Another Top 10 List

Dow Jones Marketwatch has come out with a list of the ten best cities for business in the US. The Washington, D.C. metro area was ranked number 7 while Baltimore came in well out of the top ten at number 34.

So where does that put good old Howard County?

Appropriately enough, somewhere in the middle.

The Marketwatch rankings were based on " the number of firms from the most recent Fortune 1000, S&P 500, Russell 2000 and Forbes list of 400 private companies based in its metro area. S&P 500 and Russell 2000 lists are as of Sept. 14. The same per-capita calculation was made on the numbers of small businesses -- companies with fewer than 500 employees -- in these metro regions."

They also considered job growth and unemployment. In this category the Washington DC metro area had no peer. "The region was the only one of all 50 metro areas to post a sub-3% unemployment average for the sample months."

The number one city on this list was Minneapolis-St. Paul. "The Twin Cities region has a high concentration of massive and diverse Fortune 1000 and S&P 500 companies. It also has a significant number of Forbes 400 private companies. Further, Minneapolis-St. Paul has a healthy array of up-and-coming companies on the Russell 2000 index. And it has more small businesses per capita than just about any other city. "

The number 50 city was New Orleans. "Not to kick a city when it's down, but the Big Easy probably would have made this list even if Hurricane Katrina hadn't struck two years ago. It just may not have been on the very bottom."

Plaza Tower Hearing

Last night the County Council held a public hearing on Councilperson Sigaty's legislation, ZRA-79 and ZRA-83. ZRA-79 is an effort to impose height limits on all new buildings in Town Center and ZRA-83 is a less than veiled effort to stop the construction of the Plaza residence tower being developed by WCI Communities in Town Center.

First, let me state that I did not attend the hearings last night. I really wanted to go and testify against this legislation but I was unable to do so for personal family reasons.

Anyway, I was happy to hear that there were plenty of folks who shared my view that this legislation is bad policy. Thanks to Dave Wissing at the Hedgehog Report, I was able to find out what transpired.

It was a good night for the voices of reason. It apparently was a bad night for Alan Klein.

"Even when Alan Klein tried to show the “overwhelming support” for the legislation by asking people to stand in support, only about a third of the room actually stood up,..."

The Ninja Cyclist

I have to admit that I was a bit floored when I found out that the Columbia Bicycle guy has a Facebook fan site with a thousand or so members. I've seen this guy all over Columbia. He has even been spotted in the county seat. Thanks to Jessie, I now have a name to attach to our prolific peddler. He is Athtar.

This, along with an anonymous comment posted on Hayduke's blog, got me thinking about Columbia's original prolific peddle pusher, the "Ninja Cyclist."

Around eight years or so ago I was hooked up with a local group of cyclists. We'd gather for a regular Sunday ride out on in western Howard County. We actually had a group name too. We called ourselves the Howard County Road Surfers.

Anyway...

After our rides we'd hang out for a bit and every once in awhile someone would bring up the Ninja cyclist. We had all seen the Ninja cyclist around not only Columbia but in Ellicott City as well. One time I saw NC standing against the inside guard rail at the merge of Route 29 and Route 40. That is not exactly a fun place to be on a bicycle.

Everyone agreed that NC was an accomplished rider and most of us had witnessed the black rider doing some very trick moves.

Rumors abounded. A bike mechanic at Princeton Sports told one of our group that NC was a transsexual. Another of our group said they heard that NC was a fashion designer.

Whether either of those two things are true or not I think it is safe to say that our NC is a little different. I once sat two stools away from NC at the bar in Clyde's. NC was dressed entirely in black. including a black baseball hat with a BMW logo. NC even wore black gloves while eating dinner. I attempted conversation but NC didn't exactly warm to me. Though I often have that effect on people I still suspect that NC is not as approachable as Athar.

I have not seen NC for some time now. I hope all is well. I consider this person to be part of our quirky local scene and I would be sad to find out if that is no longer so.

Thank you David...

In my post "Battle of the Broadbands" I shared some of my frustrations of migrating from Comcast internet service to Verizons new FIOS service. One of the comments to this post was from fellow HoCo blogger David Keelen. David wrote "If you ever have problems with your FiOS call me."

Well I had problems. In fact I emailed David that I was almost ready to go back to the "devil I knew" rather than "staying the course" with FIOS.

That was two days ago.

Yesterday a Verizon FIOS guy named James showed up at my door. James proceeded to delve into the gremlins that had beset the "House" computer in the basement. This is a computer that I keep just for my daughter and any guests that visit. It was not responding well to the divorce from Comcast. It had issues.

James was soon joined by another Verizon technician named Bill and the two of them worked for about two hours to isolate and fix the problem. I am happy to report that the house computer is now purring like a kitten and all is well. Thank you David. Thank you James. Thank you Bill.

This was a far cry from any service experience I ever had with Comcast. It was enough to convince me to stay the course.

I Just Looked Around & They're Gone...

Last Friday I decided to pick up some flowers for Mama Wordbones for the weekend. It wasn't any special occasion though she is still a bit frustrated with the FIOS/Comcast switch so in the back of my mind I probably thought it wouldn't hurt. I stopped into Howard County's oldest florist, Wilhides Flowers just off Old Columbia Road in Ellicott City. As I was paying for my Irish bells and Snap Dragons I made a comment about helping out my old buddy Lee Wilhide. I've known Lee since serving on the board of the Columbia Business Exchange with him about twenty some years ago. I even wrote a Valentines column once using Lee's front line observations.

"They've moved to Florida."

Huh?

It turns out that Lee and Bev Wilhide are no longer county residents. That is major news to me at least. Besides running the flower shops, Bev Wilhide also once served as Chuck Eckers Chief of Staff. Bev and Lee were a local institution.

Taken alone this news wouldn't have hit me so hard but right after picking up the flowers I drove down the hill to Annabell's on Main Street in Ellicott City to procure some wine. I parked in front of what once was "Oh My Word" , a calligraphy store. I say once was because last Friday the windows were covered up with brown paper. The owners of "Oh My Word" were Colette and Jimmy Roberts. Jimmy was the guy most often in the store. He and I go back to the early eighties when he managed a Rouse mall in Springfield, Massachusetts and I was his regional marketing director. I always enjoyed stopping in his store and trading banter with him about the goings on in our community.

Now the store is gone. There was no information posted on the door explaining where they went. I'll miss Jimmy. I only hope that he and Collette are fine. Maybe they are in Florida now too.

Bringing It Home

In all the rhetoric flying around about the Plaza Residences condominium tower in Town Center you seldom hear anything about the actual future residents of the building except in the abstract. The tower opposition forces have even gone so far as to imply that these future residents would not be in sync with Columbia's values (as they deem them to be). That is easy to do when you are dealing with an abstract but it is a little different when you replace that abstract with an actual person.

An actual person such as Gary Kaufman. Gary is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Micros Systems, Inc.. Micros is a local company. It was started by a guy named Tom Giannopoulus in his kitchen in Allview Estates. Today, it is a company with 4,100 employees with a 248,000 square foot corporate headquarters in Columbia Gateway Corporate Community. The company revenues last year were $679 million. It is truly a hometown success story.

Gary has a contract to buy a penthouse unit. He is not buying some large mansion outside of Columbia with a mammoth carbon footprint. He apparently wants to live in Columbia, close to his office. Not only should Columbia provide housing for guys like Gary, Columbia should applaud the fact that Gary wants to live in the town. His home grown company and it's headquarters in Gateway probably pump close to $100,000 per year into CA's coffers through the CPRA assessment.

Given the money that the CA is doling out to it's executive staff Columbia is going to need more guys like him as lien paying residents.

The Battle of the Broadbands

Just before I moved from my townhouse in Town Center, Verizon was digging up the neighborhood installing new fiber optic lines for their FIOS service. My neighbors and I applauded this development and looked forward to the day when we could all tell Comcast to stick it.

Ultimately, I moved to Ellicott City before the FIOS service was activated. In my new "hood" my choices for broadband were limited to Comcast and Ellicott City Cable Company. Let's just say that I never considered Ellicott City Cable Company to be a real choice even though the developer tried to make the service mandatory for all homeowners. I credit Ken Ulman for rectifying that situation. I believe it is one on the main reasons he did so well in what at least appears to be a predominately Republican neighborhood.

People may not be well informed on most issues but they sure as hell are informed about their cable service.

Anyway...

A year and a half later, Verizon has arrived on my street. Since I was chomping at the bit to drop Comcast, I jumped at the opportunity to switch to Verizon. Perhaps I jumped too fast.

It's not that I don't like the service. The FIOS broadband is fast. It is most noticeable when downloading videos. The FIOS TV is another story.

Verizon gives you three set top boxes at no additional charge. Comcast charges for each and every box. This would seem to give FIOS a huge advantage expect for the fact that with FIOS you need a box for virtually every TV in the house. With Comcast you can simply plug the coaxial cable into the back of the set and get 90 some channels. When you plug the FIOS cable directly into the TV you get about 20. FIOS claims you get 40 something but the reality is that many are duplicates (you get the NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox stations in both Washington and Baltimore).

Still, the savings are there. I figure that with Verizon I am saving about $40.00 a month over what I was paying for Comcast so that's a plus on the Verizon side.

On the negative side, Verizon had to dig a new trench from the street to the side of my house. This did not go over well with Mama Wordbones who has spent countless hours trying to keep our new front yard healthy and presentable. Why, she wanted to know, couldn't they have put that line in before the house was finished like Comcast and ECC did?

Another negative was the learning curve. While I consider myself an easy adapter of new technology Mama Wordbones is another story. She had finally mastered the TV remote with Comcast and now she was being forced to relearn how to find HGTV and the Today Show. She also was not pleased with having a new set top box on the kitchen counter (it has since been relocated).

So it is not so simple. For now we will forge ahead with FIOS because I am already knee deep in it. I will say that their customer service is terrific which is an adjective I never used for Comcast in my many years of being their customer. Other than that I am not yet convinced that, aside from the economics, the switch was worth it.

Belmont Stakes

The daily commute from my home takes me along winding tree shaded country roads like College Avenue, Ilchester and Landing Roads. I cruise along the perimeter of Patapsco State Park and past the Belmont Conference Center on Elibank Drive.

Normally I continue on through Elkridge and into the BWI Aerotropolis but today I turned down Elibank and made a fast left onto the private road that leads to the Belmont Conference Center.

It has been awhile since I've heard anything about Belmont which is surprising. The current occupant of the property and the private property owners adjacent to it have been butting heads for the past three years over the future of this picturesque and historic property. If you ever wanted to see what a Howard County estate looked like in the Revolutionary War years a trip to Belmont will reward your curiosity. The 82 acre estate is surrounded by the state park.

Belmont today is at a critical crossroad. The community college says that it needs to improve the property and facilities in order to make it economically sustainable. The trust folks point to a side deal with Chip Lundy that was originally part of the colleges acquisition agreement as an indication that the college can't be trusted to preserve the beauty and character of the estate and surrounding grounds.

After reading extensively through the pros and cons I am still unsure as to where I come out on this. On the one hand I think that nothing will satisfy the Save Belmont folks short of doing nothing while on the other hand I think the college has done an abysmal job of establishing trust that they will do the right thing with their stewardship of this local treasure.

Back In The Saddle

In case anyone was wondering why I hadn't posted or responded to comments last week it wasn't because I dropped off the face of the blogosphere like some other local blogger. I was actually on vacation in Florida and found myself without any Internet connectivity. I did suffer some initial withdrawal but that gave way to blissful relaxation as I settled into reading and morning runs on the beach.

The books of choice on this vacation were The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance by Ron Chernow and Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan. I am still working on the former but I finished the latter in two days. If you like dogs you will definitely enjoy Marley & Me.

I also read a very interesting story about immigration in the New York Times Magazine on August 5th. I have been meaning to write a post on the face of immigration in Howard County but I don't think I could do a better job of capturing the essence of this debate than Alex Kotlowitz did in Our Town. A great and important read.

The best news on my return was the story in the Sun yesterday about the Plaza Residences beginning construction. All I can say is that is about time. It is no surprise that Mary Kay Sigaty is still pushing her legislation to stop this project but hopefully the rest of council will see the folly of this effort.

Ahh, it is good to be back.

No Big Deal

Ken Ulman's new environmental package recently adopted by the Howard County Council is great but in fact the marketplace was already out ahead of the government this time, at least as far as commercial real estate goes.

Approximately two years ago, the largest office developer in Howard County, Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT), committed to making all of their new office projects LEED certified. Since COPT has such a dominant position in the market, their initiative has spurred all other local developers to get on board. Just last year, Manekin Corporation completed their new headquarters building in Columbia Gateway Corporate Community attaining a LEED Silver designation.

Prior to this legislation being introduced, my own firm was already working on making its newest office development in Emerson a LEED certified building.

Since this has become such a hot topic, I have decided to launch yet another blog dedicated exclusively to the development of this building. In this blog I will share my insider observations about the process of building and leasing a green building in Howard County.

Ironic Twist

It's somewhat comforting to me when a chain restaurant gets replaced with a local establishment and that is exactly what is happening at the site of the former Bennigan's at Snowden River Parkway and Waterloo Road in Columbia.

Bennigan's local franchisee, Next Shift, unceremoniously shuttered the restaurant this spring. It is hard to imagine how a national chain could manage to screw up a location as good as this but they did. The food just wasn't very good. A group of local investors have purchased the property and are in the process of converting the building into an "upscale hamburger joint" named Victoria's. I heard they will have a pretty nice wine selection as well. On the other hand this twist of fate really isn't all that surprising. Many times the second restaurant in a new location enjoys far greater success than the original. The site has some "additional capacity" so the developers are planning some new retail space to go along with their restaurant venture.

For more on locally owned restaurants check out HocoLoco Girl. Jessie is doing a pretty good job of showcasing the non chain scene in Howard County.

Prius Politics

A developer friend of mine called me from the beach today. He related how it was nice to have time to truly read the newspaper while you are on vacation. Today, for instance, he told me that he spent some time with the editorial page of the Washington Post. It was there that he ran across "Prius Politics" by Robert J. Samuelson. He said it was quite apropos given all the green initiatives popping up not only here in Howard County but across the nation too. It's a great read and an important perspective.

SOLD!

All of the homes on Seaward Court are sold. Seaward is a new street in the new community of Taylor Village just outside the historic district (less than a mile) of Ellicott City.

I think it's Seaward Court anyway, what else could the "CL" represent?

Okay, so there are only seven homes on Seaward but they are all brand spanking new.Just around the corner on yet another new street, people are even buying homes yet to be built.

With the slump in housing nationally, Ellicott City must be an anomaly. It is amazing to me yet not all that surprising when you think of it. This is a good place to live.

The Momentum Is Building

The Bring Back the Vision group has amassed over 187 signatures to their statement to the County Council. What is particularly interesting to me are the names of the people who have signed on. This group includes some of the most active volunteers in our community, people who have given both their time and their treasure to making Columbia a better place to live.

You don't believe it?

Check out their new website http://www.bringbackthevision.org/ and see for yourself. What you won't find are pandering politicians. What you will find are people whose actions speak louder than words.

Kudos To HoCo Pub Schools

This just in. Forbes magazine has recognized the Howard County Public School system as the 7th best "school district for the buck" in the country. The article and rankings appeared in the July issue of Forbes. As noted "Winners in this rating system are counties whose schools deliver high performance at low cost. The losers spend a lot of money and have little to show for it. "

Howard was bested by Montgomery county which was ranked 5th in the country. I hate it when Montgomery county beats us at this stuff. On the other hand I grew up with a lot of Montgomery county envy. Montgomery countians have always tended to look down their noses at us "country folks". God only knows why.

But I digress...

I have a daughter in the school system and I am very happy with the quality of education and individual attention she is receiving. Way to go Dr. Sydney L. Cousin and the 7,000 or so employees who make the darn thing tick.

The Party's Over

The final day of Columbia's 40 day fortieth birthday celebration was yesterday. The forty day party concluded with a reunion performance of the Young Columbians (they ain't so young anymore!) and a concert by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Although it was quite humid inside the pavilion it was still a great evening in Symphony Woods.

I remember back thirty years or so ago when the Young Columbians performed their show on a stage in the center court fountain of The Mall. They ended up taking the show on the road to many of the other Rouse malls around the country and even performed at The White House (I believe it was for Nixon). The reunion show bought back many memories. I admire the stamina of these now forty something young Columbians for giving it their all on a very warm night.

This morning there was an article about Columbia on it's fortieth birthday in the Washington Post. It is a pretty fair depiction of the current debate over the next forty years. The online version has a slide show with some great historical pictures. There is one showing the Town Center area with just the Teachers Building, the Exhibit Building and the American Cities building. This is what it looked like when I moved here.

It's Nice To See Everyone Getting Along

I have posted before about the parking challenges in the historic district of Ellicott City. I still believe that this is major impediment for the businesses and restaurants located there. I always feel like I won the lottery when I find a parking space at least relatively close to the place I am attempting to patronize. With this in mind I was heartened by this article in yesterdays Sun paper. It appears that there is now a bipartisan effort to address this very issue. It's nice to see that both parties are working together on a solution.

Postcard From The Redneck Riviera

I just got back from a week on the Emerald Coast which is sometimes referred to as the "redneck riviera". In case you haven't heard of this place before it basically consists of the beach towns along the Florida Panhandle. The water is emerald green clear and the beaches are covered in pure white sand. It is the summer beach vacation of choice for folks living in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Arkansas. You don't run into many Marylanders there.

Just Drivin' Around

I cut out of work early today. I wasn't the only one either. The parking lot at my office building was half empty when I left. That's what happens when you get a holiday on Wednesday. It shoots the hell out of the remainder of the week.

I decided to run few errands before heading home. My first stop was at Petsmart in Snowden Square to reload on some dog food. As I pulled up I noticed the demolition/construction work going on in the old Best Buy space. In case you didn't know, this is going to be a new Filene's Basement. According to the hard hatted fellow I spoke with, they plan to be open this fall.

I then started to head for the mall but somewhere along the way I decided that I really didn't need to go to the mall so I decided to head back towards EC by taking the long way home. I often do this. This time my long way home route took me by the Blue Cow Cafe in Thunder Hill. I decided to drop in for a nice cold bottle of water.

Before I go any further, let me just say that I want to like this place. Today, however, I was struck by the amount of trash directly in front of the place. There was even a little pile that looked like someone did a little sweeping and then forgot to come back and pick it up. Did they suddenly get busy and had to abandon this clean up?

Apparently not so. I was the only customer and two young folks were behind the counter. They certainly didn't look very busy. No one seemed that concerned with how the front of the store looked. It's a shame and it reflects poorly on a place of business.

The bottled water in the cooler was room temperature too.

From Blue Cow I crossed back into EC territory stopping at the Watermont Pharmacy at the intersection of MD 104 & MD 103. This place is a throwback to the pharmacies of an earlier time. Still locally owned and operated, it is a treat to visit. Great folks too.

The front of store (including parking lot) was not immaculate but it was noticibly cleaner than my previous stop.

The bottled water was very cold too.

Bring Back The Vision Statement

Since these folks don't have a website (yet) I offered to post their statement for the County Council on this blog. If you agree with them, you can add your name by sending an email to Emily Lincoln. Emily informed me that as of yesterday, 150 county residents had signed on. A little civic activism seems an appropriate way to recognize this July 4th holiday.

Bring Back the Vision Statement
Submitted to Howard County Council
RE: Zoning Petitions ZRA-79 and ZRA-83

We the undersigned citizens of Howard County are members of Bring Back the Vision, a citizens group formed to support the thoughtful development of downtown Columbia, development in keeping with the realities of the 21st century, development that recognizes the inevitable growth and change that requires mixed-use, recycling land, green buildings, smart growth, market-driven business and citizen friendly density, housing appealing to those of moderate income and housing appealing to the wealthy.

Because of the convictions expressed above, we OPPOSE Zoning Petition ZRA-79 and Zoning Petition ZRA-83.

Zoning Petition ZRA-79 would limit building heights in Columbia to 150 feet until new Downtown Columbia zoning changes are adopted by the County Council. We OPPOSE this proposal for the following reasons:
· Height restrictions are not effective approaches to managing growth. Restrictions eliminate architectural flexibility and fine design while encouraging sameness
· A variety of building heights could include some taller buildings which by going "up" do not go "out" and leave more opportunity for green space and pedestrian access as opposed to restrictive height resulting in squat buildings that eat up land space.
· Restrictions deny the premise of Smart Growth which is to increase density where density exists thus preserving green space.
· Restrictive development and affordable housing are not compatible. Housing opportunities are limited and housing prices are driven upward.
· The coming decades will bring tremendous growth to this region. Howard County and Columbia must be prepared with a thoughtful approach to development resulting from creative flexibility, not restriction.

Zoning Petition ZRA-83 would create a clause that would retroactively affect cases under judicial review and cause them to be subject to Zoning Regulation changes. We OPPOSE this proposal for the following reasons:
· This zoning change, if enacted, would directly and negatively affect The Plaza Residences, a project already approved by the Planning Board in 2006 after ample opportunity was provided for public testimony. Enacting this proposal would result in a failure to build the Plaza as originally approved until such time, if ever, that a master plan for Columbia is completed.
· Predictability in the development process is absolutely essential to attracting high quality partners. Changing zoning regulations retroactively is poor business practice and the negative business climate created in Howard County by enacting this proposal could result in high quality development partners avoiding our community.
· Approved as a mixed-use project, The Plaza Residences becomes part of the solution for our city and county. It can create more open space thanks to its height and its plan, more housing opportunities for our aging population, more shops, galleries and pedestrian improvements. It can be the first step toward the distinctive town center that is Columbia's and Howard County's downtown.

More of Us vs Them...

We've got a good little debate running here since my last Us vs Them post. In the latest comment by "pzguru" responding to an earlier comment from Hayduke, pzguru asked "As far as I can tell, there seems to be more people opposed to the recreation of Town Center than those who support it. What empirical evidence are you using to support your consensus claim?"

Okay, I'm not quite certain what pzguru means by "people opposed to the recreation of Town Center" but I think he means Them.

I personally am all for recreation in Town Center. The more the better.

And I'm not alone. The numbers of people coming out in opposition to groups like CoFoDoCo are growing.

Remember the Us's had a late start.

In any event, the Bring Back the Vision group has already amassed 130 signatures of thier statement. They have accomplished this without any endorsements,(yet) from our elected officials or a website. I suspect many more people will sign up once they become aware of it.

The "empirical evidence" that pzguru has requested will soon be forthcoming.

And Yet Another New Columbia Blog...

Well, sort of new anyway. I stumbled across Cranky In Columbia today. The blog is described as "Columbia, Maryland residents share insightful comments and gripes about life in the suburbs stuck between Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC"

It is a witty, no holds barred acerbic commentary on life in Columbia. Not exactly Chamber of Commerce stuff but fun to read anyway.

Welcome.

Summer In The City

And meanwhile in Ellicott City...

If you want to get a taste of some "vibrant" city life close by, an evening in Ellicott City in the summer ain't bad. It's kind of like "vibrant lite."

Part that vibrancy is evident in a hidden gem and one of my favorite haunts, the Deck at CaCao Lane. It's up behind the restaurant on Main Street. You have to go through the front door, past the bar, under a low stone archway, up a narrow set of stone steps to an outdoor landing and then up a rather steep set of wooden steps to the Deck. As you reach the summit of this trek, breathing heavily, you are likely to encounter a young hostess/waitress who will find you a table. She is not likely to be out of breath. You can get in pretty good shape working up there.

It's a pretty neat spot. The decks are a little above the roof level of the main restaurant building. The seating area is nestled between some rather impressive rocks and trees. I actually like the menu up there better than the restaurant menu. It includes sandwiches and a few entrees. They also have a full tiki bar.

My only complaint is that they serve wine in plastic cups.

You can see across town to Saint Paul's church on the opposite hill and occasionally you'll hear the freight trains that pass through town along the Patapsco River below. I'm pretty sure that it is only open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but ya might wanna call to check.

I'll be posting about some of my other favorite spots in the coming weeks.

Us vs Them Revisited

This post is a response to an anonymous comment I received from my first Us vs. Them post on June 15th. I meant to reply sooner but I got caught up in the festival and put this issue aside for a minute (or a day or two). This particular comment was from someone I shall henceforth refer to as being Anon 1:42.

Anon 1:42 gave what I thought was a well reasoned rebuttal to my contention that the anti tower folks embraced change while those who opposed the tower wanted to stop time.

As Anon 1:42 put it "those two dumbed-down buckets into which you're placing everyone who has participated do a disservice to the participants and the process".

I gotta tell ya, I like the "dumbed down buckets" metaphor.

Anon 1:42 went on to assert that; "To classify those who aren't willing to accept all proposals for changing the heart of Columbia as "wanting to stop time" is laughable."

Okay, I am guilty on both scores. Those were simply rhetorical grenades designed to draw attention to what is at stake here.

I do believe that we are engaged in a battle to influence that great unknowing or uninformed group of people who occupy the middle ground. I further believe that a very large percentage of Columbia residents don't really pay attention to what is going on.

I continually encounter people who haven't a clue about this issue. I talk to everybody. I've questioned complete strangers and others I am acquainted with. Some folks have lived in Columbia for a very long time and others are recent transplants. They all shared a common characteristic of having busy lives. Most of the people were unable to tell me who their County Councilperson was or who was their representative on the Columbia Council.

I readily submit that my little random sampling is exactly that, random and unscientific so that it may not be indicative of anything. On the other hand, I challenge anyone to try it out for themselves. Strike up a conversation with a stranger in a cafe or bar, ask them if they live in Columbia and then ask them if they are familiar with ZRA-79 or ZRA-83. If you work with them most will acknowledge that they heard something about a high rise condo that is going to be built in Town Center but that's about it.

So my point is that sometimes you have to throw a few of these rhetorical grenades around to get peoples attention. Since the anti tower / height restriction forces got out of the gate early and lined up all the politicians (who just so happened to be in a horse race of an election at the time), the forces of reason (ahem) needed to shout WAIT A MINUTE in order to get the debate a little more even sided. Because at the end of the day both sides need to convince and mobilize the great middle in order to advance their own interpretation of the "vision" for Columbia.

So call them "dumb buckets" if you will but I still believe that the majority of those in favor of ZRA-79 and ZRA-83 have a vision of a future Columbia that more resembles a middle class commune than that of a vibrant dynamic community.

Just my opinion of course.

Day Fourteen

I mentioned in a previous post that I would be giving an update last weekend about the Columbia Festival of the Arts as it enters its final week.

I lied.

So I'll attempt to make amends by giving that update tonight which is actually very appropriate since this is the only "dark" night of the entire eighteen day celebration.

Let's start with last evening. Barrage was the featured performance at the Rouse Theatre. This show continued a long tradition of fiddle/violin artists that have visited Columbia during the festival. Barrage is a high energy group that could exhaust you just watching them. Their music covered a variety of genres combined with their own high velocity approach to music. It was awesome.

If you haven't been there, the Rouse Theatre is deceptive from the outside. It looks like a fancy high school auditorium but it is much more than that. It is an intimate theatre (no more than 800 seats) with fine acoustics. You certainly get your moneys worth with a show there. There also isn't a bad seat in the house. Barrage rocked the house.

Still to come this week is MOMIX tomorrow night which is sold out; The Hampton ROCK String Quartet at the Belmont Conference Center on Thursday night (ticket includes dinner) with tickets still available; The Second City comedy troupe on Friday night at Rouse Theatre (tickets still available) and Squonk Opera on Saturday night to close the festival.

Squonk Opera is a doing a special musical just about Columbia. They have been in town for a few weeks interviewing Columbians and filming around town. It should be interesting. Tickets are also still available.

Returned Mail

I caught this story about cluster mailboxes on the front page of The Washington Post yesterday. It seems that the Postal Service's plan to expand the use of cluster type mailboxes in new single family home developments is meeting with some resistance from homeowners and developers.

I recall that these cluster mailboxes were one of the innovations that Rouse introduced into Columbia forty years ago which raises two questions.

What took the Postal service so long to expand this concept?

Why have people failed to embrace it?

Having grown up in Columbia I became acustomed to having my mail delivered to a neighborhood cluster box. It was no big deal and often provided many an impromtu meeting with my neighbors. In my new neighborhood in Ellicott City we have the standard mailbox in front of our house and I find that I miss my old cluster box.

Us vs Them

I attended the last public hearing of the Planning Board over the height restriction / anti WCI Tower zoning amendments proposed by Councilperson Mary Kay Sigaty. I testified in opposition.

It was a great place to observe the deep division in the community that the Town Center redevelopment has created, or at least has brought to the surface.

I am unashamedly biased of course but it sure seemed to me that those in favor of Councilperson Sigaty's legistlation are those who long for the Columbia of the past. They seemed generally uncomfortable with the idea of a new paradigm for Columbia.

Those who spoke in opposition to the proposed zoning amendments came off as the real visionaries. They voiced concern about how these actions would affect future generations and the continued success of the forty year old town.

Both sides are well meaning and passionate about their beliefs. One side wants to stop time and the other embraces change.

Returning From Spring Blog Break

Hello again.


For those of you who check in from time to time to see if there were any new posts, please accept my apologies for my recent absence. I've been busier than normal this spring living the life of a somewhat typical Howard Countian.


My first distraction was our extreme backyard makeover. When we built our new home last year we ended up with a drainage problem that left a portion of our backyard in permanent soggy status. We feared that if we left this unresolved, the Army Corps of Engineers would declare it a wetland. Our solution was to install a series of pipes and drains to move the water out to the street. We hid these waterworks underneath a flagstone patio and walkway. Midway through our water works project, we decided to go ahead and construct a screened room that would provide us some relief from the impending arrival of summer bugs.




In other words, the project quickly got out of hand.


I am happy to report that it is now complete and we are able to enjoy evening cocktails outside. It was also done in time for us to host my stepdaughters high school graduation party, which was another thing that distracted me from blogging.


Anyone who has had a kid graduate from high school lately knows of what I speak. It sure is different from when I matriculated from Wilde Lake High School back in 1973. Back then it was pretty much, "Congratulations, now go get a summer job."


Nowadays, it is an endless progression of awards dinners, parties, and even a public school baccalaureate (only one county high school still has one...can you guess?).


And as if that were not enough, we are also in the middle of the Columbia Festival of the Arts. I have the somewhat dubious honor of serving on the Board of Trustees of the festival which means I get to give lots of money and time (and manual labor lugging "doors" around) in return for the satisfaction of seeing the event succeed. Oh yeah, I also get a t-shirt.


It is a great festival though. While some may think of it only in terms of the LakeFest which was held last weekend, the festival actually runs from June 6th through June 23rd. So far this week I attended the production of True Colors, The 80's Musical and America (they were great) at the Rouse Theatre. Tonight we will be seeing Minnesota Dance Theatre with the Columbia Pro Cantare Chorus.


It's all good and the best part is that it is all right here in our backyard.


So that's where I've been. I'll update more stuff on the festival this weekend.

Going Public

Though I really don't take great pains to conceal my true identity, I do enjoy authoring my posts as wordbones. Taking on this blogger persona has been liberating in a sense

That being said, I've also enjoyed the opportunity to explore the connections with my community that the local blogging scene has afforded me. The dialogue and banter has mostly been good. Mostly being the key word here.

The problem is that not enough folks are tuned in. At least I don't think they are. It is hard to really gauge who is actually reading these community blogs beyond the usual suspects (numbersgirl, tomberkhouse, Jim Adams and so on). I strongly suspect that the majority of visitors just drop by for a quick scan and then move on. If your blog stirs up a little controversy with a post you are likely to get more visitors.

I further believe that more visitors and posters would be a good thing. The more folks we get involved in the dialogue the greater chance we have for understanding each other. Not necessarily agreeing with each other just having maybe a trace more empathy.

So, to further the cause of local community blogging in Howard County, I have decided to publicly out myself. I am going to do it in that other media known as print.

And you can play along too!

I am writing my column for June right now (working title is "I Am Wordbones"). If you want to put in your own two cents about the Howard County blog scene or this particular blog, post it here, anonymously or otherwise and I may use some of it in my piece. I do reserve the right to pick out what I want. Do it soon though. My deadline is this Wednesday night.

Last One Out...Turn Off The Lights

Last Wednesday the Howard County Economic Development Authority hosted it's 7th Howard County CORE Tour. This is an event that occurs every eighteen months and features a bus tour (three buses actually) of all the major commercial real estate projects in the county. Before boarding the buses, the 175 or so attendees were treated to breakfast at Maple Lawn.

The featured speaker for breakfast was Anirban Basu, the Chairman and CEO of the Sage Policy Group. Mr. Basu is an economist who analyzes national and local market trends and their potential impact. In this case he spoke about the economic health of Howard County as it relates to both our region and the nation. It should come as no surprise that he was generally bullish on on our prospects. He did express some concern about the number of proposed office projects in Northern Virginia (in excess of 16 million additional square feet) and the ability of that market to absorb all of that space. He suggested this may cause a spillover effect on office rents in the Maryland.

One of his more intriguing oberservations was his belief that Laurel and its environs is going to become an increasingly attractive market for homeowners and businesses in the coming years. This of course is largely due to it's location. Apparently he is not the only one to think this. The attendees were also given a handout with a Population Projection for the seven regional planning districts in Howard County that was recently (January 2007) put out by the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning.

The Population Projection table broke down the seven regional planning areas (Cookesville, West Friendship, Ellicott City, Clarkesville, Columbia, Elkridge, and Laurel) and projected their populations out to the year 2030. The Columbia Regional Planning District is projected to peak at 99,573 in 2010 and will begin to actually decline after that. The table projects a Columbia population of 98,844 in 2020 and a further drop to 98,317 by 2030. At the same time, the population in the Laurel (Howard County portion) is projected to grow to 37,640 by 2010, 45,538 by 2020 and 48,662 by 2030.

A New Columbia Blog

A New Columbia Blog

Thanks to Jessie over at the Hometown Columbia blog, I have just been made aware of a new local blog called Columbia Talk.

Welcome!

It is always good to add another voice to the local blogging community.

John Waters Is Coming To Columbia

The "delightfully wicked genius" filmmaker John Waters is coming to Columbia on Friday, May 11th as part of this years Columbia Festival of the Arts. John Waters has produced and directed camp classics "Pink Flamingos", "Hairspray" and "Serial Mom." He will offer a humorous perspective on the inspirations for his works and other comments of growing up in Baltimore.

Actually, it is ironic that John Waters is coming to Columbia since much of his work is seen as a satire on suburban living. In fact he actually grew up in Lutherville so his suburban credentials are well earned.

The evening will include a formal dinner (catered by Linwoods) and cocktail reception and will be held in the Spear Center atop the General Growth building in Town Center. Tickets are still available. The cost is $150.00 per person. This evening is a fundraiser for the festival and the money raised will help support the many free programs in the festival like LakeFest.

In the interest of full disclosure I should mention that I serve on the Board of Directors of the festival. If you are interested in tickets for this event, please call the festival office at (410) 715-3044.

The actual festival runs from June 6th through June 23rd. The line up this year features just about something for everybody too. Please check out the website to see all that is coming. It is nice to have this caliber of world class arts and entertainment in our own backyard.

Take A Hike

Yesterday was a great day to be outside so we took a hike up the Trolley Line #9 trail. It always surprises me how few people in Howard County are aware of this great little hike. It runs for about a mile and a half from Ellicott City to Emondson Avenue in Catonsville. It is a railroad grade so it is never too steep, perhaps less than 6%. Almost anyone can handle this trek even an old dog like me.

It is a neat little trail too. The trail hugs a portion of Cooper Branch and for the most part it is heavily wooded, at least until you begin to reach the Catonsville end. Before that though, after about 1.1 miles you can turn off on Oella Avenue and walk a block to the Country Corner Grocery store and get yourself an ice cream. This store is a throwback to another time.

And you can enjoy that ice cream because the walk back to Ellicott City is all downhill. The next time I walk this trail I'll take my daughters Razor scooter with me. I think one could coast the whole way.

You can find the trail head just behind the Trolley Stop restaurant which is just over the Patapsco River bridge out of downtown Ellicott City.

Panhandling Columbia Style

Panhandling Columbia Style

Yesterday, I found myself with about an hour to spare in between appointments in Town Center. Since it was so nice outside, I grabbed a bottle of water from Starbucks at the mall and sat down at one of the outside tables facing the plaza in front of LL Bean.

Before long my attention was drawn to a young man (late twenties) sitting on one of the yellow metal benches closest to the Starbucks patio. He was sporting a tight knit blue do rag and smoking a cigarette. His son, approximately 4 or 5 years old, was playing on the rocks around the fountain (kids love those rocks). The father was panhandling, somewhat covertly.

I watched as he selectively targeted his marks. His eyes were always darting back and forth between the mid day crowds in the plaza and the mall entry doors behind him. Young women were always asked and the response he recieved was mixed. I saw one young woman give him money and I saw another give him a short lecture about not supporting peoples drug habits.

He also targeted young men who were by themselves. Again his success was rate was about 50% but I didn't see him get any lectures. The men who didn't give him money just passed him a digusted look and kept walking.

He never bothered moms with strollers and he stayed clear of couples and people over 55.

Even more interesting was the fact that while he was doing this, a mall security guard was sitting in the mall security SUV at the foot of the plaza. The guard never caught on to what was happening.

After awhile the young man collected his son and left, somewhat richer for his afternoon in the LL Bean plaza in Columbia's vibrant downtown.

Hayduke For Columbia Council

Tomorrow Columbia will hold elections for representatives to the Columbia Council and village boards in several villages. In Oakland Mills, fellow blogger Ian Kennedy (aka Hayduke) is running against the incumbent, Barbara Russell. While I admire anyone who gives their time in service to their community, I believe it is time for Ms. Russell to go. She has polarized the council and the community with her views and she longer seems capable of listening to those who do not see things exactly as she does. I believe she is incapable of building consensus and moving the Columbia Association forward.

Ian represents a fresh perspective on the challenges facing both Oakland Mills and Columbia in general. While I may not always agree with him, I believe him to be a reasoned and rational thinker and that is something that is sorely needed on the Council.

As a former resident of Oakland Mills (Thunder Hill neighborhood), I encourage all current residents who read this blog to get out and vote for Ian tomorrow.

He is a pretty fair hooper too!

Rethinking Wilde Lake Village Green

At least that is what it was originally called back in the early days. Now it is called Wilde Lake Village Center. I have been thinking about Wilde Lake quit a bit lately. Wilde Lake Village Center and I go way back.

Wilde Lake is only the latest village center to lose a grocery store and once again there is outcry throughout Columbia of the need to "save the village centers" by replacing the grocery store and making the village center whole again.

I'm not so sure that this is a good idea.

The Giant grocery store in Wilde Lake was the smallest grocery store in Columbia. It was arguably the worst grocery store in Columbia too. It wasn't always so of course. I remember when it was the first grocery store in Columbia and the village center was a vibrant marketplace with a butcher shop, a cheese shop and even a bookstore.

I also was a patron of the Wilde Lake Giant in the more recent years. The store had an uncanny knack for always being out of what I was looking for. Once they were even out of chicken. What kind of grocery store runs out of chicken?

Now it is gone but interestingly enough the village center still attracts me as a shopper. David's Natural Market is where I regularly purchase my daughters vitamins. I make a special trip to visit Produce Galore for their excellent produce and some of the best sandwiches in town. The only place I buy my running shoes and running apparel is Feet First. I have patronized these stores much more than I ever did the Giant and I still do even though I now live in Ellicott City. The absence of the grocery store has had no impact on my Wilde Lake shopping.

The thing is, demographic patterns have shifted such that a village centers retail role should probably be rethought, especially the older ones like Wilde Lake. Peoples tastes have changed. The modern grocery store is at least four times as large as the Wilde Lake Giant was and they are designed to serve a much larger population base than that of a Columbia village.

Soon, a Wegmans will open in Columbia (not in a village center) and the village center/grocery store model will be challenged yet again. It is time to rethink the village center retail model.

29th Annual

Next Sunday, April 15th, a party will be held for the 29th time in Town Center Columbia. It is a unique event in that it is basically over by noon on a Sunday. This is due to the fact that the party really gets going around 9:30 AM as the last of the runners straggle in. Clyde's American 10K race has been held in mid April every year for the past 29 years. More than just a race, it is a free community feed. Clyde's gives everyone who shows up plenty of food and beer. By 1:00 PM little evidence remains of the 1200 runners and at least twice as many spectators who filled the Town Center plaza only hours earlier.

For runners it is a tough 6.2 mile course. The reward they receive for punishing themselves on a cold spring morning is Columbia in all of its spring glory. It is a very rich reward indeed.

Wordbones is running this year. I expect to finish in about an hour. I'll wear my black wordbones ballcap if anyone would like to say hello at the party afterward.

"Beggin On The Freeway Bout As Hard As It Gets"

With apologies to fellow HoCo blogger Hayduke, I borrowed the title for this post from the song Cold Water by Tom Waits. This particular song line popped into my head as I tooled down Columbia's central artery, Route 175, yesterday.

It was a gorgeous spring day and I was just thinking to myself how beautiful Columbia is in the spring with the preponderance of flowering trees when I came upon two young people holding a sign begging for money. They were actually standing at the ramp from I-95 where two other young people were killed last year.

It occurred to me that I have been seeing more highway begging in Howard County over the last few years. Is it just my imagination or have others noticed this as well?

How do you feel about this?

Do you give them money?

I admit that I did not give them money. I am always torn by this though. I believe that anyone who feels compelled to beg for money on a street corner must be in dire straits. A simple contribution of a buck or two might actually help them. On the other hand, I know that some folks who do this are simply bums. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I actually offered work to someone holding a "will work for food" sign.

The Way He Sees It

I like this guy!

Caffeine Fix

Caffeine Fix

I freely admit to being a coffee shop guy. These are great places to meet a friend, catch a break between meetings, or simply to observe the ebb and flo of life in these two towns.

It wasn't that long ago when your choices for coffee shops in Columbia and Ellicott City were limited to Riverside Coffee and Roaster's shops on Main Street in Ellicott City and on Dobbin Road in Columbia. This was in the pre-Starbucks period.

Today we have an abundance of places to get a daily caffeine fix in Columbia and Ellicott City. The old Riverside on Main Street is now Bean Alley and the Riverside on Dobbin Road is under new ownership. There are Starbucks on Route 40, Dobbin Road and The Mall In Columbia (did I miss any except those Starbuckettes found in Targets, Safeway's and Barnes & Noble?). We also have Bun Penney, Mad City (another former Riverside), Lakeside (also a former Riverside),Old Mill Bakery, and Orinoco.

Are there others?

I like Bean Alley in Ellicott City as a place to meet, have desert and purchase bulk coffee. I have noticed that the Starbucks on Dobbin Road is often laptop alley and Lakeside is a great place to connect in Town Center and have a light lunch.

What's your favorite?

Choices

It just occurred to me that, as a supporter of the Plaza Residences tower in Columbia Town Center, I had no pro tower choice in the last county election. Candidates from both parties uniformly came out in opposition to this development.

Every candidate, regardless of political party, pandered to the Coalition for Columbia's Downtown as if that group represented the majority view. I think that remains to be seen.

Now that more and more people are finally coming forward and stating other opinions about Columbia's future downtown I wonder who will speak for them?

Comments?

The Vision Thing

I just read Barbara Russell's letter to the editor in last weeks Columbia Flier. My first reaction?

Please!

For those who may not know, Ms. Russell is currently the Columbia Council representative for Oakland Mills. She also counts herself as being one of Columbia's pioneers (first 100 residents) and at other times has referred to herself as Columbia's first mother.

In her letter she wrote:
I have never been confused about Mr. Rouses vision for his new city.

Certainty is good but in this case I am afraid it is woefully misguided.

She went on to say:
In the concept plan that Mr. Rouse presented to the county leaders for approval and later in the concept plan/map that was distributed at The Rouse Co.'s visitor center, which was located on the Kittamaqundi lakefront, there was no typical traditional cityscape anywhere to be seen, including in the designated downtown area. As a matter of fact, Mr. Rouse presented his plan for Columbia as the antithesis of the typical urban environment and said Columbia was meant to be a new kind of city, "a garden for growing people."

I think she missed the key word here which is "concept." Concepts are very broad based ideas that allow for liberal interpretation. I also recall the concept plan. In fact, I remember the scale model that was made of what Columbia's future looked like back in 1966. Aside from Lake Kittamaqundi, there would be very little recognizable to a visitor today. For example, that original plan had a mini bus road bisecting the lake connecting Oakland Mills to Town Center.

The statement that I believe really misinterprets James Rouses intentions is:
It most definitely did not depict 20-story residential and other buildings casting long dark shadows over pavement and other buildings as in a traditional cityscape. The downtown was basically designed to service residents, not house them.

Let's be realistic here, concept plans do not depict specific buildings so claiming that Jim Rouse never intended a 22 story building to be built in Town Center because he didn't have one in his concept plan is just plain foolish.

I had the honor of working for Mr. Rouse both in Columbia and later as he set out to open malls all over the country. Though I would never claim to know his mind I was able to observe one critical thing; James Rouse was an evolutionary thinker. His ideas changed over time. This is evident to anyone who followed his career. After Columbia he determined that was better to focus on rebuilding existing cities rather than creating new cities in the suburbs. I highly recommend his biography by Joshua Olsen, Better Places Better Lives - A Biography of James Rouse to anyone who wants to know what this man was all about.

Today, I could easily envision Jim Rouse hunched over plans with Doug Godine at General Growth Properties mapping out the next evolution of Columbia's downtown. I think he'd be pleased that the community had matured to the point that it could attract the attention of developer such as WCI Communities.

New Columbia Blog

A new blog, specifically targeted to Columbians (past and present) in the 25 to 45 year old age group, has entered the local blogosphere.

Welcome!

Blogger Anonymity

My last post seems to have raised the ire of one Cynthia Coyle. It seems that she has taken umbrage at blogger anonymity. In fact she has gone so far as to label the practice of blogger anonymity as cowardice.

I disagree.

Anonymity in public discourse is an honored tradition in this country. One need only look to the founding fathers of our country to understand this. The Federalist Papers, the 85 essays that successfully argued for the ratification of the Constitution of United States, were all written anonymously. Names such as "Publius" and "Cato" masked the true identities of Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. These writings may have been the most influential documents in the formation of our country. I would hardly characterize these gentlemen as cowards.

So why do I choose to blog anonymously?

There are a variety of reasons mostly personal. My opinions are my own and not a reflection of my family or my business. In the past people have taken potshots at others associated with me because of something I have said. I don't think that is fair.

That being said, I also do not take great lengths to hide my true identity. Others have easily discerned who Wordbones is. I am often seen about the county sporting a black ball cap with "wordbones" emblazoned on the front. As it stands, my blogger profile already offers more information about me than most local bloggers.

So why don't I just come out and say who I am?

Well for one, I would never do that just because someone like Cynthia Coyle doesn't like it. Personally I could care less whether she, or anyone else for that matter, takes offense with it. Someday I may publicly reveal myself but I will do so at the place and time of my own choosing.

How do you feel about blogger anonymity?

Just Wondering But...

What gives Delegate Liz Bobo (MD House of Delegates District 12B) such stature in the debate over Columbia's downtown. Her duty as a state delegate is to concern herself with matters affecting Howard County on the state level. Issues such as Town Centers redevelopment are the responsibility of our local politicians. Granted, Liz was once County Executive but the voters were so unimpresseed with her performance that they denied her a second term choosing instead a then political neophyte named Chuck Ecker (who went on to easily win a second term). Liz does not even live in a CPRA assesed property so she isn't really even a Columbia resident (any more than I am!).

And who is Alan Klien. Until now, no one I know of in this town had even heard of him. What has he done to earn his stripes as a spokesperson for Columbia future downtown?

Does he live in Town Center?

Has he served on any community boards?

How long has he actually lived in Columbia?

I don't mean to be malovent but I am wondering why these two seem to get so much attention in the press. And it is not just me that is wondering that either. Others in the community have begun to raise the same questions.

As for Liz , she has a long record of public service for Howard County and I both admire and respect that. At the same time, however, her husband, Lloyd Knowles is one of the plaintiffs seeking to block the construction of the Plaza Residences in Town Center.

Does anyone else have a problem with this?

Snow Day Musings

I took a break from blogging after my last post on January 20th. I guess I had a case of bloggers writers block or perhaps I just had the blogging blahs.

You know, sometimes it all just seems so much like blah, blah, blah.

Anyway...in the interim I took a little trip down to an island in the West Indies and recharged my blogg strokes. Wordbones is back.

Since today was the first snow day for Howard County schools and I found myself being a stay at home dad with my eight year old daughter, I had a little spare time to get back to blahhing...err...blogging.

I stopped by Howard County's most prolific blogger, Hayduke, and was surprised to find a comment posted by Councilperson Courtney Watson. She was clarifying remarks attributed to her in a newspaper story about Brantley Developments proposal to build duplex housing in Elkridge. I leave the discussion of that particular topic to Hayduke but I was surprised to find one of our council people weighing in on a blog. Could it be that the bogging universe is expanding?

Are local blogs gaining credibility as legitimate forums for public debate?

I have always been curious as to the demographics of our local blogging scene. Up until now I suspected that it was largely composed of angry men (with apologies to numbersgirl!).

Could I be mistaken?

I also wanted to comment on a story I read in today's Sun about the proposed Centennial Gardens housing development. It now appears that this affordable housing project is officially dead in the water. The community opposition to this development was strong with the arguments being that it was "the wrong project on the wrong site" and "the lack of compatibility and the density of the project."

Okay.

So where is affordable housing compatible in Howard County?

Apparently anywhere but my back yard.

Weighing In

The other night I had dinner with my friend Jim Binckley at the Greystone Grill. We were collectively celebrating our 52nd birthdays this month with red meat and red wine. We got into a discussion about the various local blogs and the ongoing debate about the Town Center redevelopment plans. We both felt the local blogging conversation on Town Center was pretty much one sided.

So I thought I'd weigh in...again.

Jim and I grew up in Columbia. We have both watched the town grow from two villages (Wilde Lake and Harpers Choice) to the ten village community it is today. We easily recall a Town Center that merely consisted of the Teachers Building and the Exhibit Center. A lone silo stood on the site that is now The Mall In Columbia. Jim's family were among the first residents of Longfellow. My family lived in Bryant Woods. I worked for The Rouse Company when I was in high school picking up trash and mowing the grass in Columbia and continued to work for them after graduating from college. Jim Rouse has always been one of my heroes. To this day I have remained active in the affairs of Columbia serving on a wide variety of community boards.

I mention all this because I believe I have some street credibility when it comes to a discussion of what may occur in downtown. Prior to moving to my new home in Ellicott City, I even lived in Town Center in the Vantage Point neighborhood.

Here then, is what I think of the current Town Center debate:

1. The majority of the undeveloped land in Town Center is private property now owned by General Growth Properties (GGP). GGP paid a premium for this land when they purchased The Rouse Company. They are very motivated to see that this land is developed in a manner that will bring the highest return. They have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to do that as well. I do not see this as a bad thing. They have the resources to make Columbia's downtown a very special place. The Voices of Vision speaker series that they are sponsoring also demonstrates to me that they understand the unique opportunity in front of them. I trust the judgement of their professional architects and planners much more than I do the untrained "citizen planners" who seem to get the most press these days.
2. The demand that a significant percentage of housing in Town Center be set aside for "affordable housing" is laughable. Sure, make Town Center take on the burden of the county's affordable housing crisis. No other part of the county wants it and since Town Center currently has the smallest constituency in the county, it is easy to be for "affordable housing" in Town Center. I believe that affordable housing should be spread around the county equally. When we are willing to mandate that 15% of the housing in River Hill be converted into affordable housing I'll support the same standard for Town Center.
3. The real problem facing Columbia is not the Town Center redevelopment. Contrary to what some of these citizen groups such as CoFoDoCo would have you believe, the real crisis Columbia faces is one of governance. The other major property stakeholder in Town Center is The Columbia Association which is run by a highly dysfunctional board of directors. There was even an initial reluctance by the CA board to get involved in the discussions of the Town Center planning process. Forget GGP, CA is the organization that will most greatly impact what the general public experiences in the parks and plazas in Town Center.

I know that many others in the community feel as I do. I suspect that in the coming months more groups like Fair Play Columbia will begin to come forward and that the voices of reason will help focus the debate of Columbia's future on the real issues that will most affect our quality of living.

Big News for Local Company

A Columbia company, Martek Biosciences was featured in a story in yesterdays New York Times.

The article points up the trials and tribulations of marketing their "omega 3 fat or DHA" food additive to the food industry. Martek believes that their additive will help people have "healthier hearts, sharper minds, and better vision."

I could sure use all three of those!

Now matter how you feel about this it is still nice to see a local company generating this kind of national press for a cutting edge product.

A Million More By 2020

A Million More By 2020

This afternoon on the Kojo Nanamdi Show on WAMU a group of panelists discussed the projected growth of the Washington region between now and 2020. The consensus was that the area stretching from Northeast Maryland to Hampton Roads, Virginia will add a million more people in that time period. One of the panelists suggested that the region will soon be referred to as the "Chesapeake Crescent."

This weeks Kiplinger Letter also talked about growth. Kiplinger forecasts a national growth rate of "almost one percent per year, adding one person every 11 seconds. By 2030, there'll be 60 million more people living on U.S. soil, a total of 360 million."

Scary?

I don't think so. I happen to subscribe to the notion that growth is both healthy and desirable. Sure, it presents challenges but it also presents a wealth of opportunities. Managing the two is key to maintaining a high quality of living.

We are doubly blessed in this area as I said before. Our location smack dab in the center of the Chesapeake Crescent bodes very well for our local economy. As Jay Hancock pointed out in his column in today's Sun, Maryland is likely to weather any recession in the coming year due to increased defense spending and the growth in health care. Our proximity to Fort Meade means that we will see more than our fair share of those defense dollars.

We got it good indeed!

Holiday Movie Night: Part Two

Holiday Movie Night: Part Two

Last Friday night we made the decision to see a movie first and go to dinner afterwards. Often, when I eat dinner before a movie, I'll get sleepy midway through the film, especially if it is a chick flick. We caught the 6:30 PM screening of the The Good Shepherd at the Regal Cinemas in Snowden Square.

Of course, the movie rarely begins at the posted time. This fact coupled with the 2 hr 40 minute movie meant that it was a little past 9:30 PM when we got out of the theatre.

Finding a place to grab dinner at 9:30 PM in Columbia on a Friday night is a bit challenging. The last time we found ourselves in this situation we went to the Macaroni Grill at Columbia Crossing.

We won't do that again.

It was easy enough to get a table. It was almost impossible to get service. After waiting at least 15 minutes for a waiter to come to our table I ended up leaving my seat and going in search of someone to help us. It did not get any better after that.

This time we headed over to Aida Bistro in Columbia Gateway. Though the sign on the door said they were open til 10 PM, the door was locked at 9:45 PM.

We ended up at Cafe De Paris. There weren't many people in the dining room but they happily seated us and served us a delicious dinner, even though it was 10 PM.

This quest for a late after movie meal made me ponder the thought; Is this indicative of weekend night life in edge cities such as ours?

Saved By A Flood

There was a nice article about Ellicott City in todays Washington Post.

-wb

Holiday Movie Night: Part One

My lady and I were out for movie last night.

Our theatre of choice was the Regal Cinemas at Snowden Square . We went there even though:
1. It's in the back of a Home Depot.
2. You can't buy tickets online.
3. The soda machine stinks.
4. There are no paper towels in the men's room.
We chose it because it is relatively easy to get in and out of the parking lot and the theatres are less crowded. I like the AMC theatres in Town Center but the mere thought of battling post holiday shoppers and the holiday movie crowd was enough to steer us to the back of a home improvement store.

As I maneuvered into a fairly convenient parking spot, adjacent to the handicap spaces, I mused to my green eyed lady that what we need in this town are special reserved parking spaces for SUV's. I reasoned that since these cars are bigger and, theoretically at least, they are capable of carrying multiple passengers, SUV's should be accorded some select close in spaces. Of course these spaces would need to be larger too. It is nice to have lots of room to open our big SUV doors without bumping into a Camry.

We could make up for this added space by creating some smaller than normal parking spaces for little cars like the Mini. These spaces could be added to the fringes of the parking lots. The reasoning here is that since these cars tend to be most popular with young people they are much more capable of handling the long hike to the theatre.

We saw The Good Shepherd. It's long but good.

Maggie Browns Contract

Jud Malone, former Columbia Council Representative from Town Center gave the following testimony at Tuesdays meeting of the Columbia Council Committee charged with exploring Maggie Browns contract extension.

My name is Jud Malone; I live on CA assessed property at 5651 Vantage Point Road. I wish to speak tonight on the subject of renewing President Maggie Brown’s employment contract. I am not sure to whom I should address my comments since five of the CA board members in a public statement announced that “we oppose, and as members of the Board will not vote for, any new contract that is for a term of more than one year.” They have also stated that “now is the time for CA to move on to modern, measurements-based proactive management in a technology-driven era”, whatever that might mean.

In any case, for the benefit of the remaining board members still wanting to hear from the community, I would strongly advise that Maggie Brown’s contract be renewed for three years, the same term as her current contract.

Maggie Brown has been an excellent president. She is a well respected ambassador to the community, she has effectively led a highly qualified staff and she has achieved all the objectives set out for her by the CA board in all of her five years of service.

Under her leadership, the quality of CA's programs have improved year after year, consistent with the objectives set by the board of directors and CA is in the midst of a major migration to the very latest technology for its information technology system, again at the direction of the board of directors.

At some point it will become necessary to think about a transition of leadership in the organization but it cannot be accomplished in only one year and certainly not under a freelance decision making process.

The next three years should be devoted to:

1) Working on the board’s own ability to function responsibly. This is the most immediate concern for the community – not the performance of the president.
2) Working towards a more effective relationship where the Board understands that its role is to govern and the President role is to manage the organization.
3) Implementing a rigorous professional process for the selection a new president that all board members will respect and abide by.

I would urge the board - don’t mess up this important responsibility of selecting a new president. CA has an unfortunate history of doing it wrong – learn from the past and take the time to do it right.

Mailbox Locator

The other day I was in the Mall in Columbia and went looking for a mailbox. I asked several merchants and though they all seemed to know about the mailbox in front of the American City Building, no one knew of any in the mall.

I don't believe there is one. If there is, I certainly couldn't find it. The closest I came was stamp machine by the entrance near LL Bean. How come the mall has a stamp machine but no mailbox?

Anyway, my search led to the discovery of a cool little website. The mailbox locator lets you simply input your zipcode and it will identify all of the mailboxes in that zipcode. Click on any of the locations and it will tell you the pick up times. It also has a Google map to help you find it.

Very cool.

And, incidently, mailbox locator shows no mailboxes in the mall but there is one at One Mall North.

Out of Touch

Judging from the letters to editor in yesterdays Sun, the members of the CA Board of Directors who met as a "caucus" and decided to oppose a three year extension to Maggie Browns contract, are seriously out of touch with the community.

Not a single letter was written in support of their position.

The Board Members calling for Maggie's removal are Phil Marcus (Kings Contrivance), Gail Broida (Town Center), Cynthia Coyle (Harpers Choice), Philip Kirsch (Wilde Lake), and no surprise, Barbara Russell (Oakland Mills).

Though I have often been a critic of CA, I firmly believe that Maggie has bought stability and leadership to that organization. The present Board is split and dysfunctional. It is hard to fathom how they will be able to find and agree on someone who is more capable than Maggie.

It's time for the voting lien payers in Columbia to say enough of this nonsense.

The North Pole In Ellicott City

If you have never visited Mumbles & Squeaks Toy Shoppe in Ellicott City, you are missing one of the best toy stores around.

Two years ago The Washington Post even did a story on the place in their "You Haven't Lived Here If You Haven't..." series.

If Santa is looking for something beyond the standard fare found in the national chains, this is the place to go.

Places like this make toy shopping fun.

Task Force Sham

I have just learned that in a meeting last night of the CA External Relations Committee, Barbara Russell reported that her 40th Birthday Celebration Task Force had decided to hold a City Fair on the weekend of June 29th through July 1st.

Nothing could be further from the truth. No consensus on what the birthday celebration might include was reached by the Task Force and certainly no dates were set.

I attended that initial Task Force meeting. There were many ideas bantered around, some good, some not so good. After everyone gave their input Barbara Russell pretty much told everyone at the meeting that none of this discussion really mattered because she was going to go ahead and do what she wants to do which is to hold a City Fair.

For those readers who were not around twenty years ago when the last City Fair was held, I can only tell you that it wasn't pretty. It was as if all of Glen Burnie descended on the lakefront.

The thing is, it wasn't always so. In the beginning, the City Fairs were truly community events. It was more like a Village Fair. Everyone in Columbia went. There was even a "Ball in the Mall."

Back in those early days, Columbia was a town of with a population of about 15,000 people. It is much different now with a population of over 100,000 but some folks like Ms. Russell haven't come to grips with that.

It is irksome that she created a "Task Force" only for window dressing. It wasted a lot of peoples time. Make no mistake. The entire celebration of Columbia's 4oth birthday is being soley orchestrated by someone who is living in the past and who does not want to listen to anyone who disagrees with her.

On top of it all, she thinks she can pull together an event of this scale in just six months!

Having planned and executed large scale events in the past I can tell you that it takes a full year to do it right, not to mention a fair amount of money.

There is a viable and well proven alternative. For the past twenty years, The Columbia Festival of the Arts has hosted a LakeFest celebration which included the birthday celebration. The Festival has a full time year round staff and they have been working on the 40th birthday LakeFest for a year and a half now. They have been raising mpney through corporate sponsorships and individual donations. They have over 200 volunteers committed and ready to work.

Apparrently Ms Russell is not even listening to Maggie Brown on this. Aside from being the President of the Columbia Association, Maggie served for several years as the chairperson of the old City Fair. Her advice and counsel is being totally ignored.

We Got It Good

I realize that many are worried about the ramifications of growth but the bottom line is that most communities would love to have the problems that we are dealing with. The front page article in today's Sun outlines the opportunities and challenges that BRAC presents us. Personally I think we are up for the challenge. If we can tone down the rhetoric and work together to find that ever elusive middle ground between those who want to stop all growth and those who want to "pave paradise and put up a parking lot" we will become the envy of the nation.

And...given that we are are also facing a budget shortfall, this projected growth in employment is very good news indeed.

Think about it. We have a state that is growing with "knowledge workers" instead of a state that is bleeding from the drain of an aging population coupled with the loss of manufacturing jobs.

We got it good.

Fair Play

Now this is interesting!
Perhaps our "silent majority" is finding its voice. That would be nice.

Check out www.fairplaycolumbia.org.

Holiday Weekend Observations

This past Friday was Ellicott City's Holiday Midnight Madness celebration. Fortunately for the restaurants and shops the weather was very cooperative, albeit a bit windy.

If you have never experienced this event, you should really check it out next year. Most, if not all stores are open until midnight and there are activities such as carolers along the streets. We breezed down around 8:00 PM and we were able to snag a parking space that wasn't too far from the action.

We enjoyed a pre dinner glass of wine at Annabell's and then ventured down to Jordan's for dinner. As we passed Taylor's antique mall we spied the Red Hat ladies in their fine holiday regalia sitting in the storefront window sipping tea and greeting passersby.

This is exactly what a "vibrant" downtown looks like.

Saturday evening found us at the Columbia lakefront. While not as active as downtown EC on Friday it was nonetheless festive with the white lights strung along the awnings over the lakefront restaurants. There were plenty of folks in the restaurants (with the notable exception of Jesse Wongs Hong Kong) but not much "street life." More stores and cafes would help that.

Since the Ravens played on Thursday night this past week I forfeited my usual Sunday of watching football and agreed to go to The Mall In Columbia on Sunday. I gained major points by agreeing to a shopping trip. I'll need those once the playoffs start.

The mall felt lacking in the holiday spirit to me. Maybe I am just a cranky old guy but I can't help myself. You see, in one of my former lives I worked in mall marketing for The Rouse Company. In those days we took great pains to insure that our malls were classiest act in all of malldom. The holiday decor was extensive and choirs performed continually in the center court by the Poinsettia tree. The Poinsettia tree itself was framed by hanging baskets overflowing with Poinsettia's.

This year the poinsettia tree shares a stage with cars from Jim Coleman Jaguar Land Rover. The hanging baskets have been replaced by green and white banners advertising the car dealership.

It just didn't seem right.