Beans Last Days

Thirteen years ago, at The Rouse Company annual shareholders meeting, Tony Deering announced that catalog retailer LL Bean would be opening its first ever retail (non-outlet) store at The Mall. The story goes that this announcement upstaged the retailers own plans to break the news. To show their displeasure at this preemptive PR strike by a real estate developer, LL Bean went ahead and opened their Tysons Corner store first.

Despite this corporate silliness, LL Bean opened its Columbia store in May of 2001, a few months after Tysons Corner. This Sunday, after twelve years selling khakis and canoes to HoCo locos, the Columbia store will close. By midsummer the 30,000 square foot building that housed them will be gone, replaced by a new plaza and a reopening of the old main entrance.

On A Roll

When the Howard Hughes Corporation purchased the former Ryland Headquarters building last August, it was more than half empty. Yesterday, with the announcement that GP Strategies had leased three floors in the nine story office building, it’s now 94% leased. In the commercial real estate game this is a home run.

Howard Hughes is beginning to make home runs look easy. In his remarks at yesterday’s ceremony, John DeWolf, Senior Vice President of Howard Hughes told the guests that downtown Columbia was one of the top three projects for the company. The other two were in Hawaii and New York City.  

There is more exciting news to come in Columbia too, including the pending announcement of the new restaurant for the former Red Pearl space. The company has actually found itself in the enviable position of having to manage announcements so that each new development gets its own time in the spotlight.

And speaking of spotlights, Ken Ulman was also on hand yesterday to help celebrate this latest downtown development and I took the opportunity to chat briefly with him. I asked the exec what he thought about the talk of Dutch Ruppersberger getting into the 2014 gubernatorial race. Ken did not betray any concern about this development. He suggested that it may already too late for Dutch in terms of both grassroots organization and fundraising. Apparently any monies Dutch has raised for his congressional races cannot be used for a statewide race.

In the meantime, Ken can look forward to more opportunities to stand in the spotlight in the coming months as downtown Columbia continues on a roll.

Spring Stuff

The only thing I dislike about spring is that many of the acts of natures great color show end too soon. A week or sometimes just days can dramatically change the scene from brilliant color to something greenish. Catching the really big shows like the cherry blossoms in the Tidal Basin is often a matter of luck and timing.

Columbia looks good. There are flowering trees all over the town and some like the bradford pear have already done their spring thing. Others like the kwanzan cherry are just getting amped up. 

 Life is returning to the lakefront too. Earlier today I walked by Clyde’s. The new façade is up and new employees are being trained. Paul Kraft, the general manager, told me that they hope to reopen by next Monday. He let me peek in the door and, from what little I could see, I was impressed. New ceiling, new lighting, new back bar, new carpet, you get the picture. It’s familiar yet different. “That’s what $5 million will get you,” he quipped.

I understand it also paid for a kicking new kitchen and bathrooms.

There will be announcement soon about who will takeover the former Red Pearl space. I've sworn not to reveal what I know even though it’s killing me. I’ll just say that I’m excited.

You can find more pictures here that I snapped around town while goofing off a little this afternoon.

Busboys and Poets

A couple of months ago I discovered Busboys and Poets for the first time. I was in Hyattsville on a work assignment and came across their newest location in the Gateway Arts District. I had heard the name before but I’d never been in so I decided to check it out.

 My first reaction was that Busboys and Poets would rock in Columbia. That was only further reinforced when I read how they describe themselves on their website.

“Busboys and Poets is a community where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted...a place to take a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body and soul...a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally collide...we believe that by creating such a space we can inspire social change and begin to transform our community and the world.”

Am I crazy or does this sound like it came right out the Jim Rouse playbook?

I decided to see if I could make a Columbia location happen so I sent an email to Andy Shallal, the impresario behind Busboys and Poets. I refer to Andy as the impresario because, as Judith Rosen writes in Publishers Weekly, “I’m not really a restaurateur,” says Shallal, who opened his first restaurant in 1987. “I’m an activist with food. We all eat. There’s a commonality.” 

He responded to my email in relatively short order, thanking me for the “vote of confidence” in his venture. Regarding downtown Columbia he wrote that he’d “keep this in mind.”

Now the real work begins. 

The More Things Change…

While cleaning out my desk for our move last week I found a copy of The Sun from June 9, 2002. Presumably I saved this particular paper because it featured an in-depth report on Columbia on the occasion of the towns 35^th birthday.

As I reread the piece to decide whether it was worthy of continued retention, I chuckled when I came across the following paragraphs.

Lately, some loco activists have begun carping about the need to do more for low income housing in downtown Columbia, besides the Columbia Downtown Housing Corporation which was established as a part of the redevelopment legislation. The trust receives its funding to provide affordable housing from a fee assessed on every new housing unit created in downtown. It was seeded with a million dollar check from Howard Hughes.

Eleven years ago nothing like this existed or was proposed.

Is it enough?

Of course not. Providing low income housing in an area of relatively high housing values will always be a challenge, just as it was back in 1967.  Instead of demanding more subsidized housing in one place from one developer though, perhaps the better strategy would be to create a countywide housing trust that assesses a fee on all new residential units in HoCo.

Awesome Guests

Jean Parker has served as General Manager of Merriweather Post Pavilion for almost thirty years. She’s held the same job even as the operators changed from Nederlander to SFX to Clear Channel and now I.M.P. She started working at the outdoor theater part time while still a high school student at Mt. Hebron. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in computer science, she did a one year stint with Arthur Andersen before returning to Symphony Woods. This is the third time Jean has been on our show.

And speaking of Symphony Woods, Jean told us she “loves the Inner Arbor plan.”

“CA is doing lots of great things…it’s all good.”

The future looks bright for Merriweather too, particularly now that the Maryland General Assembly has codified the permitted noise levels within a quarter mile of the facility.

 And speaking of the future, we also invited Ian Kennedy to join us to discuss the upcoming elections for the Columbia Council. Ian launched the Let’s Make Columbia Awesome website to support those candidates who support visionary initiatives like the Inner Arbor Plan.

Ian also has a Merriweather history. He and his friend Justin Carlson launched the Save Merriweather effort back in 2003 when the future of Merriweather was in doubt.

Ian made a pitch for Regina Clay in Wilde Lake, Mike Cornell in River Hill, Julia McCready in Oakland Mills and Ed Coleman in Long Reach, pointing out that these people are more interested in “pushing Columbia forward rather than holding it back.”

In other words, these are the candidates that can make Columbia awesome. “They’re all awesome,” he suggested.

You can listen to the 87^th episode of “and then there’s that…” here.

Moving Day

The Rouse Company building ends its original purpose today. The Howard Hughes Corporation is moving out and over to new offices above Clyde’s restaurant and the building will now essentially shut down until the massive redevelopment effort begins in May. Monday morning, for the first time since 1974, no one will report to work in the building.

Before they turned out the lights one last time, I took the opportunity to capture a few final images of its former life, while it still had a third floor. That 33,000 square foot chunk of internal space goes away with the buildings restoration and reincarnation.

Then again, it won't really eliminate the third floor because what is now the fourth floor will become the new third floor. Suffice it to say that the ceiling height on the street level floor will be dramatically higher and this staircase would lead to nowhere.

When this building opened in the mid-seventies it broke the mold for suburban office buildings, particularly in the more conservative Baltimore business community. Frank Gehry created a corporate headquarters that mimicked the ambiance of its malls with clerestory glass and ficus trees. Gehry once described it as an "elegant warehouse."

I just recall that it was a very cool place to work, especially in those heady days of the Malling of America. From the mid seventies to the late eighties the company was opening five or six new malls across the country every year as if it would never end. 

And then it did.

To see more of the pictures from yesterday, go here.

Parking and Adaptive Reuse

Two buildings in Columbia are adapting to new uses and dealing with resultant parking challenges. On Dobbin Road, the building that now houses the Frisco Grille and two other retail uses was originally constructed for industrial use. In downtown Columbia, a former office building is being converted to retail. They both have different parking lot issues to deal with as a result of these changes.

On Dobbin Road, the owners of 6695 Dobbin Road want to reduce the setback from Dobbin from the existing 25 feet to the county minimum of 7 feet in order to accommodate 20 new parking spaces. Anyone who has ever tried to get a parking space at the Frisco Grille can attest to the need for more spaces. This is indicative of the changing nature of the Dobbin Road corridor, originally conceived for more industrial type uses which generally required fewer parking spaces.

In downtown Columbia, Howard Hughes is seeking to reduce the number of parking spaces at the former Rouse Company headquarters building. As part of the buildings redevelopment the developer proposes to reconfigure the existing parking lots which will result in a reduction of 98 parking spaces. Part of this reduction is due to mitigation of storm water runoff. The reconfigured parking lot will treat “50% of the existing impervious area for water quality within Micro-bioretention facilities within the parking islands.”

This is a huge improvement over existing conditions that offers no storm water mitigation.

In both instances the parking ratios will remain in compliance with county zoning regulations for the new uses.

Trying to Turn Back the Clock

In case anyone is under the impression that the battle for Columbia’s future has been won, think again. The forces that attempted to defeat the new plans for Symphony Woods are trying to organize a slate of candidates for the upcoming Columbia Council elections. In a posting on the HCCA listserv today, Alex Hekimian, the Columbia Council representative for the Village of Oakland Mills, hopes to garner enough allies on the council to reverse the decision to move forward on the Inner Arbor plan.

“Russ Swatek is trying to find Columbia Council candidates in other villages as well.  There is an opportunity that with Columbia Council contests in several villages and a new CA Board, the battle for Phase 1 of Symphony Woods can be won.  Otherwise, the chances are dim.”

Alex, along with Cindy Coyle from the Village of Harpers Choice, cast the only votes against the plan.

If there was ever a time to pay attention to your Columbia Council elections, this is it.

Merriweather Neighborhood Taking Form

This year the Howard Hughes Corporation intends to submit a Final Development Plan for 35 acres surrounding Merriweather Post Pavilion and Symphony Woods in downtown Columbia. The company's  annual report, filed last week, included the following statement about downtown Columbia:

“We also own approximately 35 acres, net of road and related infrastructure improvements, on the land around Merriweather Post Pavilion, which is south of the Mall. The acreage currently consists of raw land and subdivided land parcels readily available for new development. We intend to propose an initial Final Development Plan to the Howard County Planning department in 2013. Preliminary plans call for at least four million square feet of development activity, with high-rise buildings surrounding the Central Park-like setting afforded by the Pavilion and its surrounding property.”

Nonsense about Noise

In a recent posting on the Howard County Citizens Association, perennial naysayer Russ Swatek wrote that “Merriweather Post Pavilion (MPP) was supposed to only serve the community, not be a huge amplified regional attraction.”

He references Columbia’s “original planners” as his source for this blatantly erroneous statement.

Ian Kennedy, who with fellow Columbian Justin Carlson, played a role in keeping Merriweather alive in the dark years, rebutted Russ. He pointed out that that the outdoor theater  named after Majorie Merriweather Post, had originally hoped to be the summer home of the National Symphony Orchestra, not the Columbia Orchestra.

“Furthermore, during the early years of Merriweather -- when the "original" planners still owned the pavilion and ostensibly oversaw its operations -- it hosted such acts as The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and other amplified acts.”

It was those types of performances that kept Merriweather viable when the National Symphony opted to make Wolf Trap Farms their summer home instead.

The proposed noise legislation that the Howard statehouse delegation recently approved is intended to protect and preserve Merriweather for future generations of concert goers. It allows for noise levels up to 95 decibels between 9 AM and 11:30 PM within a quarter mile of the theater. Right now there are no residences within this quarter mile radius but as the downtown Columbia redevelopment progresses, this will change. It is inevitable that some of these new residents will complain about the noise just like those who now live outside that radius do now, even though Merriweather was there, rocking away summer nights, long before they moved in.

Predictably, the only member of the HoCo delegation to vote against this legislation was Liz Bobo. 

All about the Trees

Michael McCall says that his epiphany on Symphony Woods occurred as he was leaving a concert at Merriweather one night last summer, “For about fifteen seconds I got disoriented” in the dark woods.

“What a wonderful thing that that you can be right next to all this development yet feel like you’ve escaped”

That set Michael on a path that radically changed the future direction of Columbia’s central park.

"The worse thing I think you do is to start drawing straight lines through the woods."

Michael is the president of Strategic Leisure, a Columbia company that has designed the Inner Arbor Plan. He and his wife Barbara are also longtime Columbia residents though he readily admits he knew very little about local politics before deciding to get involved with Symphony Woods. It was his old boss from Enterprise, George Barker, who introduced him to Ken Ulman.

This rest is history.

And speaking of Ken, our county exec was recently honored by Government Technology Magazine for his One Maryland Broadband Initiative. We talked about that in our local news recap along with the new storm water management fees, Wilde Lake Village Center redevelopment, the Merriweather noise legislation  and the political ascension of Laura Neuman.

You can listen to 85^th episode of “and then there’s that…” here.

Merrill Lynch Facelift

I've always considered the Merrill Lynch office building in downtown Columbia to be a bad building in a great location. With its close proximity to The Mall and commanding views of downtown Columbia and the lakefront, this should be the best office building in town.

It isn't.  From the day it first opened in 1982 the building has been plagued with an undersized heating and air conditioning system that, on any given day, left half the building tenants cold and the other half hot.

It also had a split lobby that often left visitors confused. Crossing the pedestrian footbridge from the lakefront, you entered the building on the ground level. Parking in the top level of the garage you entered on the second floor. Parking on the lower level of the garage, you entered a side door on the bridge level.

The upper floor elevator lobbies were a mishmash of finishes as various owners over the years tried to put lipstick on the pig.

The newest owner, First Potomac Realty Trust, is finally doing justice to the buildings great location. The most visible improvement is the opening up of the first two floors creating an impressive two story lobby. They are also upgrading the buildings mechanical systems, elevator cabs, upper floor lobbies and restrooms.

The work is scheduled to be completed in April.

Stand Up and Shout

When you get right down to it, the number of people who are actively involved in HoCo loco politics is relatively small in proportion to the population. Most villages in Columbia struggle to reach a simple quorum in their village elections. Even when there is a hotly contested issue such as growth tier legislation or intermodal terminals, it’s usually the same core of a hundred or so people who turn out to testify at public hearings, a pretty small number from a total population of almost three hundred thousand.

This could easily be interpreted as evidence that, for the most part, people are relatively happy with the way things are. This is one of the best places to live in the country after all.

The problem with this laissez-faire attitude is that the vocal minority can often dominate and frame debates, often twisting the facts. Fortunately in HoCo, when the issue is important enough, some folks in the bleachers stop sitting on their hands and let the players on the front lines know they are with them.

This is one of those times when those cheers need to be heard. The Columbia Association has stepped out their customary comfort zone to put forward a bold vision for Columbia’s central park, Symphony Woods. Instead of taking baby steps towards the future, they've laid out a vision that matches the dynamism that will soon take form all around the edges of the long dormant woods. The Inner Arbor plan embraces those changes, instead of turning its back on them.

Naturally, this dynamism is upsetting to some older residents who've grown accustomed to the status quo. They prefer the baby step approach because, in truth, they’d rather just leave things as they are. Opponents of CA’s plan argue that it’s too much too soon and too expensive.

I happen to think they are wrong as do several other people who care deeply about Columbia and Howard County but we need more people to let their voices be heard. It doesn't take much to show your support  either. Just watch this little one minute clip and if you like what you see, go to the website and add your name to the list and raise a cheer for the future of Columbia

That would be awesome.

Communication Breakdown

Paul Skalny made an observation at lunch today that older folks (my people) tend to use letters to the editor to publicly share their thoughts and opinions while younger folks (his people) use social media such as Facebook and blogs.

Of course there are no absolutes. There are plenty of older voices on Facebook and the blogs…including yours truly.

That being said, I think in general terms he’s right, particularly if you consider this letter to editor in Explore Howard, the online successor the Columbia Flier. Cy Paumier, a former planner for The Rouse Company in the late 60’s and early 70’s tells the community that the plan he worked on for Symphony Woods “was approved by the Columbia Association and the Howard County Planning Board in July of 2012.”

CA has now scrapped his plan in favor of a plan devised by Michael McCall, another planner who was influenced by Jim Rouse.

Over in the social media world, Tom Coale, who serves on the Columbia Association Board of Directors representing the Village of Dorsey’s Search, shared his own view of what was actually approved, writing on his blog this morning that “the Paumier Plan, as conceived in the public, is not what was accepted by the Planning Board.  The revised Plan would require meandering paths and better connectivity with Merriweather Post pavilion.  The Planning Board also expressed a lack of excitement or draw by the Paumier Plan, which is a conceptual defect that cannot be cured by redirected paths.”

I wonder which published view is reaching the larger audience.

A Question of Legitimacy

Tonight, at the resident speak out portion of the CA Board of Directors meeting, Alan Klein testified as the spokesperson for the Coalition for Columbia’sDowntown (CoFoCoDo). He continually used the collective “we” as he leveled attacks at the CA Board and staff for the new proposed plans for Symphony Woods. “Nothing we've seen or heard…as far as we can tell…we know…we do not agree…we oppose this plan,” and so on.

Who is this “we?”

Alan claims CoFoCoDo has "almost 500 supporters" yet when Dorsey’s Search board member Tom Coale asked if there was an actual list of these supporters, Alan admitted that the only public list was “a little old” and numbered closer to 400.

That’s an understatement. The list of supporters is over five years old, going back to the fall of 2006. It’s never been updated. There is no way of knowing whether any of these original supporters support the current statements and positions put forth by its spokesperson.

But that’s not the worst of it. Alan makes a big deal about what he perceives as a lack of transparency on behalf of CA but his own organization is downright opaque. The website lists no officers or board members. There are no minutes of meetings where the organizations positions are discussed and consensus reached. While Alan claims CoFoCoDo supporters oppose the Symphony Woods plan there is no evidence that the organization even met to discuss it or that these 500 supporters were polled.

In other words, the Coalition for Columbia’s Downtown does not have any attributes of a legitimate community organization. It’s a sham, nothing more than a hollow shell. Any positions put forth by such a group should be considered in this context.

Coalition of the Unwilling

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. 

Plaza Tower Redux

Five years ago I wrote this post lamenting the demise of the Plaza Residences condominium project in downtown Columbia. The 23 story luxury high rise fell victim to the housing recession and delays caused by lawsuits seeking stop it. WCI Communities had started the project in 2006 but two years of legal challenges cost the company dearly. WCI declared bankruptcy in 2008 and put the project, including a building permit, on the market. The hope was that someone else would be willing to take that permit and  finish the project.

In August of 2011, Jessica Anderson reported in The Sun that WCI “lost its legal bid to keep plans for the tower alive.”

Or did it?

Last year David Costello and a group of investors purchased the property, along with the completed construction drawings for the Plaza Residences tower. It turns out that he also acquired a valid building permit, a permit that was originally issued over five years ago.

Last week, at the wall breaking ceremony for The Mall expansion, I asked Marsha McLaughlin if that permit was still valid. “Yes,” she replied.

In other words, it’s not dead yet. Costello may ultimately decide not to build the Plaza Residences building. If he felt the market could not support a luxury condo project in downtown Columbia, he could always take a different direction with the property. On the other hand, if he wants to build the 23 story tower it looks like he could.

No Little Plan

Click to enlarge

Columbia founder Jim Rouse often cited Chicago architect Daniel Burnham for one of his favorite quotes: “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized.”

This quotation was called to mind as CA Board member Tom Coale and Michael McCall from Strategic Leisure laid out the new vision for Symphony Woods last week in Phil Nelsons office. After putting their fountain in the park plan on hold last August, the Columbia Association has come back with a bold vision for Columbia’s central park. This is much more than a café in the woods or an interactive fountain, it is a strategic plan that leverages an assortment of existing community assets to benefit the whole.

The key elements of the plan are the CA headquarters building and Toby’s Theater.  CA, which has been engaged in a headquarters search for the past year, would build a new 30,000 square foot office building on top of a subterranean theater for Toby’s . Additionally, the Columbia Centerfor Theatrical Arts will finally have a permanent home for its children’s theater and the community will get a new function space to replace the now shuttered Spear Center.

To make it all work, a new trust with an independent board will be established to oversee Symphony Woods. That is probably the biggest idea of all. The trust will operate outside of the sometimes dysfunctional politics of the CA board and will be able to apply for grants from outside organizations for programs and installations.

The plan, which is being called the Inner Arbor, is long range and will take years before being fully realized but certain elements such as the CA headquarters and Toby’s theater will likely come sooner rather than later. CA is facing a lease expiration on its current space and right now Toby’s is in a position to leverage its present building and land as part of the overall Columbia downtown redevelopment plan.

Nicely done CA. This plan stirred my blood.

“Tear Down This Wall”

Instead of a groundbreaking, this morning GGP held a wall bashing ceremony for the newest addition to the The Mall in Columbia.  Participants were invited to sling a sledgehammer at a drywall partition inside the former J. Crew store just off the center court to mark the beginning of the malls next phase. As the first sledgehammers hit the wall, Joan Lancos quipped “tear down this wall,” recalling Ronald Reagan's famous line from his speech at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987.

 In a matter of days work will commence in earnest to reopen what was originally the main entrance.

Just outside the entrance GGP will construct 70,000 square feet of new retail space along a promenade leading out to the existing fountain. Though no tenant announcements were made this morning it was disclosed that there are leases out on some of the spaces. It's never a good idea to announce a deal until everyone has signed along the dotted line.

Most of the construction will not be visible until May when the existing LL Bean store is demolished. Katie Essing, the mall manager, told me that the demolition will begin in May, shortly after the store closes.