regime bristled at the prospect of having to maintain two sets of voter rolls.

Ultimately election reform collapsed under the weight of opposition, and the status-quo remained.

The Straw Man

Getting back to present day, the Explore Howard editors offer a straw man argument for poor election results:

It's a mobile society, and it's not uncommon for Columbia residents to move from one village to another. Young couples move from apartments to single-family houses. Empty-nesters downsize. Sometimes these crossover Columbians get blind-sided by a shift in the rules.

I have tried to find the source of this story and after some extensive searches on Explore Howard, the earliest mention I came across was in 2003 by then Columbia Council Representative Barbara Russell (OM):

“I think the time has come to set up a big meeting where all the 10 villages' board members could discuss such issues as voting rules," said Barbara Russell, the Oakland Mills representative to the CA board. "More uniformity is needed. People get confused, especially when they move from village to village."

To be fair, it may be entirely possible that in 2003 there was a noticeable internal migration of people throughout Columbia; however, given today’s economic climate, I am not so certain that this occurs in an appreciable amount. I suggest that the folks at Explore Howard, a news organization, do a little research and find out how many people have moved from one village to another over the last five years. In addition, the Explore Howard staff should interview these people and ascertain their voting records before and after the move. Otherwise, the editors at Explore Howard should stop exploiting what most likely is a myth.

Future Thoughts, What will Elections be Like in 2019?

It is entirely possible that eight years from now, there may be a Village that does not meet a quorum, but we can collectively change that. Some of the folks involved in the 2004-2005 CA governance debate are currently on the CA Board of Directors.

Absent another round of CA governance discussion, there are a few other things that can be done. First, the folks at Explore Howard could do a better job of covering the Village Boards. Maybe set for themselves a goal of a Village Board story in the paper/website every two weeks. Another goal may be to write about each Village Board at least once every six months. Lastly, if Explore Howard really believes that voter eligibility is a real problem and a true barrier to voter turnout, why not construct an infographic chart that depicts what elections take place in a particular year and who is eligible to vote?

The Villages need to work at this problem too. Interestingly, the Villages of Owen Brown and Hickory Ridge often find it difficult to obtain a quorum. If you ask the Village Association folks about this, they typically say that the low turnout is because their association site is not near the Village Shopping Center. So during elections, a few people are spurred to vote in Oakland Mills or Harper’s Choice because as they go about their shopping, they are reminded by the elections and take a few extra minutes to vote. In Owen Brown, voters need to take a separate trip to a different location to vote, and that difference of eight votes shy of a quorum this year most likely would have disappeared in another village. So in particular Owen Brown and Hickory Ridge, but all Villages, should attempt to increase village resident traffic to their community building. I also believe each Columbia Village should publish and hold an event every February on the “State of the Village.” This would help clarify the issues for the upcoming elections and start to get people interested.

Lastly, residents need to get more involved. The Ellicott City/Columbia area did not become “the number-two place to live in America” through a plethora of inaction. It did so by the hard work of many people and it will not remain a highly desirable place to live unless people continue to be engaged. One of the easiest ways to be engaged is to vote in the local Columbia elections.

The Evolving First Impression of Mr. John DeWolf

2011-05-06T12:54:00.001-04:00

I recently had a chance to listen to a HoCoMoJo audio interview with John DeWolf, the Howard Hughes Corporation Senior Vice President of Development. Mr. DeWolf will be the point person with regard to Columbia Downtown redevelopment. I encourage everyone to listen to the audio for details.

The one thing I will say is that Mr. DeWolf does have a bit of a monotone (and in the interest of full disclosure, my intonation is pretty flat-lined too). I would find it interesting from an acoustic perspective to sit in on a meeting between HHC's John DeWolf and CA's Phil Nelson.

Confessions of a 40-Something Pool Rat

2011-03-28T13:54:00.000-04:00

Looking back on a lifetime spanning now six different decades (1960’s through 20-teens), there are few things that I can point to that have been part of my life throughout this time. One of them has been a love for swimming, diving, swimming pools, and in general, being submerged in water. I believe chlorine is in my blood.

Within a few weeks of arriving in Columbia, my family found itself at the Running Brook Pool. Equipped with the little 2”x2” pool passes pinned to our suits, we began the yearly ritual of escaping the heat of summer in the water. After three short weeks of lessons, I found myself part of the Running Brook Swim Team. Somewhere in my house I have a shoebox filled with decades-old swimming ribbons. Small badges marking stroke, time and place from long ago. I remember the maroon and white striped swimsuits were not all too protective from the sun, and resulted in alternating tan-and-not-tan stripes on my butt. This was also my first introduction to Visine.

Summer days were filled with splashing in the 3ft and “taking the Nestea Plunge” in the 5ft (a maneuver that today would raise the ire of CA’s risk management overlords). All of this periodically interrupted by the lifeguard’s long whistle trill signaling adult swim. This provided time for us kids to find their way to the 7-eleven for Slurpees and the occasional purchase of Wacky-Packages or Odd Rod sticker packs (yes, thanks to the wonder of the internet, they are still available). Those days ended back at home, with hair bleached by sun and chlorine to point of almost being translucent and total exhaustion. Yes, we slept well on those summer nights.

As childhood blossomed into pre-teen and adolescence, Columbia’s aquatics grew to more than a dozen pools scattered throughout the city. Toughskins cut-offs gave way to OP shorts and swimsuits. Someone invented the boombox. WPGC and WAVA went from the AOR format to pop-40. Funk and R&B were provided equally by WOOK (OK-100) and the big ol’ funky V-103. The word “lightsaber” entered the lexicon.

Back at the pool (now the Dasher Green pool), swimming proficiency expanded from freestyle to backstroke and then breaststroke to butterfly. Splashing in the shallow end migrated to all kinds of merriment in the deep end.

The 1-meter diving board, installed throughout the city, became a focus. As with all things aquatic, it begins with learning: Step out to the end, turn around and take three steps back. Take two steps, and on the third step, hop; land with two feet and find yourself sprung into the air. After that, what happens was up to you and your imagination. And this is where it gets interesting. No matter where you lived in Columbia, the types of dives, even when left to the imagination, efficiently whittled down to a few different types of dives. The simple forward dive, the swan dive, the “jackknife.” The forward flip, forward 1-1/2, and the hard to accomplish forward double. The backflip, the back 1-1/2, the gainer. Apart from the acrobatics existed a second type of dive – the “splash dive.” The intent here is completely counter to the Olympic diving ideal: bounce off the board and displace as much water when you hit the surface. The belly-flop, the cannonball, the can opener, wherein one leg is gripped by the arms combined with a falling-backward motion only after touching the water. Hours were spent launching off the board, splashing, and then returning to the end of the line again to get the chance to refine and repeat the performance.

As middle school gave way to high school, the chance to work at the pool presented itself. This required obtaining Red Cross lifeguard certification and was taught over-winter at the Columbia Swim Center. For those who are old-dog Columbia lifeguards, you know who ran the lifeguard certification. Kitty was an affable woman who embodied years of experience and wisdom with regard to water safety, first aid, and responsibility. This course was unlike any other course for Columbia’s teens. It required study and passing written and practical exams. All those kind and friendly lifeguards that we had known through the years showed up to ensure that anyone taking the course was going to know how to keep the pool safe and how to rescue anyone in trouble.

Completion of the course and subsequent employment of the Columbia Association put pool operation in a whole new light. Work involved not only shifts “in the chair” or at the front desk, but also included a needed knowledge of pool filtration, water chemistry, and a knowledge of pumping systems. There was a lot of cleaning. But there was a cadre of great people. Suddenly your peer group was not limited to your neighborhood and high school, but expanded city wide. Fast friendships were developed with Peter, Ellen and Larry from Atholton, Beth and Chris from Wilde Lake (although Beth lived in Clemens Crossing), Jen, John, Cindy, Mary, and Luke from Oakland Mills, Benny and Kim (and her younger brother Steve) from Centennial, Jimmy (and his brothers John and Dennis) and Rich from Mt. Hebron, and Judy, who lived in Catonsville, but found her way down to Columbia every summer. Many of these friends are still close to this day.

During this time, CA expanded offerings at some of the pools. Hot tubs were installed. Volleyball went from “on grass,” to “on mulch,” to “on sand.” Splashdown opened at the Columbia Swim Center.

It was at the end of this era that the imbalance occurred. As with most forms of recreation, aquatics offerings evolve. After two decades of pool operations, a different type of pool emerged in the late 1980’s; the “superpool.” Let’s first go on record and say that at the time, the Columbia Association was correct in constructing superpools in Hawthorn, Dickenson, River Hill, and Kendall Ridge. I take a little bit of exception to the construction of the Clary’s Forest superpool, given that it is less than a mile from Hawthorn. Construction of those pools demonstrated that CA continued to be on the leading edge of aquatic recreation.

What also occurred at that time was that CA quietly changed the name of the non-indoor division from “Neighborhood Pools” to “Outdoor Pools.” CA now claims that this change in nomenclature signaled that they would no longer pursue the Columbia Vision of having a pool in every Columbia neighborhood.

From that point forward, not all Columbia pools were created equal. Before the advent of the superpool, most aquatic facilities followed a predictable offering. Each provided lanes for lap swimming, a diving board (with one or two exceptions), a roped-off shallow end, and a deeper end. There were differences. Some pools are 25 meters; some are 25 yards. Some baby pools are round, others square. Some bathhouses are little more than a small bathroom and shower. Some bathhouses are more extensive. Bryant Woods has perpetually shaded by trees (and some like that just fine). Huntington and Dorsey’s Search have a lot of deck and not much grass. All-in-all, the differences were not so large that a pool a little farther away was not so different than the one close by. In fact, as I have lived these few decades in aquatic bliss, I have known many people that would just not go to another pool on the day of the week that their pool was closed. The end result was that in the past, pools provided equal opportunity for relief from the heat and family fun, and the pool attending population was dispersed throughout the city.

In the current era, the superpools have quite a bit to offer: beach (or zero-depth) entry, fountains, snack bar, hot tubs (not at Dickensen), and sand volleyball courts. By comparison, pools constructed before the superpools suffer from the lack of amenities. This resulted in a concentrating of pool-goers at a few pools, with others seeing low attendance figures.

This brings me to the current relationship with Columbia’s pools. As a parent, I have looked forward to introducing my kids to the water. Over the last few summers, we have had a great time splashing around and learning how to swim. My son loves the summer swim league, and I have had a great time participating in the master’s events. Here is what has been our family experience with the summer pools: If we get a chance to hit the water during the week, our number one priority is to get to the pool as fast as possible so that we can maximize our time in the water. On the weekends, the focus shifts because we know that we will spend a significant time at the pool. It is then that choices need to be made. Do we want to spend time with classmates? The local pool works well for this, but it is not absolute. Our local elementary school is fed by children in four different Villages, so spending time in the water with classmates can lead us to four different locations. The other driver is what can be done at the pool. At the superpools, the kids can roam from the fountain to the diving board to the volleyball court and back, and that can’t be done at some of the local pools. I have also found that the beach entry is very good for allowing the little one to gain confidence on her terms. At our older neighborhood pool, it is pretty much a yes/no proposition.

Looking forward, I can soon see a day when I can go to the pool with the kids and they will be self-sufficient. Playing in the pool as I did all those years ago. I look forward to watching them do their thing and then getting in a few hundred yards of exercise. I look forward to the sing-song Marco-Polo games while I am still perfecting that forward 1-1/2 or cannonball. And for the first time in my life, I look forward to adult swim, and I will send my son to 7-eleven to get me a cherry and coke (mixed) slurpee.

Speed Cameras Can be Fun

2011-03-09T10:18:00.002-05:00

I’m not a fan of speed cameras, but I am resigned to the fact that they will be coming. Some have stated speed cameras are a tax and certain Ford Mustang drivers have a lot to say about the subject. For a great analysis of driver behavior, I strongly suggest checking out Sarah’s blog on the subject. Behind all the discussion, I have been impressed by the approach the Ulman Administration has taken on this subject. Rather that jumping into deployment, the administration conducted studies to quantify the problem. Good idea to have the data to back your decision. Personally, I would like to see the details broken down by school (and time of day), but the fact that 66% of drivers are speeding in school zones and nearly one-in-five motorists exceeded the speed limit by more than 12 mph, indicates a real problem. The administration has also indicated as slow approach to deployment, using two cameras next year. Contrasted with Baltimore County’s recent decision to expand their program, two cameras appears to be a measured first step.

Now let me share with you my personal experience, because, you see, I know speed cameras. My place of employment is in College Park, Maryland; which is firmly ensconced with the bounds of Prince George’s County, Maryland. The PGCo government started using speed cameras earlier this year.

What you see above is not the unlikely offspring of Number Five of the movie Short Circuit and an Ingorsoll-Rand portable air compressor, it is a speed camera (although on some mornings, it does look self-aware). This particular camera is located on the southbound side of U.S 1, a few hundred feet north of Greenbelt Road (MD-193).

This camera and a similar installation on Metzerott Road have been the subject of much discussion in my office building. Few people were given notice that the cameras were active and the initial reaction was mild ire. The protestations, the animated hand-waving about big brother and the general feeling of being coldly judged by technology all had their actors and places. Over time, behaviors have changed and various levels of acceptance has grown. From the admonition of fellow employees “watch your speed when you get out on Route 1, you know they’re watching,” to violators willingly posting tickets received on their cube wall or office door. They are badges of dishonor proudly displayed to demonstrate “yes, I am human, I made a mistake.”

I provide this as background because if the speed cameras are installed, many people in Howard County can expect a similar reaction.

But it Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

Now let me be clear and say that I don’t like speed cameras; but I do like serendipity, I like innovative thinking, and I like (although cliché) win-win outcomes. Some of you hipster savvy readers may be acquainted with The Fun Theory an initiative by Volkswagen. A few more of you out in Compass Nation may not know Fun Theory by its name, but are still familiar with their award winners.

Late in 2010, just as some of the counties in the region began researching speed camera sites, the Fun Theory announced an award winner that involved speed cameras. The theory at play here is to reward good behavior rather than only punishing bad behavior. The New York Times “Wheels” blog has a pretty good post on the subject.

As shown above, rather than taking a photo of only those exceeding the speed limit, the speed camera takes a photo of every car that passes by. Those who speed still get a speeding ticket and fine; however, the drivers who pass the camera and obey the speed limit have their picture taken and are automatically entered into lottery. Each (you pick ‘em, week, month, etc) a drawing is held for those entered in the lottery and the winner is awarded a portion of the fines issued by that particular speed camera.

The folks at Fun Theory tested this on a street in Stockholm, Sweden with positive results:

Transforming theory into practice isn’t always a smooth process. I can already see two issues that may have to be resolved before this kind of innovative thinking can be deployed in Howard County. First, I believe the maximum fine that is allowed by law is $40. This apparently covers the cost of operating the cameras and does not provide for much of a lottery prize. Legislation may have to be enacted to raise the upper limit on the fine to make the lottery an alluring proposition. I would think $60 vs. $40.

Secondly, because of the chance for monetary gain, this type of arrangement might have the unintended consequence of increasing traffic near schools. I believe some study should be performed to look at this possibility. At its worst, the increased traffic would be presumably moving at the speed limit in an attempt to gain entrance into the lottery.

Although the presentations from Fun Theory and my discussion above are pretty light in theme, I believe the speed camera lottery idea should be given serious consideration. By rewarding good behavior the system holds the promise of greater compliance with the posted speed limits and shifts the attitude of the general public from an onerous infraction to a possible gain for doing what you were supposed to do anyway. If PGCo had adopted this idea, the discussion around my office would have been very different. I hope the leaders in Howard County will give this serious consideration.

A Great Love Story

2011-02-17T13:42:00.000-05:00

I am a big fan of the WNYC radio show “Radio Lab.” Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad are master storytellers. This particular show first aired on January 25, 2011, but I came across it again on Monday. The story I speak of is the third item in the podcast, and is referenced by the show editors as:

Finally, we turn to a very different kind of lost and found: a love story about running into a terrifying, and unexpected, fork in the road.

Radio Lab is a great show, so I recommend that you listen to the entire show, but I suggest you pay particular attention starting at about the 40:00 minute mark. It’s only about twenty minutes of your time and I think anyone that listens will be rewarded with a beautifully told story.

HoCo Blogtail Party, Southeast Style

2011-02-17T09:59:00.001-05:00

The every-so-often Howard County Blog Party made its first appearance in Savage last night at the Ram's Head in Savage Mill. The event brought out about 30-40 people who were gregarious and lively. Thanks to everyone I met and I look forward to seeing you all at the next one.

This Company is Getting Harder to Like

2011-02-14T23:05:00.000-05:00

I really don’t like doing back-to-back blog posts on a single subject, but the chatter about Howard Hughes makes it difficult not to say something.

Recently I posted about the lack of a replacement for former GGP/HHC Vice President Greg Hamm. Since then I have come to find out that there have been other vacancies at Howard Hughes. Specifically the Chief Financial Officer position became vacant on January 31, 2011. This did not come as a surprise to Howard Hughes, because the CFO was actually an interim CFO that was intended to leave on that date. It was spelled out in the documents that formed the company back in November.

Instead of conducting a search and installing a new CFO by the January 31^st deadline, the Howard Hughes Board of Directors has installed Mr. Grant Herlitz as the CFO. The board should be familiar with Mr. Herlitz, in that he is also the President of the Howard Hughes Corporation. This news report indicates Howard Hughes is “conducting an executive search for a permanent Chief Financial Officer.”

Tonight, we hear of Howard Hughes activities in Houston, TX.

Executives with The Howard Hughes Corp. held a high-dollar launch party last week in Houston, complete with plenty of glitz to impress their new business contacts.

...Walls were covered with crushed velvet drapes. Large posters with historic pictures of Hughes were sprinkled throughout the space, each of which contained information on the legendary Houston-born entrepreneur.

Music from the 1920s set the scene, and cocktails flowed freely.

...David Weekley of David Weekley Homes was heard to say: “I didn’t know they had developer parties anymore.”

...Picture an ice sculpture, lots of beautiful flower arrangements, steak sliders and made-to-order stir-fry. Open bars surrounded the room. A dessert buffet beckoned in the back. And live musicians entertained as guests ate dinner.

Decorations included several small replicas of Hughes’ Spruce Goose airplane made specifically for the party.

...Howard Hughes executives who spoke included Grant Herlitz, president; and David Weinreb, CEO; and Peter Houghton, vice president of master-planned communities and general manager of Bridgeland.

It was Houghton’s idea to throw the party.

“The good ole days are back, folks,” Houghton told the crowd.

Indeed.

I don’t know if they intend to take this party on the road, but I gently suggest that they accomplish something before they start celebrating.

Columbia still waits at the docks for new skipper to arrive.

2011-02-10T16:32:00.000-05:00

These days, I don’t know anyone outside of Texas that understands what is going on with the Howard Hughes Corporation. Born out of a bankruptcy settlement, the corporation exists as a monument to potential; vested in a few master-planned communities and a handful of underperforming malls ripe for redevelopment.

Shortly after forming the corporation, senior management has made a number of moves that indicate Howard Hughes intends to make the most of this potential; and sooner rather than later. Throughout the country, Howard Hughes has shown their intent to move projects forward.

Sadly, one member of Howard Hughes’ senior development team has been fired during this initial push. Wordbones, wrote a great piece on Greg Hamm last week. Greg Hamm oversaw operations here in Columbia, Maryland and did what I believe was a very good job of working with the community, local activists, and the Howard County Government as the Downtown Columbia zoning and General Plan amendments moved through the local legislative process. What makes his work all the more commendable is that he weathered an almost constant change in management above him at GGP. The man who hired him, Tom D’Alassandro IV, left GGP within a few months of Greg’s hire. Soon after, the GGP board of directors and senior leadership underwent many changes. It was only after exiting bankruptcy, and yet another round of leadership changes did the company fire Greg.

When the news broke that Greg was leaving, the newly formed Howard Hughes Corporation stated that they would find a replacement for Greg “within a month or two.” When I read that, I circled today on the calendar. It has now been two months.

The purpose of this blog post is not to inveigh against Howard Hughes about broken promises or failing to live up to their word. Rather, I suggest caution and provide the following analogy as they work through their selection process:

I look upon Howard Hughes Corporation’s Columbia dilemma as similar to an America’s Cup yacht race. A few years ago, Greg Hamm arrived here and put together a crew that successfully navigated through, and won, a Challenger’s Cup. Now, it is well within the rights of the yacht owner to remove the captain at any time, including after winning a Chellenger’s Cup. However, if such a move is made, the boat owner better bring in a new skipper that has already won a cup. Don’t bring in somebody that has won in Olympic Class racing or Open Ocean racing. Only a skipper that has already won the cup would be viewed to have a chance.

So I say to Howard Hughes, with respect, it has been two months. Bring in the new captain; and make sure this person has the requisite experience. Someone that has a resume long on greenfield single-family home development or office park development will not have the skills required to manage Columbia downtown development.

Local Census Data For Maryland (and Howard County) Released

2011-02-09T13:10:00.000-05:00

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Something to Think About

2010-11-21T23:43:00.001-05:00

At the place of “It Can Happen Here,” what almost happened here, happened there. Columbia, Maryland and Berkeley, California have been intertwined since Columbia’s founder, James Rouse, gave a speech at Berkeley detailing his basis for building Columbia. Catherine Bauer, the woman who chaired the conference at which James Rouse spoke, taught both Bill Finley (Columbia’s Chief Planner) and Mort Hoppenfeld (Columbia’s Chief Architect) in graduate school.

Both cities have a population of approximately 100,000. Both are adjacent to two large cities; Berkeley has Oakland/San Francisco, Columbia has Baltimore and Washington. Although the Lawrence-Berkeley National Lab is closer to downtown (approx. 1 mile) than NSA is to downtown Columbia (about 8 miles), both Federal centers employ many people in their respective communities.

Fast forward to today, and we find both Berkeley and Columbia looking at their downtowns. The Berkeley City Council passed zoning legislation in the Summer of 2009 to redevelop their downtown and the Howard County Council passed zoning legislation in the Winter of 2010. In both cases, residents opposed to the zoning mounted referendum petition drives. In Columbia, the petition failed, in Berkeley, the petition succeeded and was placed on the ballot as “Measure R.”

Now Berkeley has an interesting structure to their referendum questions. As part of the ballot process, the Measure is listed on the city website. Also included on the website is an impartial analysis of the Measure by the City Attorney, as well as arguments for and against the Measure.

The short form of the Measure reads as follows:

Ballot Question

Shall the City of Berkeley adopt policies to revitalize the downtown and help make Berkeley one of the greenest cities in the United States by meeting our climate action goals; concentrating housing, jobs and cultural destinations near transit, shops and amenities; preserving historic resources; enhancing open space; promoting green buildings; and calling for 2 residential buildings and 1 hotel no taller than our existing 180 foot buildings and 2 smaller office buildings up to 120 feet?

As linked above, all of this is still on the City of Berkeley website, and provides a pretty-good understanding of the question. I will leave it to your individual Google searches to fill in some of the background information, but one of the interesting parallels between the Columbia community and Berkeley community was the use of social media and new web tools. As with Freemarket’s use of Xtranormal to highlight the Fox/Beams race, it appears that some enterprising folk in Berkeley used the same software. This gave the virtual impression that although these races were a continent apart, Fox/Beams, and the Berkeley Resident/Nimby Robot were each having a discussion in front of the same virtual building.

I bring this up because, as with most elections, there has been quite a bit of navel gazing about what the election means. Those that peruse the HoCo blogs have certainly read some of the search for meaning from the Republican point of view. But there has also been some soul-searching amongst others in the community. Voter apathy? Federal workers? Voters not understanding the message?

A recent column written by San Francisco columnist John King may shed some light on both communities.

Measure R hit all the buttons of 21st century urban environmentalism: The ballot question framed the issue at hand as "concentrating housing, jobs and cultural destinations near transit, shops and amenities" to "revitalize the downtown and help make Berkeley one of the greenest cities in the United States."

The measure also would make room for three buildings of 180 feet - equal to office buildings of the same height from 1925 and 1969 - and opponents responded as though Sears Tower was being shipped to Shattuck Avenue. The ballot arguments warned of "empty promises with destructive proposals" and "a developer-backed plan ... allowing outsized development to overwhelm surrounding neighborhoods." Man the barricades!

For those Democrats that live in District 4, some of the above passage may sound like pieces of mail that began showing up late this summer. Mr. King goes on to present an interesting hypothesis that may provide some insight here in Howard County. His column begins:

"Generation gap" is a phrase past its prime, like a guy who thinks he's still hip because Levi's are still his look.

But it rings true in the Bay Area of 2010, especially with regard to attitudes about the shape our cities and suburbs should take.

More and more, there's a disconnect between the established view of how we should grow, and the values of people who weren't even born when activists first battled "Manhattanization." The (mostly) gray-haired guardians who radiate the certainty that They Know Best have dominated the debate for decades, but they can't defy the calendar. With every passing year, the old certainties look a bit more ... old.

Broadly speaking, I think Mr. King might be onto something; however, I do not believe that theories on how cities can sustainably evolve break down solely along generational lines. What is now clear is that there is more than one viable theory on how a city can grow responsibly. Mr. King closes with that in mind:

This shift rubs some old-school environmentalists the wrong way, Madsen admits. But as the Berkeley vote shows, it's in sync with younger people who like the idea of filling "their" downtowns with people and life.

"The options aren't the cul-de-sac or Manhattan," Madsen suggests. "What you see in Berkeley is a bit of what we see happening all over the Bay Area. ... People are saying there's a different urban form they'd like to see come to fruition."

I don't want to oversell the transition now under way.

There always will be growth-wary neighbors, at times justifiably so. Some people in their 60s love towers; some people in their 20s loathe them. Nor do I buy the premise that every additional housing unit in San Francisco or Berkeley means one fewer home on distant farmland. Families don't choose between a McMansion in Brentwood or a 20th-floor condo on Rincon Hill.

But here's the difference: This generation of activists has moved beyond the simplistic mind-set that change is to be resisted. Its definition of urbanity doesn't start with the notion that the essence of San Francisco as a place - how it should look, how tall it should rise - was defined once and for all in 1969 or 1984.

One veteran who accepts the shift is John Kriken, a longtime urban designer with the international firm Skidmore Owing & Merrill who also now teaches at UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design.

"Kids today have grown up with a much greater awareness of sustainability issues and the role that density plays in protecting land from indiscriminate use," Kriken says. "They see the bigger buildings, and they're not fearful of them."

This doesn't mean today's younger activists are right and the ones of Kriken's era were wrong. It's that - news flash! - times change.

"For every generation that chooses the city, the beginning point is now," Kriken says. "The 'real San Francisco' is today. They don't carry the images in their head that I have in mine, or that my friends have in theirs. They don't have the baggage of all the past battles."

And you know what? That's a good thing.

Gateway Overlook Shopping Center Sold for $90M.

2010-11-10T14:31:00.000-05:00

As General Growth Properties exits bankruptcy, the local effects are felt almost immediately. According to this Reuters news story, General Growth Properties has sold the Gateway Overlook Shopping Center for $90-million. The identity of the buyer has not been released.

The Video Connection

2010-10-07T11:49:00.000-04:00

In the end, I blame Michael Nesmith. The quixotic son of the inventor of liquid paper and former Monkees band member invented the music video and started the company that eventually became MTV.

MTV announced itself to the world when I was a freshman in high school. Over the last three decades, I never cared much for the other programming on the MTV network, but I did watch the videos. In particular, I have fond memories of the early Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing” and A-Ha’s “Take on Me” videos. Over time, the videos have evolved, with some breaking more ground than others.

Recently, the band Arcade Fire changed everything with their new interactive video, “The Wilderness Downtown” This video was released in conjunction with their new album (I guess I’m old enough to call new music releases “albums.”) “The Suburbs.”

The video exists on the internet and prompts the viewer to enter the address of the house they grew up in before viewing. After an address is entered (from just about anywhere in the world), the video begins to play, and incorporates Google Earth images of that address into the video as Arcade Fire’s song “We Used to Wait” plays in the background.

As with Michael Nesmith’s ground breaking “Elephant Parts,” Arcade Fire’s “The Wilderness Downtown” is not flawless, but it represents such a leap forward that any discernible shortcomings are quickly forgiven. In particular, the video imagery relies (in part) on Google street views. If you enter a street address that Google has not driven down, there is less material to work with. With respect to Columbia, Google has street views of all major roads and some collector roads (think Cradlerock Way or Phelps Luck Drive).

What is also interesting is that the viewer quickly realizes that although the intent of the video is to bring the viewer back to his/her childhood, any address can be used. I found the video using the Wilde Lake Village Center address (10400 Cross Fox Lane) interesting.

One last word of caution. This video is resource intensive. Make sure you use a broadband connection. “The Wilderness Downtown” can be experienced here.

If you find an address that is particularly cool to view, please post it in the comments section.

Asian Invasion Redux

2010-09-24T09:01:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post here. I was wondering, what is worse, the snakehead fish invasion or the stinkbug invasion. And could we work on the lexicon, I am hoping the next invasive species that shows up has a much better name; something like the "rainbow weevil" or the "flower lizard." Your comments are encouraged.

The Alan Klein Disinformation Campaign Hits Home

2010-09-12T22:55:00.000-04:00

As we move toward Primary Election Day, I was a little surprised to receive a mailer from the Klein Campaign. Looking it over, I have to say, I’m impressed. On one side Alan has put together a pair of grainy black and white images showing traffic and tall buildings and inserted between them his characterization of the downtown Columbia plan. Below this, he asserts what he believes was left out of the plan. From a graphical presentation standpoint, it’s pretty good. However, the actual text on the card is fraught with hyperbole, bad information, and flat out lies.

If I had been sleeping for the last five years and had to make a decision on who to vote for based on this mailer, I too would engage in the invective and vituperation that has become barbaralynnerussell’s blog.

So in the public interest, let’s take a look at what Alan says and what is the truth:

Assertion: Unbridled growth will ruin Columbia and Howard County

In addressing this assertion, I will take a page from CA Board member Phil Kirsh (WL), who shares with Alan Klein the endorsement of current State Delegate Bobo, and look some words up in the dictionary. As defined by the Merriam-Webster website, unbridled is – unrestrained. So the test here would be – are there any restraints on growth in downtown Columbia?

In examining the unanimously passed downtown zoning and General Plan Amendments, it appears that there are restraints placed on downtown development. First, the number of dwelling units in downtown Columbia is limited (restrained) to 5500 units. Moreover, the 5500-unit limit is a ceiling, and not a guarantee. The units in downtown are further restrained by the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, which restricts development based on traffic conditions and school capacity. Lastly, future development is further restrained based on the delivery of downtown amenities that are to be provided by the developer.

Result: The term “unbridled” is misplaced and a gross exaggeration. There is significant evidence that growth is limited in several ways. To characterize downtown Columbia planning as without restraint is misleading the electorate.

Assertion: Higher Taxes for Howard County Residents

This assertion is a broadside that, if candidate Klein was being responsible, would be further defined. In fact, I find it surprising that he would include this in his literature given his repeated public shortcomings on understanding the County budget.

I will take liberty in assuming that Klein’s assertion is based on the cost of infrastructure (roads, traffic mitigation, etc), county taxes must increase. This premise hangs in opposition to the language in the recently enacted Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. This ordinance explicitly states that developers in downtown Columbia must pay the cost of roads and traffic mitigation. So in the narrow definition based on my assumption, the stated assertion is a complete falsehood.

Inherent in Mr. Klein’s campaign is his support of a position paper that calls for “about 1600 units” in downtown Columbia. In his alternate development scenario, much of the road network that is to be constructed under the current plan would have to be constructed for his plan. As I have stated above, the developer must pay for the infrastructure when downtown property is developed. However, after development is completed, the maintenance, upkeep, and snow removal costs are transferred to the County, and therefore the taxpayers.

What Mr. Klein does not address is the balance of development, roughly 3900 units. Given the amount of land in Howard County Councilmanic District 4 that has already been developed and transferred into private ownership, it is unlikely that any of the 3900 units would remain in District 4. Therefore, Mr. Klein by default is advocating for the development of 3900 units in another Howard County district.

If we once again limit the assumed increase in taxpayer costs to infrastructure costs, Mr. Klein’s plans will cost the taxpayer dearly. In this part of the discussion it is also important to recognize that Mr. Klein (as stated in his position paper) does not favor buildings more than a few stories tall. Therefore, I believe it is a safe assumption that a development on the scale of 3900 units that Mr. Klein would endorse would look something like a Columbia neighborhood or village. I would remind the reader that the linear miles of road constructed in downtown Columbia would be equal under the approved plan or Klein’s vision. Compare that road maintenance cost with the additional cost of maintaining a road network similar to another neighborhood or village. I took it upon myself to utilize Google Maps and Google Earth to calculate the linear road miles of three areas of Columbia for comparison. I would assume an error of 10% (plus or minus) in the linear miles calculation. Dwelling unit numbers were obtained from the U.S Census (2000) for Kendall Ridge and the Columbia Association Public Information Guide for Dorsey’s Search and Kings Contrivance.

The neighborhood of Kendall Ridge is located in Long Reach, has 2,390 dwelling units and is supported by a road network of 15 miles.
The Village of Dorsey’s Search has 3,368 dwelling units and is supported by a road network of 16 miles.
The Village of Kings Contrivance has 4,025 dwelling units and is supported by a road network of 21 miles.

Given the above data, I believe it is a safe estimate that the 3,900 units that Klein does not account for would require a road network of 18 miles. Taken over the thirty years of development, the added costs of road maintenance and snow removal would further burden the county budget beyond the downtown Columbia development. In addition, it is a conservative estimate that roads would have to be resurfaced at least once during the development cycle. According to data from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, the cost associated with milling and resurfacing a 4-lane road costs approximately $1.25 million per mile. With a supporting road network of 18-miles, Klein’s unbuilt village would incur a resurfacing cost of $22.5 million to the county during the development period laid out in the downtown Columbia plan.

A final consideration is that all fiscal studies performed in relation to downtown Columbia development has shown a net positive cash flow to the county. One additional study should also be considered. This study, written by Sarasota County Director of Smart Growth Peter Katz, compared traditional growth patterns to mixed use downtown development. Mr. Katz found that when measured on a per-acre basis, mixed use development yields far more income to the local government than traditional suburban development. As reported by Mary Newsom, traditional single family home development returned approximately $8200/acre to the local municipality. Compare this with the following passage in the article:

Indeed, that three-quarters of an acre of in-town urban-style (14- to 16-story) development is worth more property tax revenue than a combination of the 21-acre WalMart Supercenter and the 32-acre Southgate Mall.

Even a mid rise (up to about seven stories) mixed use building brings in $560,000, and the low rise (up to three stories with residential over retail) brings in over $70,000 per acre — more than three times the return of Southgate Mall.

Now the tax structure in Sarasota, FL does not correlate directly with Howard County, MD, but the ratios do correlate. It is also important to state that very few buildings in downtown Columbia will be in the 14-16 story variety and far more will be in the 0-7 story category.

In addition, Katz also calculated the infrastructure Return on Investment for both in-town mixed use and traditional suburban development. If the 3900 that Klein does not discuss are built in downtown, the County should see a robust return on investment. If the 3900 are built in another district, the return will be lower. Again, from the article:

But Katz and the group that worked with him on the tax analysis, Public Interest Projects, Inc., in Asheville (http://www.pubintproj.com/index.php), N.C., went further than just the revenue analysis. It looked at the payback time, in tax revenue, for the infrastructure costs of various types of residential developments. The payback time for a mixed-use condominium building in the heart of downtown was three years. Want to guess the payback time for the residential portion of a multi-use development out at a highway interchange? It was a whopping 42 years.

It is also worth noting that Sarah covered this very well earlier this year.

Result: Given the vague assertion that development would directly cause higher taxes, Mr. Klein gives no supporting evidence. Compare this with fiscal studies performed by professionals that indicate the opposite; the county would see a net increase in revenue. Mr. Klein also fails to fully explain how under his leadership how 5500 units built anywhere in the county would not increase the tax burden on residents. Ultimately his assertion must be characterized at a minimum as unproven and more likely a falsehood.

Assertion: Developers given a tax free ride

This assertion certainly sounds like something to get stirred up about. Why would developers get a free ride on taxes? Quelle horreur! But there are two big problems here. The first is that a State law provides this particular tax break for developers, not county law. So if Mr. Klein is asserting that the current County Councilperson could have done anything about this, he is dead wrong. Moreover, if he thinks that he can change State law from the Howard County legislative chambers, he is sorely mistaken. I wrote about this when Taxpayers Against Giveaways was pushing this misrepresentation, please click over and take a look for details. To her credit, current State Delegate Liz Bobo did introduce legislation to change this a few years ago, but failed to garner enough support for the bill to be passed. If Mr. Klein is looking for blame for a preferential tax structure, he should look to his matriarch, not his competition.

Secondly, the tax break afforded developers is only on unimproved property. Most of the land associated with downtown Columbia development has already been developed; therefore, any tax break that remains is small and will expire when a shovel goes in the ground.

Result: This assertion has nothing to do with the County Council position and to imply the zoning decision resulted in an additional tax break for any developer is beyond falsehood, this is a “pants on fire” lie.

Assertion: The downtown Columbia plan did not “Provide sufficient open space”

Funny thing about this assertion. Thirty years ago, the amount of open space in Town Center was not a concern. As Town Center has developed over the years, trees were cleared for parking lots, office buildings, and residents. Much of that development was enthusiastically backed by Alan Klein’s fervent supporters. Bobo backed tearing down trees and converting open space into the Central Library and parking lot (even in the face of vocal opposition and sit-ins). If you touch Cy Paumier, he is proud to say that it was his idea to convert the tree-covered commercial sites on the west side of the mall into condo units. After the Evergreen was constructed (opposite Windstream Drive, along Governor Warfield Parkway), the discussion of open space went dormant.

The current downtown plan emphatically states that all open space in downtown Columbia must be preserved at current levels. If any property owner wishes to construct anything on open space in downtown Columbia, they must purchase and place into open space an equivalent amount of land, in downtown. A perfect example of this is the Symphony Woods Park plan that Mr. Klein whole-heartedly endorses. The Symphony Woods Plan calls for more than an acre of parking (120-150 spaces) adjacent to the park. Because parking lots are not considered open space, the Columbia Association will be required to purchase an equal amount of land and convert it to open space.

Beyond the general discussion of open space in downtown Columbia, Mr. Klein states on the opposite side of the same mailing card states that he will “Promote measures to…preserve open space” [emphasis mine]. So while he chastises others for “not providing sufficient open space,” he calls for “preserving open space.” Not increasing open space.

Result: In this assertion, Mr. Klein attempts to make a case that he himself has not committed to. Moreover, he supports paving over some open space for a parking lot. At best, this is a misdirection.

Assertion: The Columbia downtown plan did not “Create housing opportunities for all”

Mr. Klein has a mixed record on affordable housing, where it goes, and who pays for it. As reported in the Baltimore Sun:

Klein's position on low-income housing in a rebuilt Wilde Lake Village Center appeared to vary somewhat from what he told a different audience during a forum sponsored Saturday by the African American Coalition at Mount Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church on Cedar Lane.

There, he and Sigaty said village residents believe there is already substantial subsidized housing in the community and are concerned that requiring it in new units built at the village center might create too great a concentration. "There's already a significant spectrum of housing in Wilde Lake," Klein said.

But Tuesday night, Klein added to his general criticism of the housing portion of the downtown plan by saying there is no requirement for affordable housing at the Wilde Lake center. He called the omissions "a violation of Columbia's values."

I also think the African Americans in Howard County letter to Explore Howard and posted by HoCoRising characterizes the issue far better than I could attempt to explain.

Result: Klein has waffled on this subject and fails to connect his vision with a concrete plan.

Assertion: The downtown Columbia plan does not “provide for schools sites, fire or police stations, build parking garages, adequate sidewalks and other infrastructure to support their projects”

Alan either has not read or is hoping no one will read what is actually in the downtown zoning or general plan amendment. Infrastructure requirements (as he calls them) are built into the plan and Alan knows it. He is trying to create a smokescreen of fear. A clear example of this can be found on Columbia 2.0.

Result: This assertion goes to the core of what is wrong with Alan’s campaign. Chalk up another lie for the man who lives in Hobbits Glen.

Conclusion:

As the primary campaign nears its end, Alan Klein continues to engage in lies, gross exaggerations, and otherwise conduct a campaign of fear in District 4. It is becoming apparent that as the final hours tick away, Mr. Klein will resort to any means to secure a win. It is my hope that the electorate in District 4 will turn away from this distasteful campaign.

Watching 10221 Wincopin – CA Budget Woes Strain Corporation’s Ability to Complete Projects

2010-09-03T16:00:00.000-04:00

There’s a foreboding tone coming out of the Columbia Association these days. There’s talk of lowered expectations. There’s talk of asking for a county or state bailout. The CA President is saying “We don’t want to ruin bond ratings.”

In a story posted this afternoon over at Explore Howard, Jennifer Broadwater details a meeting held last night. The news is not good. The cost of properly dredging Lake Kittamaquandi has swelled by an additional $2.25 million dollars. This is on top of the $1.3 million dollars added to the budget to finish the dredging project at Lake Elkhorn.

A sub-committee of the CA Board of Directors has recommended an $1.3 million increase in funds for the project. However, this will not remove all the accumulated sediment in Lake Kittamaquandi, it will only allow for critical areas to be dredged.

CA Board member Alex Hekimian (OM) remarks in the article appear to be targeted toward local and state governments:

“What’s going on at Lake Kittamaqundi is not just a Columbia problem. This is not just Columbia’s downtown. This is Howard County’s downtown.”

And I am at a loss who CA Board Chair Coyle is addressing her remarks:

“We’re taking our responsibility very seriously to clean up the environment,” she said. “But you know we’re not solely responsible.”

However, she does have her sacred cow:

But Coyle said she is not comfortable with dipping into funding for Symphony Woods, the 38-acre downtown property where the association plans to add a fountain, paths and other park features to draw more visitors.

“I am very worried about that,” Coyle said. “I’m completely against taking a nickel out of next year’s (Symphony Woods) budget.”

As we look at this mess, we should try to understand how bad this is. It’s not Lehman Brothers bad, CA is not going away. It’s not General Motors bad, CA will not be taken over by the State or County government.

CA is just hard pressed right now to come up with the cash they need. They have a lot of valuable assests. They have a good revenue stream (we will collectively have to cough up another $30 million next July when we pay our liens). CA doesn’t have a problem with insolvency, they have a problem with liquidity. Which sounds a little bit like another major landowner in downtown Columbia.

Klein Yard Sign Campaign Sinks to New Lows

2010-09-03T09:26:00.001-04:00

One of the low-wattage aspects of the current Democratic Primary race in Howard County District 4 has been the Klein campaign’s repeated violation of County sign laws. If you drive around western Columbia, you will find Klein signs planted in the county right-of-ways, in median strips, and just about anywhere there is enough dirt to plant them. Although the Klein campaign has been asked, more than once, to remove the signs from illegal locations, the practice continues.

It is my understanding that Alan Klein has weighed in on this himself, saying that because the county had said that it would not enforce laws this year, he can put signs just anywhere he chooses. The laws that the county is not enforcing deal with elections. That is to say, signs that exceed the regulated size restriction or the duration that they are up before the election will not be taken down. However, laws regarding sign placement are still in effect. Signs are not to be placed in right of ways.

The Klein sign above is especially troubling. It is not only in the County right of way, it is blocking access to a fire hydrant, raising issues of the Klein’s disregard to public safety. And for those of you who think this is not a big deal, look again and think of your kitchen on fire, and how a firefighter explains to you that they may have gotten to the fire a minute or two earlier, but they had to remove a sign to gain access to the fire hydrant.

I think this reflects Klein’s approach to most topics. Regardless of what the law says, or the county policy, it is his interpretation of that law and policy that matters. In yesterday’s Columbia Flier, a fellow Wilde Lake resident spoke of hubris in this year’s primary. I think the picture above demonstrates the hubris evident in this election much more clearly.

Incumbent Democrat Bobo Assails O’Malley Administration

2010-09-01T14:17:00.002-04:00

As the media has designated Howard County as a bellweather for the upcoming election, recent statements by candidates have started to characterize how much the county is in play. Last night at a candidate’s forum held in Columbia, Maryland, current State Delegate Bobo stated that she is an independent Democrat and is proud that she at times votes against the majority of Democrats in the State Legislature. When asked about protecting the rights of whistleblowers, Delegate Bobo said that the O’Malley Administration had not done enough to protect whistleblowers and if elected she would introduce legislation to correct this deficiency.

On a related topic, Delegate Bobo said that she was going to lead a group called “Howard County Women for O’Malley” in the near future.

The Awakening

2010-09-01T10:17:00.000-04:00

So its been a while. Stay tuned, we're back in business....

2010 Census Update

2010-04-28T13:41:00.001-04:00

The US Census Bureau has tallied the participant responses for the mail-in portion of the 2010 Census. In addition, they have mapped the participation rates of most local areas. Participation rates in the Columbia area are as follows:

A visual representation of the above data can be viewed by taking the following steps:

Click on the red "Census 2010" square in the Census widget to the right.

Click on light blue “view participation rates” box.

Enter Columbia zip code (i.e. 21045)

Click on “Find”

Click on “Local View”

Increasing Village Voter Turnout might be a Bread and Butter (and Cheese) Issue

2010-04-27T13:36:00.000-04:00

I bring this to the Compass Nation with only a smidgen of seriousness.

As the reporting on the Village Elections begins to trickle in, the issue of voter turnout comes up. In Wilde Lake, a competitive CA Board election helped drive a healthy turnout of 24%. Meanwhile in Hickory Ridge, the Columbia Flier/Explore Howard product reports that not enough people voted to reach a quorum.

In most years, voter turnout has been an issue and many villages employ different means to increase the numbers. Owen Brown and Kings Contrivance allow for voting to occur over two days. Kings Contrivance typically also sponsors a fish at the National Aquarium based on kids votes (I like that!).

Oakland Mills has a houseplant sale. Other villages hold flea markets.

Yesterday I came across a report that might be lightning in the electoral bottle, or it may be a flop. It turns out that the same weekend that Columbia Village Elections were held was also an event-filled weekend – in Los Angeles.

The event that I speak of is none other than the 1 st 8th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational (Not a typo). Reports indicate that thousands of people thronged the invitational to sample derivations on the grilled cheese theme, with accompanying soups. I personally would like to try the mozzarella with tomato and basil grilled cheese (a grilled caprece?) with a side of Italian wedding soup.

So, if a village held a grilled cheese invitational the same day as the election, maybe voter turnout would skyrocket. Most people I know love the bread-butter-cheese comfort food and maybe we could get a local restaurant to help out. Although sometimes hot, the normally cool and cloudy April election weather would be the optimum type of weather for melted, gooey, slightly slippery triangles.

And lastly, grilled cheese is one of those normalizing foods. You just can’t get worked up about things when you have a grilled cheese sandwich in your hands.

In the words of the Los Angeles Grilled Cheese Invitational:

BREAD – BUTTER – CHEESE – VICTORY

Election Correction

2010-04-23T13:03:00.000-04:00

For the last five years, the CA/Village Board elections in Wilde Lake have been what could be politely termed, a “spirited” event. In recent years Wilde Lake residents have seen campaign literature dropped on their doorsteps and arrive in their mailboxes. Prominent officials elected to state office have sent emails, dropped personal notes on doors, and personally called residents. And this year, we have seen yard signs popping up around the neighborhood.

With this as a backdrop, we find in Thursday’s Columbia Flier a few letters to the editor endorsing either Phil Kirsch or Linda Odum in this year’s race for Wilde Lake Columbia Council Representative. These letters are often written by well meaning residents moved enough by the election issues to publicly espouse their support for one candidate or another. Sometimes the letters portray the stance of a candidate in a negative light (as compared to the candidate of their choice). For example, Wilde Lake resident Joyce Ardo takes incumbent Phil Kirsch to task regarding shoreline erosion on Wilde Lake. However, those letters encouraging support for Phil Kirsch, published less than 100 hours before the polls open, raise some concerns.

Leaves

Wilde Lake resident Ethel Hill authored the first letter of concern. Ethel is a long tenured Wilde Lake resident and has a long history of public involvement. She has served on many boards and is a former Wilde Lake Village Board Chair. Her dedication to the community is well known and stands above most. We are lucky to have people like Ethel living in Wilde Lake.

For many years, Ethel Hill has advocated for the Columbia Association to institute a Montgomery Village style leaf collection program. Ms. Hill believes this would benefit all Columbia residents, and in particular those residents that choose to age in place. Under this program, residents would push fallen leaves into the street and have the Columbia Association collect the leaves for disposal.

In the interest of full disclosure, I first became aware of Ethel Hill’s leaf collection idea in 2007. In that year, I ran against Phil Kirsch for the Wilde Lake Columbia Council Representative position. That spring Ethel penned a Columbia Flier letter to the editor that stated (in part):

For instance, some of the CA assessment could be used to provide sidewalk snow-removal services instead of opting to spend enormous sums to compete with better-positioned privately owned health clubs. For another, why not contract for leaf pickup, requiring only that residents sweep leaves to the sidewalk rather than bearing the onerous or impossible task (for some) of either bagging leaves or having the expense of paying someone to do it.

Three years later, her concerns still not addressed, Ethel Hill attended the Wilde Lake Candidates Night to again put the question to both Columbia Council Representative candidates. Phil Kirsch, now addressing the question for the second time, expressed concern for Ethel’s plight and recalled a time when he was president of a group of single family homes in Bryant Woods. He went on to say that by representing several houses in the community, he was able to obtain a favorable rate for leaf removal from a landscaping company. Linda Odum responded by stating that there might be a greener, earth-friendly solution in that residents could, in cooperation with the county, establish leaf composting on their property; thereby eliminating the time and expense of bagging the leaves and also providing a source of nutrient rich compost product to be used by the property owner to fertilize existing shrubs and trees.

In her letter to the editor, Ethel recounts the exchange as follows:

Unfortunately, however, the Columbia Association remains stuck on attracting and providing for the interests and needs of younger residents and are ignoring quality-of-life issues important to "seasoned" people, especially those of us who are homeowners.

If you suspect there is a bee in my bonnet, you are absolutely right. One of them is the huge cost we incur for leaf removal alone. The least residents should be able to expect for the lien assessment we pay is a system whereby the leaves can be raked to the sidewalk for pickup. This is how it's done in Montgomery Village. If CA would behave like the homeowner's association it is intended to be, perhaps it wouldn't be so difficult to identify the resources to fund such relief.

When I raised this issue with Linda Odum, Phil's opponent in the race, she basically ignored my concern by responding that we should fix up our houses to sell because lots of young families are interested in buying them. Linda, I don't want to move!

I cannot in my mind reconcile how Ms. Hill leapt from “composting” to “fix up our houses to sell because lots of young families are interested in buying them.” In the end, I appreciate that Ethel Hill took the time to write a letter to the editor. It speaks to the resident-based activism that is alive and well in Wilde Lake. With respect to the content, I am saddened that Ethel missed the point of Linda’s response.

Buildings

In a second letter to the editor, Wilde Lake resident Valerie Montague Gonlin also endorses Phil Kirsch. Valerie is also a well-respected member community. She has been active in the Downtown Columbia discussion and is the former President of the Wilde Lake High School PTSA. As with other letters to the editor, Valerie builds the case for Phil Kirsch with supportive statements. Toward the end of the letter, Valerie states:

Phil is a low-key, pragmatic leader who works steadfastly on our behalf, even in the face of criticism from some with vested interests. He made sure CA adopted a plan that will protect Symphony Woods and ensure that Columbia has a community park that is an attractive year-round gathering place. In contrast, his opponent has called for high-rises in that space.

Once again, the comments regarding Phil’s opponent are inconsistent with the record. I have never heard anyone say that they wanted high-rise buildings in Symphony Woods. I am pretty sure there is 100% opposition to high-rise buildings in Symphony Woods. Moreover, no one has ever suggested high-rises in Symphony Woods, until Valerie suggested it.

Like Ethel Hill, it is great to hear Valerie’s voice this election season. However, to include statements that were never made, and attributing them to Linda Odum is wrong. It is my hope that Valerie will submit another letter to the editor stating that she had bad information and did not have the time to check it out before making outrageous statements.

As many of the Compass faithful know, I am currently a member of the Wilde Lake Village Board, and I am a candidate to be on next year’s board. If you scroll way, way, way down to the bottom of the blog, you will find my disclaimer. Over the years, I have made a conscientious effort to keep Wilde Lake business off of these pages. In the end, I think both Linda and Phil care deeply about Wilde Lake and Columbia, and I look forward to working with the election winner.

What brought me to write this blog post, at this time, was that I felt it was unfair to attribute statements that were never said. One of the key factors for me was I asked myself, “Would I write this post if these types of letters were written about people in another village election?” My answer to that is unequivocally “Yes.” The fact that I know all the people involved in this post makes it difficult, and painful.

It is up to the Wilde Lake electorate to find the differences in these two candidates and make an educated decision based on what was actually said by the candidates. It is my hope that this blog post will help clear the air so that can happen.

Bloggers Making News in the Region

2010-04-16T11:06:00.000-04:00

Over in Montgomery County, the Planning Department hosted an evening with five local bloggers as part of their “ReThink Montgomery” series. The topic of conversation was as follows:

Technology is changing the way we communicate. Our news sources are shifting from print journalism to blogging. How does this transformation affect the field of planning? Does blogging help bring in a broader pool of participants and ideals? Does it make planning more accessible and equitable? Join five local bloggers as we ReThink the way knowledge is shared in Montgomery County.

The bloggers featured in this discussion were:

David Alpert, Greater Greater Washington

Cindy Cotte Griffiths, Rockville Central

Dan Reed, Just Up the Pike

Eric Robbins, Thayer Avenue

Barnaby Zall, Friends of White Flint

Each has a great blog and had great insight into the topic of discussion. In fact, many othe topics discussed do translate well to the discussions we have here in Howard County. If you have some time I would encourage everyone to click over to the Mongomery County website and watch the meeting.

Yesterday, Kojo Nnamdi had three Prince George’s County bloggers on to talk about blogging in their neighborhood:

It's one of the most dynamic suburban counties in our region-- home to diverse neighborhoods and the largest African American middle class community in the country. But Prince George's County doesn't always make it into the headlines of local newscasts and papers. We talk with local bloggers about their communities.

Audio of the show can be streamed here. Again, the conversation was stimulating and the featured bloggers were impressive. The PG Bloggers were:

Gary Stone, South Laurel News and Views

David Daddio, Rethink College Park

Charles Andrews, CHV Blog (Cheverly, MD)

As with most local bloggers, I work hard on my blog and I hold my fellow Howard County bloggers in very high esteem. I believe that Howard County has one of the liveliest, thoughtful, intelligent and diverse blogging communities in Maryland, if not the United States.Hopefully, these types of discussions between bloggers, local government and the established media can be replicated in Howard County.

Changing the View

2010-04-12T16:22:00.002-04:00

I have been working on functionality here. Notice the new picture in the banner, the Twitter feed, and I'm working on integrating Facebook. I am also proud to note that I am the first blog in Howard County to track the 2010 US Census participation rate (c'mon Howard Countians! Carroll County is ahead of us as of 4/12/10!).

Why I won't sign the referendum petition, yet...

2010-03-15T13:35:00.001-04:00

I have tried to keep an open mind about the referendum petition to repeal the downtown Columbia zoning legislation. The “pop-up” group Taxpayers Against Giveaways has taken the lead on the petition signature gathering and state on their website that “Over the next several weeks we will detail how CB-59 grants huge tax windfalls to GGP, relieves GGP of infrastructure obligations typically incurred by other developers, substantially and permanently exacerbates traffic congestion, continues the exemption from State Forest Conservation requirements required of other developers, and fails to provide any environmental sustainability requirements for new construction.”

Well, it hasn’t been several weeks, but it has been more than a few. So far, no details from the TAGs. Have they lost steam? I have no idea. What I do know is that some of their arguments need some explaining before I can sign their petition, much less vote for a referendum this November.

One thing I believe is that TAG appears to be embellishing their claims. Two things that have stuck out for me has been TAG’s assertion that as a result of passing the legislation, the county “grants GGP a huge tax windfall,” and that the legislation “continues the exemption from State Forest Conservation requirements.”

Property Tax Windfall?

Absent any concrete details from the TAGs, I started doing some of my own research. The first claim I researched was the assertion that there is a special tax exemption in Council Bill CB-59. I looked in the bill and could not find any specific language that provided a tax windfall to GGP. None was found. Getting a little frustrated, I searched the TAG website and found a link to a document called “Canvasser Flier.” I would imagine this is flier intended to be handed out by canvassers as they ask for signatures. This flier contains a bullet-point that states:

Developer not taxed on increased land value for many years (probably decades)

That bullet point helped clear things up a little. It appears that the TAGs are once again aiming at a state law that allows developers to pay property taxes as if their undeveloped acres were agricultural land. The actual text of the law can be found in the Maryland Code of Regulations - Maryland Code – Tax-Property – Title 8. Valuation and Assessment – Subtitle 2. Assessment Procedures – Section 8-220.

Now the TAGs said they wanted to put the downtown Columbia zoning bill to a referendum vote this November because of density. They have been emphatic that the petition drive is about density. What we find in TAG’s literature are these references to State laws, not county laws. The State laws deal with property taxes, not density. To make the connection that passing a county zoning law could in any way affect the state property tax law is misleading and disingenuous. This is a reason that the TAGs give (in written form) for people to sign the petition.

Forests

Simlarly, the TAGs have asserted that the new zoning bill (CB-59) “continues the exemption from State Forest Conservation requirements required of other developers.” Once again, we go to the Maryland State Code of Regulations (COMAR) to find some answers. Forest conservation is overseen by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the regulations for administering forest conservation can be found in Maryland Code of Regulations - Maryland Code – Natural Resources – Title 5. Forests and Parks – Subtitle 16. Forest Conservation – Section 5-1601.

Of particular interest of this part of the code is Section 5-1603(c)(3)(ii), which states:

A local forest conservation program, when approved by the Department, may allow clustering and other innovative land use techniques that protect and establish forests where open space is preserved, sensitive areas are protected, and development is physically concentrated.

In developing their Forest Conservation Manual, the Howard County Government did look into innovative land use techniques used in the county and inserted the following text into the Howard County Forest Conservation Manual.

A planned unit development which has preliminary development plan approval and 50 percent or more of the land is recorded and substantially developed before December 31, 1992;

It is also interesting to note that this same language appears in the Howard County Code

Now the inclusion of the above text is not taken lightly by the Department of Natural Resources. By law, DNR reviews the Howard County Forest Conservation Manual every two years to ensure forested areas are being preserved. The last Howard County Forest Conservation Manual revision was June, 7, 1999. Therefore, DNR has reviewed the document on five separate occasions and has deemed no changes are necessary.

So here we are again. The County Council passes a zoning bill for downtown Columbia and the TAGs are up in arms about Forestry regulations that were passed in 1992 and have been endorsed (in their current form) by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for almost a decade. This also seems like piling on and has nothing to do with the density stated in CB-59.

All I’m asking for is some straight talk from TAG. If you wish to circulate a petition to take a zoning bill to referendum this fall, please do. But please make a convincing argument that, as you state, the density in the legislation is incorrect. Make your case, suggest an alternative density, and support your alternative with rigorous facts and models.

Please do not intermingle legacy issues that have no tie to the recently passed legislation. It cheapens your cause. Implying that the newly enacted legislation provides a new tax break to GGP is a gross misrepresentation of the facts. How many people have signed this petition thinking that? How can I sign a petition of someone who misrepresents facts? How do you sleep at night?

Piggybacking a twenty-year old regulation that you think falls short into this petition is equally onerous. If there is concern about how the Forest Conservation Act is applied, why not advocate for changing the Howard County Forest Conservation Manual? The number of trees in downtown Columbia and the future density are not directly linked. Most of the new apartments and condos in downtown will be built on existing parking lots. And why wasn't TAG out in front of the Forest Conservation Act during the Columbia Village Center legislation? That legislation amended the same section of the zoning code that CB-59 does, but the Forest Conservation Act was not brought up at all during testimony on that bill.

TAG it’s time for you to start discussing density and the real reasons you oppose the recently enacted zoning legislation. Otherwise, your silence on density and the forwarding of arguments unrelated to CB-59 show your group to not be truthful and your petition drive to be less than honorable.

Posting regularly helps...

2010-03-12T10:58:00.000-05:00

Things have been too quiet over here in the Columbia Compass world. It's all my fault. I haven't posted in a long, long time.

That's not to say I don't read the blogs. HoCoRising is beginning to become a regular stop for me. I have many other regulars that I visit frequently and I wanted to mention two: Just Up the Pike, and Tales of Two Cities. Dan Reed writes "Just Up the Pike" and focuses on issues in the Silver Spring/Rt. 29 corridor. His stuff is always enlightening and his recent post links to a Maryland Politics Watch post on the most read blogs in Maryland.

Just Up the Pike ranks second and our good friend Wordbones comes in a close third (with a 186% increase in views Feb09 to Feb10). Great job gentleman, I'll keep reading, and possibly start writing...again.

A not so ringing endorsement

2009-12-09T22:19:00.000-05:00

With all our discussion of car-dependency in Columbia, the following assessment comes from Talking Heads founder David Byrne as reported in today’s Washington Post (emphasis added by Columbia Compass):

It's safe to say performer David Byrne loves cycling. The Talking Heads founder has ridden 'round the globe and written a book about it, "Bicycle Diaries."
Byrne (two-toned red shirt, gray coat, spiky hair) brought his experience to the Newseum on Tuesday night, joining a Brookings-sponsored panel on promoting alternative forms of transportation. He kicked things off with a slideshow of his bike travels: Portland, Ore.; Buenos Aires; Hong Kong ("Certainly no bike lanes" there, he said. "Man, that was the worst") -- even Adams Morgan. The first slide was an aerial shot of Columbia, Md.: "Where my parents live. If you don't drive, you're pretty much stranded there."

Byrne told us that he has "four or five" bikes and that he likes to lend them to friends who come visit in New York.
So how can more people be persuaded to bike? Safer roads (with more bike lanes) and simpler bikes (with fewer parts), Byrne says. "That takes part of the fear away."

Additional Columbia Development Details

2009-10-30T15:33:00.002-04:00

For those that have not seen it yet, Wordbones put up a very interesting post regarding James Rouse (Jim Rouse was not an Oracle) and how Columbia was developed. In my research I have uncovered some information that supports his post.

With respect to General Electric, Wordbones provides us with these details:

When GE decided to abandon Columbia and consolidate manufacturing operations in Louisville, Kentucky, Rouse adjusted his plans. Realizing that Columbia’s labor force was changing from what he originally expected, the company exercised its option to buy back the industrial park from GE and created Columbia Gateway Corporate Park.

I would like to add the financial details of how General Electric first came to Columbia. The following is from pages 304-305 of the book Columbia and the New Cities.

Financing on a Giant Scale

In order to snare the GE facility, Rouse not only paid for a four-mile railroad spur, but expanded Columbia beyond its original borders. He bought 2139 acres of farms and gravel pits adjacent to the new town for a staggering $19 million, more than six times the price per acre that he had paid for the new city’s original land only five years earlier. Since its original acquisition of land for $23 million, Rouse had filled several of the “holes” in his “Swiss cheese” land-holding for $2 million. With addition of the acreage for G.E. and an adjacent rail-served industrial area, Rouse has bought 17,868 acres for his new city at a total cost of $44 million, an average of $2485 per acre. General Electric got a bargain. The company announced that it paid only $3.8 million for its 1100-acre factory and warehouse site. Columbia’s expansion will add to the city’s ultimate profit despite its high cost, Rouse told his stockholders at their 1969 meeting. But the G.E. deal forced Rouse to reshape the entire financial structure of his new town.

So with respect to General Electric, Rouse bought the land for $19M, sold half the land to GE for $3.8M, and then years later bought the land back from GE. Each time the Rouse Company had to alter the financial structure of the entire city.

Moreover, Wordbones uses the General Electric transaction as an example of Rouse adapting to change. A few pages later in Columbia and the New Cities (p. 309) provides an equally compelling example:

As development progresses the differences between estimated costs and actual costs or between estimated and actual revenues force a constant rejuggling of decisions about when to invest, how much, and in which facilities. For example, when final cost estimates showed that Rouse would have to spend three million dollars more than was originally planned for one year in Columbia’s water system (even though the total cost of the system remained about where it had been figured), the increased interest cost on the extra three million dollars forced Rouse to defer several roads and put off other items of community facilities until later in Columbia’s life. Otherwise, he explained to me, in order to sustain his profit he would have been forced to crowd another six thousand dwelling units onto the land (which he could scarcely do under the zoning he had arranged.)

In a community that has been struggling with WWJRD, a partial answer is provided above. When confronted with unexpected, Jim Rouse considered increasing density and ultimately deferred road and public amenity construction. What is particularly interesting is those that oppose GGP plan before the county are loudly saying that regardless of what the future holds, the roads must be built and the amenities must be erected before any particular development phase is initiated. And to an extent, they have a point. Developing acres of farmland into a wondrous community allows a bit more latitude with respect to infrastructure and amenity phasing than a large infill development project. However, when confronted with WWJRD, they are clearly saying don’t do what Jim Rouse did.

Columbia and the New Cities. Breckenfeld, Gurney. Van Rees Press, New York. 1971

Hijacking the Community Interest

2009-10-26T11:03:00.002-04:00

I am loathe to base a blog post on comments retrieved from the HCCA Yahoo-group; however, CoFoCoDo “spokesperson” Alan Klein has crossed several lines that spur comment.

In a message this weekend, Alan begins his comments on the New City Alliance with cynicism:

“I was waiting for this.”

He then remarks that the principals of the New City Alliance have some ties with groups such as Bring Back the Vision and Columbia 2.0. Alan states “They try to make themselves seem bigger than they are by creating multiple groups, but it is easy to see through the charade.”

I will let the folks at the New City Alliance speak to your broadsides Alan, but if what you say is true, you should be flattered. Is it possible to apply the same broad-brush strokes to the Howard County Community Association (HCCA), most of the CA Board of Directors, and CoFoCoDo?

Moreover, Alan displays the plumage of hubris by stating that those with a view that differs from his own are opponents of the “community’s vision” and wish to hijack the “community’s interest.” Having lived most of my life in this diverse community, I am wary of any one individual that speaks for “the community.”

Alan, for more than three years, CoFoCoDo’s steering committee has directed you to appear often, (and at great length) in a variety of settings to convey their message to the people of Columbia. Now is not the time to jeopardize all their hard “behind the scenes” work. Rather than criticizing other’s ideas, provide a compelling argument for the CoFoCoDo steering committee’s point of view.

A Call For Columbia's 2nd Generation

2009-10-08T22:08:00.002-04:00

My brothers and sisters, if you grew up in Columbia during the 70's or 80's, please read this essay by Michael Chabon:

Maps and Legends

Now, if you had an experience anything like that, please make plans to be at the Columbia Archives on Wednesday October 14, 2009.

The Columbia Archives is holding a series of seminars this month based on Columbia's four founding principles. To address the principle of "a place for people to grow," the Archives is focusing on those of us that grew up in Columbia and invited author and American University Professor Cindy Gueli to speak. Cindy grew up in Columbia and is co-author of a soon to be published book: The Next America? A New Town's Social Experiment. This book takes a look at the first generation that grew up in Columbia.

It's about time we all got together and remembered, shared and just plain had fun.

Once again, if you still live in Columbia, or Howard County, or even near Howard County:

Call or email the Columbia Archives to register:

(410) 715-3103

columbia.archives@columbiaassociation.com

October 14, 2009

The American Cities Building

7:00 PM

Coffee and Conversation after at Lakeside Cafe.

Note: Michael Chabon lives in California and is not expected to be anywhere near this event.

Marco Polo Saved by the CA Board of Directors

2009-10-08T09:22:00.002-04:00

Last night, the Columbia Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to keep the Faulkner Ridge, Locust Park, and Talbott Springs pools open. That being said, pool attendance numbers across the city are downright anemic. Attendance numbers are significantly down at almost every pool in Columbia, including the "super pools," as compared to 10 years ago (and even 20 years ago).

For those of us that are a certain age and grew up in Columbia during the 70's, 80's or 90's; this is a difficult reality. The entire pool system needs to be looked at, and solutions need to be found. I'm ready to (pardon the pun) take the plunge, anyone else?

Marco...Polo...Screw You

2009-10-06T14:24:00.002-04:00

I received word from throughout the Next American City that the Columbia Association has proposed shutting down...forever...three pools in Columbia:

Faulkner Ridge

Locust Park

Talbott Springs

No word on why CA has decided to withdraw from these communities, or how they decided to target these areas.

Something to keep in mind is that this is a proposal, so kickboards don't need to be converted to headstones...yet.

I also seem to remember that the last time CA hired a president from outside, pool closures were high on the list (no offense Phil, it's possible this scheme was in the works before you got here).

Questions Regarding Symphony Woods

2009-09-28T13:34:00.002-04:00

The Columbia Association has put a lot of effort in promoting their plans for Symphony Woods. Through a series of public events, a website, local press, editorials and blog commentaries (here, here, and here) the Cy Paumier design has created a buzz around town. And what’s not to love; bringing sunshine into the park, an interactive fountain for the kids (and kids at heart), a place to have a coffee – maybe a sandwich (day or night). What I have heard, both at a public meeting and among friends and neighbors has been that the design is “nice.” Not amazing, not innovative, but a full-throated “it’s ok.”

What concerns me about the design is not so much the elements presented, but the unanswered questions the design creates.

The first question regarding Symphony Woods is the question of use. Given that Symphony Woods is underutilized, what is the appropriate amount of human activity? The Columbia Association/Cy Paumier plan does not currently address this question. This is not to say that this question has not been asked about parklands and forests. The United States Forest Service has been asking this question since 1936. As recommended reading, the United States Forest Service puts forth the book Parks and Carrying Capacity – Commons Without Tragedy. This book is authored by Robert E. Manning (published 2007) and retails for $35.

Closer to home, the Maryland State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) employs the concept of carrying capacity in managing Deep Creek Lake. In their assessment of Deep Creek Lake, DNR defined carrying capacity as follows:

Carrying capacity relates to the ability of the lake or buffer strip to support various uses by people. There are two types of carrying capacity. Social carrying capacity relates to a level of use beyond which the recreational user's expectation of a quality experience is not realized. Physical carrying capacity relates to the level of use which the resource can sustain, beyond which irreversible biological or physical damage occurs to the point that the resource is no longer suitable or attractive for recreational or other uses. The optimum carrying capacity is the level of use that does not exceed an area's physical or social carrying capacity.

Given this rich, and heretofore ignored, field of study, the question regarding Symphony Woods becomes, “What is the optimum carrying capacity of Symphony Woods?” The data related to answering this question is scarce.

Currently, Symphony Woods can be characterized as a wooded parcel, generally in poor condition, which requires continuous maintenance to retain its artificial structure. In the area where the park is planned, the (current) preferred groundcover is grass. The establishment of underbrush and understory tree canopy is actively discouraged; thereby preventing a healthy forest environment.

The only data point known regarding overuse is related to the Wine in the Woods festival. If thousands of people in the woods, over several days, is detrimental to the trees, how many people can visit the park daily without damaging the trees? This question is a subset of the carrying capacity question and has not been answered in any manner by the Columbia Association or the Symphony Woods Park design team.

If there is little data on the environmental carrying capacity of Symphony Woods, there is less data related to social carrying capacity. Social carrying capacity is also more complex, in that if a park drops below a minimum number of people, new visitors may have anxiety entering an empty, or nearly empty park. The effect is that visitors may be discouraged to use the park because, of all things, lack of use. At the opposite end of the spectrum would be a park populated to the point that visitors perceive it as overcrowded and are discouraged from entering.

The social carrying capacity is critical because the proposed design elements are targeted toward increasing the social carrying capacity in Symphony Woods; however, the magnitude of the effects are either not known or not well communicated. John Slater, a member of Cy Paumier’s design team has called the design elements “magnets” that will attract people. The obvious question is, “How strong are those magnets?” How does “magnetic field strength” translate into carrying capacity? If the trees are cleared, the grass planted, the fountain, café, and parking lot constructed; will there be enough people attracted to the park to sustain it as a gathering place?

I bring these questions to the table because they speak to the basis of the park design. If the Columbia Association wants to increase usage in Symphony Woods, and the Cy Paumier design brings in a dozen people a day, could that be construed as exceeding expectations? For an improvement of general open space in Columbia, Cy’s plan may be exactly the type of planning needed. Given the location of Symphony Woods in downtown Columbia, it is a very important piece of real estate. For me, the criteria for success would be as follows: At some future date, after the park is constructed I call a friend of mine and we are trying to find a place to get our families together. A place where the adults can hang out and the kids can play. If my friend says to me (or vice-versa) “Why don’t we meet over in Symphony Woods Park? Then the place is a success.

Sign of the Times

2009-09-11T13:27:00.002-04:00

Has anyone noticed the new Owen Brown Village signs?

These signs are maintained by the Columbia Association. Over time, they have been replacing signs in the city. Sometimes the new signs closely approximate the original design. For instance, here is one of the original Running Brook Signs:

Compare the above sign with this sign that was installed last year:

In other cases, the new sign is completely different from the old sign. For example, this sign outside the Locust Park Neighborhood Center is consistent with the original neighborhood stucco-and-brown-board-with-white-lettering signage in Long Reach.

The Long Reach neighborhood signs have all been replaced with the following style:

The Columbia Association has also been placing a standardized sign indicating different amenities throughout Columbia:

Although some signs are not very well maintained:

At times, there have been stumbles. The Town Center sign below was originally pink:

That's where I am right now with the Owen Brown signs. There is something about them that seems a little bit off.

The white lettering on a deep blue background, a hint of red...maybe it was a departure from the the earth tones that dominate our sign-scape. I thought about it, but that wasn't the problem. There is something about the white-on-blue with red piping...and framed in gray.

The other day I was in Laurel, and it all came together.

Was James Rouse an Urban Thinker?

2009-08-12T09:59:00.003-04:00

The planning website Plantizen is conducting a poll of who are the great urban thinkers. James Rouse is on the list, but currently languishes with twenty votes at the time of this writing. If you can take the time to visit the poll website and cast your vote.

Diminished Expectations?

2009-06-26T09:09:00.001-04:00

Currently cloudy, 70 deg-F, possible showers today. How many CA pools will open?

CA Pools Close for No Good Reason?

2009-06-21T15:00:00.001-04:00

There may have been. There might have been a strike by lifeguards. Pumps could have failed. Chemicals not delivered. I’m just not sure.

For all accounts, yesterday was a typical Maryland/Columbia day in June. Temperatures in the mid-80’s; muggy, humid air; partly sunny or partly cloudy, depending on your disposition. My son and I had a lot of fun during the day. Morning drizzle gave way to outdoor fun in the backyard.

After lunch, we decided it would be great to cool off in the pool. We began a long trek around Columbia looking for relief from the heat. Clad in our swim trunks and towels, we first set out to Running Brook Pool. Closed. Gates locked, no one in sight, no sign, no reason.

Puzzled, we jumped in the car and headed over to Thunder Hill. Different Village, same story. Back in the car, doubts were being raised. “Are there any pools open daddy?”

We figured we would try our luck at a “super pool.” Off to Dickenson. When we arrived we found more locked gates and only birds on the lounge chairs. “Daddy, it’s not fair,” was what I heard from the back seat.

Circling back to casa de Santos, we made one more detour in hopes to find one pool that bucked the tide – Clary’s Forest. Clary’s has everything: hot tub, beach entry, fountain, diving board, and beach volley ball. The silence was humbling. “Will the pools ever open again?” I heard from my little swimmer who had no place to swim. “I’m sure they will, just not today.”

Now I know that thunderstorms were predicted for yesterday, but they never came. It seems that CA has been caught in the equivalent of a public school snow day declaration to see less than an inch accumulate on the grass. For me, this does not wash. Snow day declarations and closing pools due to thunder both are related to safety, but the snow day is often called because it can take a significant amount of time to plow the snow and make things safe. Thunder at the pool will cause the water to be vacated in usually less than three or four minutes, and the pool shut down (if needed) within half an hour.

I would imagine that beside the safety standpoint (which I believe all parties would place as the highest concern), some may try to marginalize this decision to shut down the pools by saying there are inclement weather pools that stay open. I say great, if there is inclement weather. The sun was shining most of the day yesterday.

Others may say that closing the pools would save money. I might agree with that, but in saving money, CA has degraded the value of my membership. Without value, I could care less how thrifty the organization is.

Bottom line: In my mind, CA dropped the ball on Saturday June 20, 2009.

Quote

2009-05-06T18:12:00.001-04:00

"A great city has two hallmarks: tolerance for strangers and intolerance for mediocrity."

Bonnie Menes Kahn, Cosmopolitan City

Church Awarded Expansion Over Residents Concerns

2009-04-30T15:26:00.002-04:00

Today in the Columbia Flier, Jennifer Broadwater has a piece on the Columbia Presbyterian Church expansion that was approved by the Howard County Board of Appeals. One of the uses that was talked about extensively during the hearing was the rental of the space to homeschooling groups during the week. Expected attendance is more than 200 children a week.

Local resident Bruce Corriveau is quoted in the article as follows:

"They are not building the church they promised to the community," said Corriveau, the spokesman for the neighbors who also is an attorney. "Regardless of what you call it, it has the feel, function and features of a school."

Dick Talkin, representing the church, had this quote in the paper:

"Complaints about existing conditions and mere speculation about future use are simply not enough," Talkin said.

Oh really? Here is a picture of the traffic on Ten Mills Road (which is immediately adjacent to the church) taken the Friday before closing arguments of the case:

And yes, the intersection of Ten Mills Road and West Running Brook Road is failing:

It seems to me that transporting more than 200 students through this "existing condition" will be problematic (there is not an abundance of pedestrian access to the church, and they have indicated that no school buses will be used to transport students).

In closing, let me make one thing clear: Children are precious, and educating them is a worthy, noble, and necessary endeavor. However, which children are being given preference, those that sit in car seats to get to the church, or those that LIVE on Ten Mills Road and West Running Brook Road?

Beyond the Numbers on Columbia Election Day

2009-04-26T10:13:00.002-04:00

I would like to take a moment and thank everyone that ran for either a Village Board or CA Board of Directors position this spring. Although there were many non-competitive races this year, those that where competitive certainly made this election season interesting. For those that won, congratulations! For those that did not win, please continue to participate, I believe this year we will need everyone to be involved.

Looking a little deeper, I would like to thank the following people:

Kevin Preston – Harper’s Choice
Ed Cosentino – Owen Brown
Summer Romack – Owen Brown
Evan Coren – Kings Contrivance
Nina Basu – Long Reach
Trevor Greene – River Hill
John Bailey – Hickory Ridge
Brian Donoughe – Oakland Mills
Christopher Huza – Oakland Mills

What do all these people have in common? They, like me, grew up in Columbia (or at least Howard County). Collectively, we represent almost 20% of the Village Board positions (Oakland Mills has a board of 7, to the best of my knowledge, all other boards elect five).

There may be more. Given that some Villages stagger their elections, there may be some additional “I grew up in Columbia” folks that are not up for election. Lastly, there are some open seats on Village Boards. If you grew up in Columbia, please consider volunteering.

We should all get together sometime soon. In the meantime, friend me on Facebook.

We are Good for Business

2009-03-30T12:30:00.002-04:00

Thinking about starting up a small business in Maryland? Business Week has named Columbia as the best small city in Maryland for business startups. Columbia also compares favorably to other small cities across the United States. Particularly similar sized communities such as Sugarland, Texas and Provo, Utah.

Worth a Look

2009-03-04T20:15:00.002-05:00

A quick shout-out to my friends over @ Columbia 2.0.

Their latest video is a little look at downtown Columbia last week and worth a look. The mock interview with James Rouse is a little hokey. Otherwise, some intriguing questions.

BZ to C2.0

A Call to Service

2009-02-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

Nominating petitions for the Columbia Village Elections are now available at most Village Centers. Please consider running and serving on your local village board or the CA Board of Directors.

GGP Gains Breathing Room

2008-12-18T08:36:00.002-05:00

Reports today indicate GGP has reached an agreement with lenders on an extension of thier $900M loan that was due last month. The agreement, termed a "forbearance and waiver" agreement gives GGP until February 12, 2009 to pay the loan.

CoFoCoDo Advocates Agenda that is Counter to Rouse

2008-11-10T12:06:00.001-05:00

The kind, well-intentioned, leaderless organization has been railing against the GGP downtown plan. One of the primary criticisms has been what CoFoCoDo “spokesman” Alan Klein calls phasing. “Spokesman” Klein was quoted recently on the Explore Howard blog (Groups weigh in on plan for downtown Columbia):

Klein said his group would like to see GGP’s plan broken into five-year phases rather than 10-year phases, which he said would ensure that each development stage is not approved unless certain goals are met.

A few days later, Alan Klein expanded on this theme via the HCCA Yahoo-Group:

In addition, it is vital that the additional density which GGP is asking for be phased in, through separate votes by the Council over time, rather than being granted up front, as they are asking for now.

What is intriguing about this stance by the “leaders” of CoFoCoDo is its hypocrisy. On the CoFoCoDo website, the “organization” states:

CCD wants to ensure that a vibrant Downtown Columbia emerges from the redevelopment planning process and that the plan remains true to the founder's vision for Columbia.

But let’s go back and look at the beginning. When Rouse first proposed Columbia, there was opposition to the project:

Still worse from Rouse’s standpoint, the [Howard County] commissioners issued a set of “guidelines” to the Howard County planning commission that sounded like flat rejection of several indispensable ingredients of the new city. The commissioners declared themselves opposed to row-house development. They warned that they would not “in any case” rezone the entire site for the city at one time. The commissioners were, they reiterated, committed to low-density development of Howard County.
Columbia and the New Cities, Gurney Brekenfeld, pp. 267-268, Ives Washburn Inc, New York, 1971

Sounds familiar?

Another interesting passage relating to the same discussion appears in “Creating a New City- Columbia, Maryland,” edited by Robert Tennenbaum:

[R]ouse contended that it was necessary for all of the property to be rezoned in order to obtain the financing for the project.

When the Commissioners began to deliberate after the close of the hearing, there were strong inclinations by Commissioners Force and Miller to rezone only the Town Center and the first village in order to provide a basis for a trail period.
Creating a New City – Columbia, Maryland, Robert Tennenbaum, p. 101, Perry Publishing, Columbia, 1996.

CoFoCoDo – 1965 is calling…

As Rouse insisted it was essential, the [Howard County] commissioners voted to rezone the entire property at once. [Attorney for the Howard County Commissioners Lewis] Nippard explained to me why, “We’ve had extremely good relations with these [Rouse] people, even though we’ve had differences. If we zoned less than the entire tract at once, they being practical people could take the stand that the county had hedged its bet and ‘we would have to do the same.’ We decided to indicate complete faith and let them develop at the pace the market will allow. Besides, wherever we drew a line, it wouldn’t be the right place.”
Columbia and the New Cities, Gurney Brekenfeld, p. 272, Ives Washburn Inc, New York, 1971

So on one hand, CoFoCoDo declares their intention “that the plan remains true to the founder's vision for Columbia,” while taking a position that was flatly rejected by Rouse.

Hopefully the CoFoCoDo “leadership” will reconsider their position and have “spokesman” Alan Klein re-issue a statement that CoFoCoDo supports the vision and actions of James Rouse.

Columbia’s Chief Planner Publishes Book

2008-10-30T10:39:00.001-04:00

William E. Finley, the Chief Planner of Columbia, Maryland recently published the book “Curing Urbanitis.”

An overview of the book can be found on the Planetizen website.

Americans have a love-hate relationship with big cities. They love the vibrancy, diversity, the sophisticated shops and restaurants, the preserved neighborhoods and the museums and shiny towers that justify and state their importance. They dislike, but put up with, high costs, traffic, crime, rudeness, long commutes, too few taxis, erratic transit and many annoying inconveniences.

I [Finley] propose that Congress charter a nationwide non-profit corporation, in the public interest, to be the forceful catalyst in both administering the incentive grants to existing local governments and undertaking the planning and building of new metropolitan areas.

In order to give the new entity leverage with the budgeting functions of the Administration and the spending powers of Congress, the new non-profit will be able to float its own revenue bonds. Those indentures will be backed partially by a Federal guarantee and the net proceeds of the community development activities in building eight to ten new metropolitan cities of at least 500,000 population each. The details on how to achieve this dramatic goal are covered in Curing Urbanitis.

The proposed National Partnership for MetroCities would utilize its funds to match Congressional appropriations on a one-to-two basis; that is, it would match each $2 of regular Federal funds with $1 of its own financial resources. This, conceptually, would both give the new corporation the freedom to be creative in its grants program and give Congress an incentive to help it on its way.

No doubt this innovative methodology will be caught up in a myriad of politics but this approach to turning the metropolitan ship around is the only approach likely to succeed. Money talks!

Eventually, when the policies are in place, many subsidy programs affecting local governments, and they are many, could well be tied into the incentive-based grants program. Dealing with Congressional processes will be a challenging task.

I have ordered the book, and am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Forward Moving

2008-10-06T13:29:00.002-04:00

Last Wednesday, the folks from General Growth Properties arrived at the CA boardroom to discuss downtown Columbia. Based on an agenda posted on the Columbia Association website, the topic of discussion was to be Symphony Woods. Upon arriving in the boardroom, it was clear that much more was going on. Easels were erected, festooned with large placards depicting Symphony Woods and other parts of downtown Columbia. A table had been placed in front of the CA Board of Directors “U-Shaped” dias, and chairs in the front row we reserved.

Minutes after the meeting began, it was clear that the 45 people in the audience were in for much more than a discussion of Symphony Woods. That afternoon, the ZRA for downtown Columbia had been submitted to the Howard County Government. Not only was Greg Hamm of GGP in attendance, but also Alan Ward (Sasaki and Associates) and Keith Bowers (Biohabitats).

Greg Hamm put out the larger points regarding the downtown plan, followed up by short presentations by Mr. Ward and Mr. Bowers. In the end, much of the evening did focus on Symphony Woods, but the announcement brought other aspects of downtown development in the discussion.

Much of this has been captured over on Wordbones blog.

A few points of which I would like to expand upon.

CA Board member Evan Coren (KC) and his mother, Ann Coren (OB Village Board member, but speaking as a resident) both displayed a passion for wildlife (both flora and fauna) and asked very good questions. In my opinion, Keith Bowers demonstrated a deep understanding of the issues and provided quality responses to their questions. It is clear that GGP and Biohabitats have clearly done their homework on issues regarding Symphony Woods.

A concern regarding the Lake Kittamaquandi lakefront area, first brought up by CA Board member Cindy Coyle (HC), was raised a few times.

Oakland Mills resident Barbara Russell spoke during resident speakout, which (for a change) was done after the presentation. Barbara informed the board that if Columbia had been built as first proposed, two current members of the CA Board members from Dorsey Search and River Hill would not be sitting at the table. I suppose Barbara should take solace in the fact that Dorsey Search and River Hill were there because without their residents (and also the residents of the Kendall Ridge section of Long Reach), Columbia would need downtown residents to get to the proposed population of 100,000.

Liz Bobo was in the audience, and apparently left before the meeting ended.

Joel Yesley, speaking for the Alliance for a Better Columbia, indicated that the County has insisted that Symphony Woods be maintained in its current, pristine state. I need to take exception to this charge.

Howard County’s 2000 General Plan discusses downtown Columbia on pages 177-178. On these pages, you will find the following references to Symphony Woods:

Open Space. Enhance Downtown open space, such as the edges of Lake Kittamaqundi and Symphony Woods, to promote enjoyment by the growing numbers of Downtown residents and visitors.

Symphony Woods. Encourage measures that enhance Symphony Woods as an attractive, inviting open space resource for families and individuals to enjoy natural beauty within the urban setting.

It appears that the actual text calls for enhancing Symphony Woods, not maintaining a pristine state. As far as pristine is concerned, the GGP report on Symphony Woods and adjacent properties shows that invasive species have degraded the area.

GGP Sells Office Park

2008-10-02T12:21:00.003-04:00

Based on a report from Costar, GGP has sold the Rivers I and Rivers II industrial parks for $42 million, or approximately $137/sq ft. These parks are located off Guilford Road, between Murray Hill Road and the Rt. 32 overpass.

View Larger Map

Downtown Zoning Change Submitted

2008-10-01T23:20:00.003-04:00

This afternoon, Councilperson Mary Kay Sigaty filed a zoning regulation amendment that has been proposed by General Growth Properties. The proposal calls for 5,500 additional dwelling units, 5 million square feet of office space, 1.25 million square feet of retail space and 1,000 hotel rooms.

The amendment will first be reviewed by the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning.

This topic was discussed at length at tonight's CA Board meeting. I will have a recap of the meeting, and some discussion of the zoning in the next day or two, but right now I have some reading to do. In the meantime, here are two quick links:

Wordbones encouraged people that attended the CA Board meeting to email him thier take on the meeting, check his blog for comments.

GGP's Town Center Webpage has info on the zoning.

The 5500

2008-09-22T23:04:00.002-04:00

5500. Sometimes, it’s a hard number to comprehend. I do not believe I have 5500 of anything in my house. (Blades of grass? Perhaps). My son has about 150 Lincoln Logs. Given how they look when spread out on the family room floor, I would loathe the thought of 5500 logs.

On the other hand, 5500 can, at times be put into perspective. Anyone who possesses a valid drivers license has certainly lived more than 5500 days. 5500 seconds passes by in just over 90 minutes. Most people will put 5500 miles on their car odometer in about six months.

The point here is that the number 5500 can seen as both a large or small number. In the recent past, we have heard some make outlandish claims about the perceived impact of 5500 units. Four times the size of Wilde Lake (uh, incorrect), more residential units than Wilde Lake and Oakland Mills combined (er, not quite). The largest project in Howard County since the approval of Columbia. Well, I’m not so sure.

Of the examples I have provided above, the odometer example is most telling. The 5500 miles could be characterized as driving approximately 20% around the equator. Or it could be characterized as six month of normal driving in this area. Both are valid, but each paints a different picture. What I believe is crucial in the odometer analogy (and the proposed housing units) is that both are described in terms of a magnitude and a time.

Moreover, if a temporal aspect is placed into the examples stated above, the 5500 pales in comparison; given that Wilde Lake and Oakland Mills were both 95% completed within ten years, and that combined both Oakland Mills and Wilde Lake are slightly more residential units than the proposed 5500. As stated, the 5500 time line is 30 years. So downtown development will create less units than Oakland Mills and Wilde Lake combined, and the proposed development will occur at a pace three times slower than that of Oakland Mills and Wilde Lake.

With respect to the largest project, this theory is on fairly shaky ground. Census data reveals that over 90% (92.43%) of the 92,818 housing units built in Howard County were built after 1960. So let’s compare. In the last 48 years, 85,790 housing units were built in Howard County (of which approximately 30,000 units are in Columbia). GGP proposes building 5500 units over the next 30 years.

Breaking this down by decade:

The entire downtown development proposal could have easily been accomplished during the 1960’s. Three downtowns could have been accommodated during the 1970’s, four downtowns in the 1990’s and five downtowns in the 1980’s.

Another way of looking at historical development in Howard County is by housing permits issued. I have charted data obtained from the Baltimore Metropolitan Council of Governments (Economic Outlook 2006) below:

To provide context, here are the terms of office of each of the Howard County Executives.

1969-1973 Omar J. Jones
1974-1978 Edward L. Cochran
1978-1986 J. Hugh Nichols
1986-1990 Elizabeth Bobo
1990-1998 Charles I. Ecker
1998-2006 James N. Robey

Certainly, each administration, since the creation of the Howard County Executive, issued enough permits during his/her tenure to allow for a downtown Columbia to be built.

In conclusion, 5500 as a number can appear to be very large. However, given its application over time, 5500 is not as big a number as some may perceive. Given the prolific construction of over 80,000 units in the last forty years, 5500 units in the next thirty is small by comparison. Moreover, each past administration has seen fit to approve housing permits well beyond the scale of the proposed downtown development.

Rocky Run

2008-08-16T07:18:00.003-04:00

Rocky Run was one of my favorite places. It was a place to have a beer with friends, a place to chat, and a place to eat a simple (but satisfying) meal. I am certainly not the first to blog about this (Columbia Talk, Howard County Maryland Blog). I first walked into Rock Run in 1996, and I kept coming back. Here are a few reasons why:

Quirky:

When you walked into Rocky Run, you knew this was not a national chain. It never took itself too seriously, and this was reflected in the décor. One of the few restaurants in Columbia that had its own brewery, there was a quirkyness about the place. The enormous hot sauce collection, the Elvis booth, the Beatles room, the Buffett room. The peanuts on the floor in the bar (great when fashionable, even better that they stuck with it when it fell out of fashion). The foreign language tapes on continuous loop in the bathrooms. The Rocky Cocktails (I confess, I had a Jamaican Bobsled just last week!) The endless trivia games.

The Food

Since it opened, Rocky Run’s menu has always been full of offerings. Standouts in my mind where the chicken wings, which always seemed larger than the wings served at other restaurants in town. Crab Pretzels on Fridays during lent. The salads (the cobb salad was a personal favorite), of course the burgers, and the impossibly large “loaded” baked potatoes. The Cuban pannini was a late, but welcomed arrival on the menu.

If people asked me about the food at Rocky Run, I would always respond “It’s the best comfort food in Columbia.” I think that said it all.

The Staff

Over the years, I have gotten to know many of the people behind the bar and waiting tables. It all started with Alex, who on that first day I walked into the bar, shook my hand, introduced himself and asked me what I would like to drink. I quickly came to know him and many others. The always bubbly Liz, Adam, who insisted on being called Fish. Mary Ellen, who was in training to become an EMT before she trashed her knee. The always nice Amy. Ruthie, who had issues, still managed to have a good time and smile.

During the late 1990’s Heidi and Sean tended bar on Friday nights, and they always managed to serve an impossibly large crowd. At that time, Margarita Maggies was still open, but not doing well, and people would park in the Maggies lot to go to Rocky Run. Heidi and Sean performed their craft well. They were fast, charming, and seemed to enjoy themselves.

As time passed, some interesting bartenders made their way through. Art was always fun with his libertarian views and his dislike of public displays of affection. Jeff was a master of many subjects. Henri, was just an all-around good guy; smart, witty, and a die-hard Wizards/Bullets fan.

There were a few that found love at Rocky Run. Caleb and Christy are still together and Tommy and Jenny were an item.

But, over the years, three stand out. Jason, who started as a busboy, became a waiter, host, bartender, bar manager, store manager, and I’m sure is still doing well. Jason, I have seen you grow so much over the last twelve years. I am honored to call you friend, and wish you well. Christy (as mentioned above), you have been part of my nights out for so long that I will miss you. Dave, you are a great man and I am sure good things will happen for you.

I know that I have missed so many (oh, I remember another, Wendy!) who wore the bright orange “Rocky Rookie” shirts on their first day, I will miss you too, as well as everyone in the kitchen.

The Smartest Patrons Ever Known

I am serious about this point. Since the day it opened, Rocky Run always ran the NTN/Buzztime trivia games; Half hour trivia contests that linked thousands of restaurants across the United States. Rocky Run attracted a clientele that was adept at these games (and for a long time, I was one of them) and often times Rocky Run would be ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Occasionally, a person would arrive at Rocky Run just based on seeing the restaurant on the trivia boards at other restaurants. During the late 1990’s, Rocky Run and Nottingham’s were engaged in a battle of trivia supremacy. Trivia players were courted. Scores were displayed; cell phone calls were exchanged after games.

What gave this rivalry depth was that at Nottingham’s, it was known that the trivia players typically shared answers. At Rocky Run, the unwritten rule was that you played your game. Shouting out answers was considered bad form. That is not to say that the trivia players were stoic and silent. After playing for a while, players got to know each other. Most were witty, some were outright funny, and all liked passing time together.

So Moron, Phlegm, Farkle, Redgirl, Karl, and all the many people who got the trivia bug, I will find a place to play, and I hope to see you on the board too. I will miss you all.

Beyond the trivia, the folks at the bar were generally well versed in the topics of the day. You could always have a good conversation about national or local news. Just smart, wonderful people.

Where do we go from here?

I was at Rocky Run just last Friday. A friend of mine had just accepted an offer for a new job, and we went out to celebrate. We had dinner, discussed the job, what’s new in our families (my son wears a Size 1 shoe, and he starts kindergarten this month), sports, and the local politics scene. We had arrived at 6 o’clock, and the bar was busy. When we left at 9:30, the place was nearly empty. Christy, Dave and Jason were there. We said hello and things seemed all right.

I guess all we have are memories now. I can still see Joe and Ellis sitting at the end of the bar. Bobby holding court at one of the short tables. Don and Deanna discussing their latest travel plans. Bill and the trivia faithful playing trivia and chatting up each other. Jason and Terry stopping by for dinner. Some stranger saying out loud “Oh, I LOVE this song,” and me saying to myself “I love this song too.”

Yesterday I stopped by to take the picture to accompany this post. The owner came out and said hello. We talked for a short while and then I just had to ask: What happened? He told me that business had really dropped off drastically in the last four months. I thanked him and inquired how the staff were doing. He had told me that more than a few had already found jobs. I was relieved to hear that. I just smiled and thanked him again. He smiled back and thanked me, then quietly went inside. I took a minute and sat on the bench outside. As I sat there, four cars pulled up, and each asked the same question: What happened? I told each what I had heard, and they all, hesitantly, walked back to their cars, muttering “This is awful…This was my favorite place…”

I don’t know where or when my friends and I will get together for happy hour, but when we do, we will loudly toast the memory of a place that enriched our lives (better said, provided an atmosphere that allowed us to enrich each others lives).

I hope we can find a place that will have that same feel; that will give us a Second Chance.

Symphony Woods History

2008-08-09T23:05:00.002-04:00

I have been thinking about Symphony Woods lately. Actually, I have been thinking about Symphony Woods A LOT lately. Currently, General Growth Properties has suggested placing a Small Cities Institute, the Columbia Association Headquarters, and a Library on the site. As can be noted in the Letters to the Editor on the Explore Howard website, some are none too pleased about this proposal.

Here in Columbia, nearly everything was something else before it became something. I have heard and read many people (including CA) refer to the “natural” setting in Symphony Woods. I say not so. Before being purchased in the mid 1960’s, the land that is most of town center was owned by a man named Isadore Gudelsky. An account of Mr. Gudelsky can be found in the book Creating a New City, edited by Robert Tennenbaum. The following passage appears in the Chapter Land Acquisition: The Realtor’s Perspective and written by the realtor employed by Rouse, Robert Moxley.

The Gudelsky family was in the sand and gravel business (known as Contee) as well as the concrete and asphalt business. They owned thousands of acres of land between Baltimore and Washington, which they mined for the aggregate existing thereon.

They always bought land, but never sold any. They would, however, develop commercial buildings on it once the sand and gravel had been removed. Isadore Gudelsky was the administrator, so to speak, of all the family businesses while his brother, Homer, was in charge of operations. Another brother, Henry was in the concrete block business. Most of the Guldelsky land was titled in the family name or Contee or Percon, but it was all generally referred to as Contee property.

One of the parcels Contee owned was located on U.S. 29 in the very center of the targeted 15,000 acres being purchased by the Howard Research and Development Corporation (HRD), as the successor to CRD. Further, it was the planned location of the town center of the new city. Of course, Isadore Gudelsky was aware of the buying spree being conducted in Howard County, but he did not know for what purpose or by whom.

Another account of the land owned by Gudelsky can be found in the book Columbia and the New Cities, by Gurney Breckenfeld (1972):

“At last,” says Jack Jones, “we came to the Big Bear, Isidore Gudelsky. He wanted $5 million for his 1000 acres. By this time it was obvious that a big land assembly was going on, and he was a shrewd bargainer.” Moxley saw Gudelsky several times, usually in his auto, in a restaurant, or a drugstore. On Jones’s instructions, Moxley offered $1,750,000 in a property swap. Gudelsky allowed that maybe he’d take $4 million. “Finally,” says Jones, “I told Moxley that this deal had to be done.” It was an understatement. Unbeknown to him, Gudelsky held the key Columbia land: the town center, symphony hall, glade, lake site, and shopping district.

Based on these sources, it appears that the land that was used for Lake Kittamaquandi, the mall, and Symphony Woods was used as a surface mine prior to the purchase by Jim Rouse. Given the state of sand a gravel mines (full disclosure, in college I worked for a contractor at the site of the last remnants of the Contee empire, Laurel Sand and Gravel, off Van Dusen Road in Laurel, MD. I performed soil compaction tests to ensure the land was buildable for the future town of Konterra), there are very few trees or vegetation present. It’s mostly, sand and gravel.

My point here is that people who assume the current state of Symphony Woods as a natural setting is somewhat misplaced. Like much of Columbia, I believe, based on the sources above, that the grading and plant life in Symphony Woods may be an entirely man-made artifact. Some may argue that allowing much of the land to lay fallow for four decades has effectively returned the land to a natural state, but this is most likely not its history.

Moreover, although the Symphony Woods parcel appears large to human eyes, both on the ground and viewed on a map, it is a relatively small parcel in terms of an ecosystem. Because of this, the site must be actively managed to ensure a viable space.

Explore Howard Editorial Board Should Sit Down on Standing

2008-08-06T00:55:00.002-04:00

This weeks editorial on the Explore Howard website focuses on the standing issue associated with the Downtown Columbia Plaza Tower mess. Taken in total, the editorial goes to great lengths to remove large parts of the issue and arrive at its conclusion:

“The merits of his argument aside…”

“However legally sound it might've been…”

“Leaving aside the notion …”

Moreover, the editorial creates a narrative separate from that actual record, and this narrative is (in my opinion) damaging to the future discussion of any development in Howard County.

Let’s start with the 3rd paragraph of the editorial:

However legally sound it might've been, a previous ruling by county Hearing Examiner Thomas Carbo, which the courts have now taken up, defied common sense. It held that the Plaza Residences would not "specially aggrieve" Broida and other Columbia residents seeking to prevent the project's construction, and that therefore the plaintiffs lacked the necessary legal standing to fight it through judicial or quasi-judicial channels.

That first sentence is particularly troubling. In the best of worlds, we would like all decisions rendered to be both legally sound and to make common sense. When the two are not coincident, it is important to review the case specifics. I believe this is where the editors have fallen down.

Referring back to the Hearing Examiner’s decision, it explains in detail the process and evidence presented. As stated in the decision:

Generally, the appellant must provide proof of aggrievement by showing that the impact of the decision on his property is different from the impact upon the general public. It is sufficient if the facts constituting aggrievement appear in the petition for appeal either by express allegation or by necessary implication.4 An exception to this rule applies if the appellant is an adjoining, confronting, or nearby property owner. In this case, the appellant is deemed, primae facie, to be specially damaged and therefore a person aggrieved. Bryniarsky, 230 A.2d at 294. In other words, an appellant is presumed to be aggrieved if he merely shows that he owns property “nearby.” What is “nearby” depends on the circumstances of the case, but it has been held that one who “owns any property located within sight or sound of the subject property is aggrieved.” Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission v. Rockville, 269 Md. 240, 305 A.2d 122, 127 (1973). Intervening topography or roadways, however, may support a finding that a complainant is not aggrieved. DuBay v. Crane, 240 Md. 180, 213 A.2d 487 (1965).

The presumption of standing for adjoining, confronting, or nearby property owners may be rebutted, however, by the opposing party. If the opposing party presents evidence that the appellant is not in fact aggrieved, the burden shifts back to the appellant to present facts to show that he is specially aggrieved by the decision. Bryniarsky, 230 A.2d at 294.

Therefore, standing can, and was, challenged by the opposing party, and then the appellants (Knowles, Stolley, Meskin, Broida) had the opportunity to provide supporting evidence and testimony to refute the rebuttal.

With respect to Mr. Broida:

The Appellants contend that Mr. Broida is specially aggrieved because the proposed building will peculiarly block his view and sunlight, increase noise, increase traffic, reduce parking, and reduce the value of his residence.

Renaissance Centro Columbia (part of WCI Communities) rebutted Mr. Broida’s claim to standing and Mr. Broida presented evidence to challenge the rebuttal.

With respect to traffic and parking, Mr. Broida asserted that the proposed development will exacerbate an already hazardous situation. He claims that traffic is heavy now on Little Patuxent Parkway and Wincopin Circle, and that parking in the town center is hard to find on weekends. He asserted, without supporting evidence, that the proposed building does not provide sufficient parking. Much of the testimony presented by the Appellants on this point amounted only to unsupported opinions and general conclusions that the development will cause traffic and parking problems. Maryland courts instruct that the unsupported conclusions or fears of witnesses to the effect that a proposed use of property will or will not result in harm amount to nothing more than vague and general expressions of opinion which are lacking in probative value. Anderson v. Sawyer, 23 Md. App. 612, 329 A.2d 716 (1974). Because the Appellants’ testimony in this case was unsupported by any evidence that the anticipated harmful effects are likely to occur, I must afford it little weight.

Contrary to Mr. Broida’s assertions, the record indicates that both the proposed building and the Lakeside condominium building provide ample parking for all residents in parking garages within the respective buildings. The plans for the project provide 58 additional parking spaces off-site for patrons of the retail space, and Mr. Gutschick provided a parking analysis that shows that the area will have more than the required parking spaces for all uses (Appellee’s Exhibit 16). The residents’ entrance to the building will be from Little Patuxent Parkway, diverting this traffic away from Mr. Broida’s property. Road improvements and a traffic light are proposed along Wincopin Circle. In short, the preponderance of evidence presented suggests that the proposed development will have minimal adverse impact on traffic and parking for residents of the area.

With respect to noise, Mr. Broida again speculated that the proposed project will create additional noise that will affect him personally. The Appellants provided no basis or support for this assertion. Renaissance, however, presented evidence that deliveries and trash collection will take place within the proposed building, limiting the amount of noise they generate. As previously stated, residents will access the building from the west side, away from the Lakeside building. Indeed, the building itself will act as a noise barrier to traffic on Little Patuxent Parkway, potentially improving the noise conditions for Mr. Broida. Again, the preponderance of the evidence indicates Mr. Broida will not be specially damaged by the project with respect to noise.

Mr. Broida also asserts that the proposed building will block the pleasant view he currently enjoys from his living room and bedroom and will reduce the amount of sunlight coming through his windows in the late afternoons. There is little dispute that the erection of the proposed building will have this effect, and that the impact is peculiar to Mr. Broida and his neighbors on the west side of the Lakeside condominium. The mere loss of view and sunlight is not enough, however, to establish aggrievement.

[N]o such testimony or evidence was presented by the Appellants in this case. In fact, the record indicates that Mr. Broida had no reasonable expectation of preserving his view or light when he originally purchased his condominium unit in 2005. At that time, having been previously aware of two separate proposals to build high-rise building on or near the Property, he (twice) signed a purchase contract containing a provision in which he agreed that his right to a view was not guaranteed and that there may be improvements built on adjacent properties that might interfere with his present vista. Cleary, at the time of his purchase, the view from his unit was not a significant part of the value that Mr. Broida ascribed to his property. It is unlikely, therefore, that he can claim a diminution of value as result of the loss of that view.

My reading of the Maryland cases indicates that the Appellants must additionally show some economic impact resulting from the adverse condition–namely, a diminution of the value of the appellant’s property. See e.g., Committee for Responsible Development on 25th Street v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, 137 Md. App. at 87 (“He presented no evidence that the pharmacy and its parking lot would cause his property to devaluate”); DuBay v. Crane, 213 A.2d at 490 (“And, which is more important, none of the appellants were able to show that the value of their respective property would be adversely affected”); Wilkinson v. Atkinson, 242 Md. at 234 (“There was no specific testimony as to any adverse effect upon the value of the Siegelhome.”). In Toomey v. Gomeringer, 235 Md. 456, 460 (1964), the Court found protestants to have standing where they presented evidence “that the value of their residential properties would be depreciated by the proposed reclassification .... There was in addition testimony by an experienced real estate broker and developer that, in his opinion, the reclassification of the property in question, at least if followed by the development and use of the property as planned by the applicants' contract purchaser, would eat into the existing residential community and would depreciate and depress the area.

Moreover, Renaissance provided ample contravening evidence that the proposed development would not devalue the nearby residences. Ronald Lipman, a real estate appraiser and consultant, testified that the building would present a slender and attractive design that would be well separated (170 feet) from the Broida unit (see Appellee’s Exhibit 9). The look and use of the development would be compatible to Lakeside and the other developments in the area. Most importantly, the proposed residential units will be larger and more expensive than the adjacent Lakeside units, which fact tends to cause the less expensive units to appreciate in value. Thus, Mr. Lipman offered, the proposed development could actually have a positive effect on Mr. Broida’s property value.

So to review, the Appellants indicated the Plaza Tower would specially aggrieve Mr. Broida because it would “block his view and sunlight, increase noise, increase traffic, reduce parking, and reduce the value of his residence.” The evidence submitted by each party is as follows:

Block View and Sunlight:

NOTE: View and Sunlight are not considered when determining standing.

Broida – Mr. Broida stated that his view and sunlight would be blocked.

Renaissance – Mr. Broida signed a waiver to views and sunlight (twice) when he purchased his home.

Increased Noise:

Broida – Stated his opinion that there would be increased noise from the Plaza Tower.

Renaissance - Presented evidence that deliveries and trash collection will take place within the proposed building, limiting the amount of noise they generate. Also stated that the Plaza Tower would shield and reduce noise generated from Little Patuxent Parkway.

Increased Traffic:

Broida – Stated his opinion that there would be more traffic that would particularly affect him.

Renaissance – Presented plans for a driveway located away from Mr. Broida’s residence and plans to improve Wincopin Circle to mitigate any other traffic.

Parking:

Broida - Stated his opinion that parking would be problematic.

Renaissance – Presented plans to indicate parking would not be a problem.

Reduce Value of Residence:

Broida – Presented no evidence or testimony.

Renaissance – Presented testimony by a real estate appraiser and consultant.

In short, the Hearing Examiner found that Mr. Broida did not have standing because he presented no evidence of being specially aggrieved to support his claim. He did not come prepared. In the words of the Hearing Examiner:

Mr. Broida lives in the “Lakeside” condominium development located directly across the street to the east side of the Property. His residence is indubitably within “sight and sound” of the proposed development. Renaissance does not contest, however, that Mr. Broida lives within sufficient proximity to the Property to qualify for the presumption of special aggrievement. Nonetheless, I find that Renaissance presented sufficient evidence to rebut the presumption by showing that Mr. Broida is not specially aggrieved. The Appellants failed to meet their countervailing burden.

I suppose now would be a good time to ask the editors, “Would it be common sense to go to a formal hearing without any prepared evidence or testimony to support your case?”

In addition, the editors state:

[o]ne could argue that Broida's partners in the legal fight against the Plaza live too far away from the site to be injured by it.

Well, actually, Renaissance did argue (successfully) that Knowles, Stolley and Meskin did not have standing. Truth be told, Ms. Stolley was found to not have standing because she did not participate in any of the hearings before the appeal to the Hearing Examiner. The large stand of dense woods between Mr. Meskin and the Plaza Tower site were found to mitigate his standing claim. And Mr. Knowles was found to live too far from the site of the Plaza Tower. From the Hearing Examiner decision:

The evidence is undisputed that Mr. Knowles lives 1.8 miles to the west of the Property. Interposed between the Knowles residence and the Property are four major roads and numerous and large residential and commercial developments, including the 1.4 million square foot Columbia Mall. The unrefuted testimony of Carl Gutschick, a professional engineer, established that the proposed building could not be seen from the Knowles property. Clearly, Mr. Knowles’property is within neither sight nor sound of the Property.

However, Mr. Knowles did claim he had standing, siting the following case:

Hikmat v. Howard County, 148 Md. App. 502, 813 A.2d 306 (2002)

The Hearing Examiner addressed the issue of standing under Hikmat:

The Appellants contend, however, that the Bryniarsky standard does not apply in this case; rather, they urge that I apply the lower threshold for standing set forth in the Hikmat case. My examination of that case’s holding indicates, however, that it represents a narrow and unrelated exception to the general “aggrievement” rule. Hikmat involved an appeal by Howard County of a Board of Appeals decision reversing DPZ’s denial of a waiver request. The court first noted that governmental entities like Howard County generally cannot be “specially aggrieved” in the Bryniarsky sense. Based upon a series of cases arising from mandamus or certiorari actions, however, the court found that “the facts necessary to satisfy the aggrieved requirement, when the petitioner is a governmental entity, appear to be that it have an interest in interpreting, administering, and enforcing the laws in question in a given case.” 148 Md. App. at 520 (italics added). The Hikmat court decided to extend this exceptional standard for aggrievement to cases arising under a petition for judicial review. Nonetheless, the standard clearly applies only to governmental entities, and not to private individuals or parties.

I’m not certain (I’m not a lawyer), but if I’m reading this right, Mr. Knowles was arguing he had standing because he is a government entity (Lloydville? Knowlestown?).

In closing, a review of the hearing provides a bit more data, and better picture of the circumstances surrounding this case. Yes common sense is called for, and the best assessment would probably find that better common sense on all sides would have helped move this process immensely.

Much to talk about, little time to do it

2008-07-25T06:54:00.002-04:00

Two issues are on many minds this morning: The CA Board of Directors deliberations on Symphony Woods (I stayed until 10:30 PM last night, and still no decision had been made) and the Maryland Court of Special Appeals decision that Joel Broida has standing in his appeal of the Plaza Tower.

I have a big day today (cooling tower inspections, yea!!), so I will be putting something together on each subject this weekend. In the interim, maybe some of the anonymob can vent on either subject...

Sometimes, you get what you ask for

2008-07-21T16:38:00.002-04:00

As has been noted here and elsewhere, things have been somewhat quiet on the downtown development front. I believe this in part because the people at CoFoCoDo have been quietly popping champagne corks and celebrating a job well done.

The reason? In January 2007, CoFoCoDo set their terms for density.

From their position paper "Framing the Future of Downtown Columbia," page 5 [emphasis mine]:

We favor the continuing development of Downtown, but there are many models of diverse and vibrant downtowns. We offer Georgetown and Annapolis as examples of communities that do not rely on high density to provoke an exciting sense of place. These locations are especially interesting, and they exude excitement...

and on page 13, under the banner "Human Scale,"

We note that there are many models of diverse and vibrant downtowns. We offer Georgetown and Annapolis, not as models to copy – because Columbia does not need to copy anything - but as proof that communities do not need to rely on excessive density to have an exciting sense of place.

Well, a little research demonstrates how well informed the good people of CoFoCoDo are. According to the United States Census, Georgetown would fit nicely into the current downtown plan.

Georgetown:

Area (acres): 676
Dwelling Units: 4976
Population: 8524

Columbia Town Center:

Area (acres): 570
Dwelling Units: 5500
Population: 7000 - 10,000 (??)

Data for Georgetown was obtained from the US Census, District of Columbia Census Tracts 1 and 2.02. Columbia Town Center data obtained from the Howard County Government website and the GGP presentation.

Kudos to CoFoCoDo for leading the way on this issue. Sometimes it's so nice to get what you ask for.

...and Speaking of CoFoCoDo...

2008-07-16T23:04:00.003-04:00

Our friends at our favorite coalition have once again put out some poorly researched information. Currently featured on their website under the banner "CCD's Response," is the following:

"We are quite concerned that he [Greg Hamm] is insisting on proposing 5500 new residential units, three to four times the size of Wilde Lake"

Let us look past the "insisting on proposing" construct and move directly to the math. CoFoCoDo states that 5500 residential units is three to four times the size of Wilde Lake. That would put the number of residential units in Wilde Lake somewhere between 1375 and 1834 units.

One problem...it's totally false. According to the Columbia Association's 2007 Public Information Guide (page 18), Wilde Lake currently has 2618 residential units. Given that half the CA Board of Directors (Alex Hekemian (OM), Evan Coren (KC), Cynthia Coyle(HC), Michael Cornell (RH), and Phil Kirsch (WL)) are members of CoFoCoDo, maybe one of them could supply a copy of the Guide to the rest of CoFoCoDo.

Beyond the math error, I wonder what is really going on at CoFoCoDo. When I hear spokesperson Alan Klein make a speech, testify at County hearings, or speak out a community meetings; he sounds so confident, so forthright. Why is it that other parts of the organization succumb to embellishment or exaggeration (Columbia is the 2nd best city east of the Mississippi, 5500 units is four times the size of Wilde Lake) to make a point? It seems if they were right, the truth would suffice.

What Happened?

2008-07-15T15:36:00.003-04:00

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

In 2006, Money magazine put the Columbia/Ellicott City region as number four on their list of best places to live. Many of the CoFoCoDO/HCCA variety loudly proclaimed that Columbia was anointed the best place to live east of the Mississippi River. Although this error was brought to their attention (Naperville, IL is the best place to live east of the Mississippi), many continued to broadcast the fallacy at meetings and around town. Funny, they almost always talked about Columbia and not the Money magazine's marriage of Columbia/Ellicott City.

In 2007, the magazine looked at smaller communities and Elkridge was ranked Number 42 (where was the HCCA love for Elkridge?)

Now in 2008, small cities (Money magazine's nomenclature, not mine) are back in play, and the Ellicott City/Columbia area is ranked 8th. We are now 3rd or 4th best east of the Mississippi (I'm not certain where Plymouth, MN is with regard to the big muddy, but I will look it up later).

Click here for the rankings from 2006.

Click here for the rankings of small towns (including Elkridge) in 2007.

Click here for the rankings from 2008.

Anyone have any ideas why the precipitous drop? Compass eyes and ears would like to know.

How do You Like Maryland Transportation Planning?

2008-07-07T17:42:00.002-04:00

I received an email from the Baltimore Metropolitan Council of Governments (Balto Metro) today. The email detailed a meeting between Balto Metro, the United States Department of Transportation, and the public. The purpose of the meeting was to get public input on the Balto Metro planning process. The meeting was June 24, 2008.

However, there is still time. Email comments will be accepted through July 9, 2008. Follow the link here to reply.

Columbia BMX Memories

2008-06-18T00:16:00.003-04:00

Kuwahara, GT, Diamond Back, Mongoose, chromoly. R.L. Osborne, Bob Haro bunny hops, half pipes. Ashtabula forks, Pro-neck, Snake Belly tires, Vans, Skyway rims, the “uno” seat. Berms, tabletops, dropoffs, whoop-de-doos.

The above stream of consciousness was precipitated by an article that appeared in the Sunday, 15JUN08 edition of the Washington Post (Underdog Claims Place on Olympic BMX Squad). What got the nostalgia regions of my grey matter abuzz was the following passage in the article:

International Olympic officials have added BMX to the 2008 Games in hope of attracting a younger audience. If Saturday's crowd is any gauge, it should do just that.

Every adult, it seemed, had two or three children in tow. Among them were 40-something dads who were part of the first wave of BMXers in the 1970s, when the sport was at the fringe of acceptable athletic endeavors. Now, their children race the tiny, reinforced bikes with knobby tires.

Oh, that takes me back. Twenty years, no make that twenty-five years ago, I was deep into Bicycle Moto-Cross (BMX). Like most that grew up in the 1970’s, I learned to ride a bicycle with a banana seat and a sissy bar. As I grew up, I progressed to a Schwinn Sting-Ray with five-speed gear shifter, front shocks, and a rear disc brake. That thing weighed, I would guess, 70 pounds. During this time, it was commonplace for us Wilde Lake neighbor kids to cobble together cinder blocks and plywood to emulate every young boy’s hero, Evel Knievel. Over time, I graduated to the ten-speed.

Then something happened. I found my way back to the smaller 20” single speed bikes. These bikes were made of stronger, lightweight metals. They could take a pounding. They were highly maneuverable and FUN TO RIDE.

About the same time, things became more organized. Plywood ramps were replaced by dirt. I recall one dirt ramp we built in Dasher Green near Homespun Lane. We buried a discarded tractor tire and could get enormous air. After a few weeks, Open Space brought in a bulldozer, leveled the ramp, and removed the tire.

About the same time, BMX came to town. Two national organizing groups, the American Bicycle Association (ABA) and the National Bike League (NBL) began sanctioning races.

BMX tracks in Maryland were spread out in Rockville, Millersville, Cockeysville, Monroe, and yes, Columbia.

The Columbia BMX course was located behind Joseph Square Village Center. A local bike shop, run out the basement of a townhouse on Hildebrand Court, sponsored a team of racers. As I remember, they had cool red, white and black racing uniforms. Sanctioned races occurred regularly at the Columbia BMX track throughout the 1980’s. I had the joy of participating in a few (that’s me, #60, on the right).

Another interesting aspect that I have read about the BMX Olympic debut is the height of the starting gate at the Beijing course. According to an NBC website, the starting gate is eight meters high. That’s roughly 30 feet. For those who raced back in the 1980’s it must bring back memories of the Millersville BMX track. It was built on a landfill (Dicus Mill Road!) and featured…wait for it…a 30-foot high starting gate:

I always enjoyed the challenge of this track (I'm on the left):

After coming down this hill at warp speed, the course led into a huge 180-degree berm (I'm out in front in this one):

Well, come this August, I will have another reason to watch Olympic coverage.

Things have been quiet around here...

2008-06-10T18:34:00.003-04:00

Compass faithful, I have not had a chance to post here in a while, and I apologize. I have been trying to find some time to put up some posts, but I recently took a new job in College Park, and I'm still tweaking the schedule.

The b.santos family also took a great vacation. We had a lot of fun, and while I was there, I took this picture:

I thought it looked like a great idea for a new Columbia Association headquarters.

As many local bloggers have posted (really too many to link to, just go to HoCo Blogs and check them all out), it's really hot out there. I wanted to share my own personal heatwave story. After arriving at work this morning, I left an Altoids tin on the dash of my car. The tin sat on my dashboard all afternoon. After work, I got in my car and popped two Altoids in my mouth. It was like putting peppermint flavored hot coals in my mouth.

In the fond memories catagory, one of the coolest fad buys from the early '70s, Wacky Packs, is the subject of a new book. How did I come across this tidbit of info (take the time, have a listen "centimeter-stones," very cool), from only the best NPR show that you can't hear on terrestrial radio in the Baltimore/Washington area. OK, I could have just hyperlinked to the Bryant Park Project, but the show really deserves to be mentioned by typing it out. The BPP currently can only be heard via Sirius satellite radio or online, but it is well worth a listen. For those who are social network minded, they also have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and they have a blog.

Oh, and speaking of books, the book premier of "Oh, You Must Live in Columbia!" is coming up Friday. I encourage anyone who loves Columbia street names to stop by.

Anyhoo, I have a lot of stuff to talk about, but need to find the time soon. Keep checking in, the words should flow shortly.

Resident? Guess Again

2008-05-22T23:33:00.002-04:00

Maybe it’s the monsoon-like rain. Maybe it’s the brilliant sunshine and clear skies. Maybe it’s the ebb and flow of the weather patterns over the last two weeks. The bottom line is, the Columbia Flier got it terribly wrong this week.

Of course, I am referring to the story, “Building Plans Worry Wilde Lake Residents,” that found itself on the front page of the Columbia Flier this week. After reading the story, one might get the impression that all the residents in Wilde Lake are named Lloyd Knowles.

But let’s not get too crazy here. Lloyd does get his name mentioned six times in the article (cha-ching). The reality; however, is that Lloyd does not live in Wilde Lake. He lives in an out-parcel (non-lien assessed property) in the middle of Harper’s Choice. The truth is, Lloyd and his wife (State Delegate Bobo) own a number of condos in Wilde Lake. I suppose the front page headline “Building Plans Worry Wilde Lake Landlords,” isn't as sexy.

The reality here is that Lloyd made a comment (he did not “testify”) that took up about two minutes of a two-hour event. What the Flier has discounted was many of the comments (that were positive with respect to downtown development) of residents that actually lay their heads on pillows in Wilde Lake.

Let’s hope in the future, there will be some balanced reporting, and maybe a correction next week.

2008-2009 CA Board Leadership Decided

2008-05-02T09:48:00.000-04:00

Based on reports from the field, Tom O’Connor (DS) has been elected CA Board Chair for this year and Michael Cornell (RH) has been elected vice-chair. Congratulations to Tom and Mike.

Village Election Results – Unofficial

2008-04-27T09:56:00.002-04:00

Initial reports indicate an elevated turnout for Village Board and CA Board elections. Nine of the ten Columbia Villages had elections for Village Board. Because the election in Owen Brown was not contested, Owen Brown did not have elections this year. Columbia Council Representative (aka CA Board Member) elections were held in Town Center, Wilde Lake, Oakland Mills, Hickory Ridge, and Harpers Choice.

In Oakland Mills, the CA Board contest proved to be quite close. The Alliance for a Better Columbia President Alex Heikmein defeated former Oakland Mills Board Member Phil Engelke by eight (8) votes. Voting in Oakland Mills was up over last year. I have no specific total from OM, but I believe it is in the neighborhood of 535 votes.

Town Center elected Suzanne Waller over Steve Meskin.

In Harper’s Choice, Cindy Coyle bested Lynda Maxwell 315-200, a more than 500 person turnout.

Early results from Hickory Ridge indicate a less than quorum turnout for the Village, and the lowest turnout (at lest in terms of percentage) in Columbia for an election with a CA Board position on the ballot.

In Wilde Lake, the CA Board position was a closely contested race between Linda Odum and Phil Kirsch. Phil took the day 260-225, with 499 people voting. Once again, this contest was overshadowed by Liz Bobo’s machine. Her emails, notes left on resident’s doorsteps, and an election day phone bank operated out of her house shows the level of dedication (or interference) that she holds for a Village that she does not even call home. Bobo asserts that her involvement in the Village elections stems from her ownership of rental property in Wilde Lake. Collectively, Bobo and her husband Lloyd Knowles are one of the largest property owners (in terms of number of units) in the Village of Wilde Lake. Anyhoo, her candidate Phil Kirsch, and the four Village Board members she backed won in the Wilde Lake election this year.

Incidentally, I received enough votes this year (thank you, brave people of Wilde Lake) to win the fifth spot on the Wilde Lake Village Board.

Thanks to everyone who ran and thanks to all that voted in Columbia.

Columbia Elections - Open Forum

2008-04-25T08:49:00.003-04:00

Well, tomorrow is election day (and it has already started in Kings Contrivance). I would like to hear what people are thinking. Is there any juice about this year's election? Any races in your village that are interesting? Is there any particular candidate with new and interesting ideas? Anyone have any predictions?

Some topics to keep in mind on the CA level:

Hiring a new president.
Watershed management.
Downtown development.
Board infighting.

Let's hear what you think!

If the Wilde Lake Village Center is Discussed, Can the Slate Candidates Hear It?

2008-04-17T13:53:00.000-04:00

Last night, I attended the Columbia Association Planning and Strategy Committee meeting to hear Kimco representative Kevin Allen discuss the Columbia Village Centers. For the record, Phil Kirsch, the current CA Board member from Wilde Lake serves on the Planning and Strategy Committee. Other than Phil, no other Wilde Lake slate candidate (Marando, Pivar, Simons, Mikkelsen) attended this informative meeting with Kimco.

Kevin began his discussion with a brief history of the Columbia Village Centers. He stated that the early Village Centers had relatively small grocery stores and as Columbia grew, new Village Centers had larger stores and those Village Centers that renovated saw an increase in the size of their grocery stores. As this happened, the larger grocery stores began to “poach” customers from each other. In addition, the Giant placed outside, but immediately adjacent to Columbia at the former Palace 9 movie theatre site has been problematic for the Village Centers.

Turning to the Wilde Lake Village Center, Mr. Allen stated that due to the uncertainty surrounding Wegmans, the uncertainty of Town Center development, and the relatively close proximity of the Safeway in Harpers Choice and the Giant in Hickory Ridge, potential grocers (both major national retailers and smaller regional establishments) have been reluctant to sign a lease.

Given this persistent response over the last eighteen months, Kevin said that Kimco started looking at other ways of investing in the property. He stated that their concept right now is a mixed use retail component of approximately 50,000 square feet, an office space component, and a residential component.

The meeting then progressed to a question-and-answer phase. Planning and Strategy Committee member Phil Kirsch stated that his wife did not like shopping at Safeway (in Harpers Choice) and Giant (in Dorseys Search) because they were too big. He followed this up with a question about the viability of a small grocery store. Kevin replied that Kimco would consider putting a small grocer in Wilde Lake, but a typical (50,000 square foot) grocery store was more than likely out of the question. He also stated that plans for Wilde Lake are evolving and most ideas are still on the table.

Evan Coren then asked about David’s Natural Market. Kevin replied that he had talked with David earlier in the day (Tuesday) and David did express an interest in having a larger presence in the Village Center. Kevin went on to say that he had seen David’s grow from a 3000 square foot storefront to its current size, and he would work with David’s.

Phil then countered with a question about attracting people to the Village Center, he asked why people would come to the reconfigured Village Center. In response Kevin stated that Giant had pulled out of Wilde Lake because they were not satisfied with sales and that some merchants in Wide Lake today are exceeding the sales of Giant before it left. Looking to the future, Kevin then expressed a desire to have restaurants, and smaller anchor stores in Wilde Lake. Later in the evening, I asked Kevin if the close proximity of Cheesecake Factory, Chammps, and the other restaurants nearby would result in restaurants being shy about signing a lease in Wilde Lake. Kevin said that he would like to see local restaurants in Wilde Lake, not national chains.

Questions were then opened up to the audience. Jay Bonstingl (a Wilde Lake resident) asked if Kimco was really committed to the concept of the Village Center as the “heart and soul” of the community. Jay went on to say that he had viewed renderings from Kimco and in his opinion, he saw upper income housing that did not take into account Slayton House.

Kevin answered by saying that the renderings were only concepts and the design will evolve and change. Kevin went on to say that Kimco is looking for input from the county and the Wilde Lake Village Board, and that Kimco has heard “let’s not lose sight of the core of the village.”

Upon reflection, many topics regarding the Wilde Lake Village Center were discussed. There were plenty of revelations, and at least for me, some new information was brought to light. I just wonder how the Wilde Lake Village Board slate candidates (Marando, Pivar, Mikkelsen, and Simons) are going to “enhance and protect the Village Center” if they continue to miss these types of meetings.

Columnist Claims Rouse Practiced Discrimination Before Building Columbia

2008-04-16T07:38:00.003-04:00

Today columnist Antero Pietila of the Baltimore Examiner details the discrimination practices of several organizations James Rouse either led or was part of during the early 1960's. I would like to hear the comments of the Compass readers.

For Some in Wilde Lake, Diversity Stands in the Way of Getting Things Done

2008-04-15T11:47:00.001-04:00

Last night, the Wilde Lake Community Association sponsored a Candidates Night for the upcoming Wilde Lake Village Board and Columbia Council Representative Elections. The event (based on past Wilde Lake Candidates Night standards) was well attended, with about forty residents and property owners in the audience. After opening statements of each of the candidates (including myself), a vigorous question and answer session ensued. Much of the discussion centered around the Wilde Lake Village Center. Other topics of discussion included the Plaza Tower in downtown and the recent Interfaith Center architectural decision.

At the end of the evening, a Wilde Lake resident asked about the mailer sent out to select people in the community that advocated for a “slate” of candidates. The question posed (and I’m paraphrasing here) was “Why should I vote for a particular slate of candidates, rather than vote for people based on their individual merits?” Wilde Lake Village Board Chairperson Vince Marando was first to answer the question and replied as follows (again, paraphrasing here) “I reached out to people of like mind because the only way to get things done is to have people who have the same opinion.”

As a statement of fact, the candidates running as a slate are Vince Marando, Mary Pivar, Lisa Mikkelsen, Phil Kirsch, and Elliott Simons. Lisa Mikkelsen was unable to attend the Candidates Night event. All five are Caucasian, with four of the five (Marando, Mikkelsen, Pivar, Kirsch) living within a few hundred yards of each other. A majority of slate candidates (Simons, Marando, Pivar) have lived in Columbia for more than thirty years. Phil Kirsch has been in Columbia for about twenty years and I believe Lisa Mikkelsen has been in Wilde Lake for a few years. Most are retired.

Given the racial, geographical, tenure and current occupational similarities of this group, it appears that Chairperson Marando has an additional requirement, a similarity between the ears.

In this time of great change in our Interfaith Center appearance, the continued Village Center concerns, and downtown development at Wilde Lake’s doorstep, it appears that Mr. Marando (and by extension, all other candidates that chose to sign on to the slate campaign), through the slate of candidates, seeks to limit ideas and input to the process. Certainly, residents are encouraged to speak out at meetings and contact elected representatives of the Village Board to voice their concerns, but Mr. Marando has implied that a single mindset should control the votes of the board.

I take the opposite view. Wilde Lake needs diversity in order to effectively address the current and future needs of the Village. By excluding differing viewpoints, the tools available to the Village Board will be diminished, and the solutions rendered will not fully address the needs of the community.

Attention to Detail – Wilde Lake 2008 Election Update

2008-04-12T16:24:00.003-04:00

Well, once again, the Wilde Lake Village election machines are out there. One of the most interesting is a coalition of five candidates running (Vince Marando, Mary Pivar, Lisa Mikkelsen, Elliott Simons, and Phil Kirsch) that published a flier and mailed it to people all over the Village.

Figure 1. Mailer Page One

Figure 2. Mailer Page Two

I have to say, the graphics are pretty impressive. The mailer does have the look and feel of a ballot. They have a great picture of the gazebo on Wilde Lake. It shows a lot of time and effort put into the presentation.

That said, for all the sizzle, there is very little steak here. The “Open the Process” on the exterior of the tri-fold flap has no connection to any of the propaganda on the interior of the flier. What process are they talking about? What specifically needs to be open? Given the flier indicates support for mostly current and former board members, are they currently operating in a “closed” process? I suppose which process, and what needs to be “opened” is ultimately left up to the recipient.

The broad statement that “Together we will enhance & protect our Village Center” does not provide any specifics on how the Village Center is to be enhanced or protected. Given that four of the five candidates listed have been on the Village Board since the Giant closed, I believe a reasonable voter would infer the status quo would be maintained.

One last thing, if you look a little closer at the flier:

Figure 3 Mailer, Detail

C-O-L-U-M-I-B-A? Given that there are five names on this flier, I would have to think that each reviewed the content before allowing their name to be used. So what kind of “community focused leadership” can we expect from those who can’t even identify the correct spelling of the town name? At a minimum, it demonstrates a lack of attention to detail. I encourage all Wilde Lake voters to take this lack of attention to detail, the lack of detail in their platform, and the overemphasis on visuals (as opposed to message) into consideration before voting this year.

Wilde Lake Village Board Election – 2008

2008-04-10T09:48:00.003-04:00

This month, each of the Columbia Villages will hold elections for their Village Boards. I am running for the Wilde Lake Village Board. As I have been talking to people in Wilde Lake, the Wilde Lake Village Center is the biggest issue this election season. The prolonged grocery store vacancy and the recent closing of Produce Galore have heightened the concerns about commercial viability in Wilde Lake.

As a candidate for the Wilde Lake Village Board, I wish to make clear my Village Center position: I want to see a food store in the Wilde Lake Village Center; however, the current “wait and see” policy of the incumbent Village Board can no longer be tolerated. Last August, Wilde Lake Village Board Chairperson Vince Marando was quoted in the Columbia Flier :

Vincent Marando wants a grocery store to open in the Wilde Lake Village Center
as much as everyone else, he says.

But while several business owners are desperate for a new market to open as soon as possible, Marando, the chairman of the village board, thinks a new market should wait until the grocery store and retail picture in Columbia comes more into focus.

Since this article, Produce Galore has closed its doors and Anthony Tringali of the Anthony Richards Barbershop is considering doing the same. I believe the continued loss of retailers in the Wilde Lake Village Center will make the case for a grocery store even harder.

Now is the time for proactive steps to be taken to ensure the Village Center remains commercially viable. If elected, I will do the following:

Work with my fellow elected board members to write a letter to the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning regarding the installation of signs directing people to the Wilde Lake Village Center.

Currently the Harpers Choice Village Center, Owen Brown Village Center, and
Oakland Mills Village Center have several signs that direct people to these Village
Centers. I wrote about the number of signs for each Village Center and their locations last year. I also contacted Mary Kay Sigaty, the County Council member that represents Wilde Lake. She indicated the Village Board needed to write a letter to get the signs put up. I communicated this to the Wilde Lake Village Board last November, and no action was taken. It is unclear whether the signs would have put off the Produce Galore closing, but I believe helping people find the Village Center could only improve merchant sales.

Establish a committee to write commercial architectural guidelines.

The need for commercial architectural guidelines has been known by the incumbent
Village Board for some time. In fact Vince Marando, the current Wilde Lake Village Board Chairperson, has contacted me by phone and during Village Board meetings about forming such a committee.(I cannot confirm, but I believe he has asked me repeated times because I have chaired past committees that rewrote/updated the Wilde Lake residential architectural guidelines and the Wilde Lake Architectural Procedures.) At each turn, I have indicated my willingness to serve on such a committee. The time has come to stop talking about commercial guidelines and to start writing the commercial guidelines.

Establish a protocol for communicating information to residents.

As the Wilde Lake Village Center issue has become more prominent, I have been concerned about the lack of information that Village residents possess. At a recent Wilde Lake Village Board meeting with Kimco representatives, a Wilde Lake resident offered that the Village of Wilde Lake has a population of 15,000 people. United States Census data indicates that Wilde Lake has a population closer to 5,300 people. Other residents have put forth particular grocery chains (Trader Joes, The Fresh Place, Grauls, Eddies, Macgruders…) that they believe (and quite frankly, I believe too) would be a good fit for Wilde Lake. Lamentably, Kimco has spoken to many (if not all) of these grocers (and many more), and each has declined to locate in Wilde Lake.

This information has been communicated to the Wilde Lake Village Board, but it has not been communicated to residents. To minimize repetition and reduce frustration, the Wilde Lake Village Board must adapt a structure to communicate the status of the Village Center to residents. Be it an email list, blog, web page, or printable flier available at Slayton House, there must be a means to update residents. An informed public can help make better choices.

Looking Beyond the Immediate

The three initiatives outlined above constitute what I believe should be enacted as soon as possible. However, I do not believe they will resolve the problems at the Wilde Lake Village Center. Other initiatives will take longer to implement, and need to be clarified. I respectfully submit the following, longer-term initiatives that I believe will help restore the Village Center.

Local Business Zoning

I have written about this idea before (here and here). It originated with towns that were being over-run by food chains like McDonalds. Simply said, zoning was enacted that stated if a business had at least eleven places of businesses that shared the same layout, architecture, menu or uniforms, they would have to undergo an additional round of review before being allowed to build. This allowed local businesses to thrive. I believe that the loss of many local businesses (Produce Galore, Bun Penney, Blue Cow Café, Fire Rock Grill…) in the last few months demonstrates a need to look at the zoning to ensure local entrepreneurs have a chance in the market. I believe a committee should be commissioned to study this type of zoning and make recommendations to the board. If favorable, the board may work with County officials to enact such zoning.

Commercial Sector Education

I believe it is critical for as many people to know and understand the mechanisms behind how a grocery store (or any other merchant) picks a location. Only with good information can good decisions be made. I believe this is so important that I would champion an initiative to bring in local experts on commercial retail leases, market segmentation, and demographics (and others) to Wilde Lake such that board members (including myself) and residents can understand what is in play when a retailer is deciding whether or not to locate in the Village Center.

I believe that taking these steps will start the process of revitalizing the Village Center. A place where local residents can meet their daily needs and also a destination place that draws from the entire Columbia/Howard County community. Please join me in this endeavor, and vote for me on April 26, 2008.

Last Night, the Columbia Community Changed

2008-04-08T09:53:00.002-04:00

Last night the Wilde Lake Village Board, serving as the Wilde Lake Architectural Committee, reversed an earlier resident committee’s recommendation and approved the architectural style of a 48-foot tall church (that’s almost five floors high) with a 16-foot cross facing Wilde Lake residents and traffic on Twin Rivers Road.

Up until last night, it was the practice in Columbia (for more than 35 years) that Interfaith Centers did not have any religious symbols on the exterior of the buildings on New Town property. Promotional material from the early days of Columbia stated “You will be glad to know that people come before buildings in our Columbia Religious efforts.”

The evening featured a powerpoint presentation demonstrating the prominence of many corporate logos that are visible in the vicinity, to include the Columbia Association logo in downtown, the Exxon gas station at Banneker Road, and the Melting Pot restaurant in the Wilde Lake Village Center. The presentation concluded with the picture zooming in on the Wilde Lake logo on the Slayton House building.

This was followed by many people speaking out, in 3-minute bites, and relating their difficulty in finding the church in the current interfaith center. Some stated it took hours to find the church, others weeks, and one who stated months. Another participant stated that having churches without religious symbols was akin to taking the names of schools off the exterior of the surrounding school buildings.

After the decision was rendered, I heard many people quietly saying, “It’s not an Interfaith Center anymore, it’s a Christian Center,” as they departed the meeting room.

Regardless, in the near future, Columbia will be a different place. The magnitude of this difference will be hard to measure. Is this “new street sign” different? 22-story condo tower different? I believe it probably depends on who you are and what your perception of interfaith was. In the end, it is a difference, and it should be noted.