Alan Klein is energized. The proposal to transform Symphony
Woods into an Arts Village has awakened his anti downtown Columbia redevelopment activism. Once again he is attaching “Coalition for Downtown Columbia” to his
byline, insinuating that he represents something real and vital to the interests
of the citizens when he mounts his soapbox in opposition.
In a bellicose email sent out yesterday, purportedly on
behalf of this coalition, Alan claims the proposed "Inner Arbor" plan would destroy “the serene, park-like environment which we
all supported and which was brought to fruition by Cy Paumier's design and
which was already approved by the Planning Board.”
This is
intentionally misleading. The Cy Paumier plan he refers to may have been
approved by the CA board but the Design Advisory Panel, charged with overseeing
the cohesion of the downtown redevelopment process, found it inadequate. They
directed CA to go back to the drawing board.
It really wasn't much of a plan, particularly when compared to what is now being considered. The key elements were a fountain and a café. There weren't even
any restrooms in the plan. The whole café concept was somewhat suspect too. Cy told me that initially it likely would be a mobile café, something that would be wheeled into the park during the warmer
months and then parked away during winter. In any other place this would be
known as a food truck.
The fountain was a
nice design element but it’s not a destination, even if it is interactive. How
many times would a family spend an afternoon there?
So who exactly is this coalition
that Alan claims to speak for?
He claims that CoFoCoDo is made up over 400 members yet it has no regularly elected board of directors or officers. The
membership (or supporters) list is at least five years old. Many of those who initially signed on
are no longer supporters. County executive Ken Ulman is listed as a member yet
he has wholeheartedly endorsed the new plan for Symphony Woods. I doubt he would have ever signed up if he
knew doing so would mean committing to a lifetime of having Alan claim to represent him on issues pertaining to Columbia's downtown.
Alan and his small
but vocal band of aging activists are predictably opposed to anything that
disturbs their own belief of what Columbia should be. They are truly the coalition of the unwilling.
