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.