tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33706982.post3423263568782906667..comments2023-08-14T09:18:49.114-04:00Comments on Columbia Compass: Is Natick Mall the Model?B. Santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13568466324432338324noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33706982.post-55980795623091811022007-02-09T00:22:00.000-05:002007-02-09T00:22:00.000-05:00"The region is crying for a real city center"Sourc...<I>"The region is crying for a real city center"</I><BR/><BR/>Sources please? I haven't seen a referendum that demonstrates this is truly the case. Just what does Town Center lack that you purport the region pines for? And, by the way, the region already has several city centers of the type I'm assuming you envision.<BR/><BR/>Moving Town Center to the next level is in the eye of the beholder. My guess is a referendum would show a majority believe green design to be a compulsory facet of getting to the next level. Green, by the way, is smart, desired, and, when it includes development, well-designed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33706982.post-20488616031916293762007-02-06T22:17:00.000-05:002007-02-06T22:17:00.000-05:00I hope GGP looks closely at what they have at the ...I hope GGP looks closely at what they have at the Mall. Everything I've seen ranks it near the top of everything -- sales, popularity, demand for retail locations, etc. And what a better testament to the roots of Columbia than to not only improve profitability and other appropriate corporate goals, but to help move Columbia (and the future of Town Center) to the next level. While many believe in status quo and preserving nearby greenspace, the future of developing the area (both mall and nearby) is in smart, desired and well-designed growth. The region is crying for a real city center. It's, by default, the Mall area now. Why not make it the best it can be, by embracing its future role in the region as opposed to the 'same ole' expansion or preservation mantras we hear all the time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33706982.post-76334369785301287832007-02-01T23:11:00.000-05:002007-02-01T23:11:00.000-05:00Nice comparative analysis.
An upcoming Mall expan...Nice comparative analysis.<br /><br />An upcoming Mall expansion having a residential component to it, while not unexpected by some, has some positives and negatives.<br /><br />My guess is it will differ from other Columbia residences in that these residences may be considerably more distant from greenspace than any other Columbia residences. That is, unless GGP's plans include a significant 'greening' of the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=21044&ie=UTF8&t=h&om=1&z=17&ll=39.215697,-76.861478&spn=0.006143,0.013497&iwloc=addr">Mall environs</a>. Hopefully, they will. A resident-accessible green roof would be a good start. Expanding green roof cover to any adjacent parking structures would also be a plus.<br /><br />The question still stands if additional residential density should be permitted in Town Center. Columbia was designed for a certain density and increasing beyond that density brings not only substantial initial costs to beef up public infrastructure, but also considerable ongoing costs to maintain expanded public infrastructure and services.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com