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  • Additional Columbia Development Details

    For those that have not seen it yet, Wordbones put up a very interesting post regarding James Rouse (Jim Rouse was not an Oracle) and how Columbia was developed. In my research I have uncovered some information that supports his post.

    With respect to General Electric, Wordbones provides us [...]

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    Posted: October 30, 2009, 3:33pm EDT

  • Hijacking the Community Interest

    I am loathe to base a blog post on comments retrieved from the HCCA Yahoo-group; however, CoFoCoDo “spokesperson” Alan Klein has crossed several lines that spur comment.

    In a message this weekend, Alan begins his comments on the New City Alliance with cynicism:

    “I was waiting for this.”

    [...]
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    Posted: October 26, 2009, 11:03am EDT

  • A Call For Columbia's 2nd Generation

    ca 2nd gen

    My brothers and sisters, if you grew up in Columbia during the 70's or 80's, please read this essay by Michael Chabon:
    Maps and Legends
    Now, if you had an experience anything like that, [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 10:08pm EDT

  • Marco Polo Saved by the CA Board of Directors

    Last night, the Columbia Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to keep the Faulkner Ridge, Locust Park, and Talbott Springs pools open. That being said, pool attendance numbers across the city are downright anemic. Attendance numbers are significantly down at almost every pool in Columbia, including the "super pools," as [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 9:22am EDT

  • Marco...Polo...Screw You

    I received word from throughout the Next American City that the Columbia Association has proposed shutting down...forever...three pools in Columbia:
    Faulkner RidgeLocust ParkTalbott Springs
    No word on why CA has decided to withdraw from these communities, or how they decided to target these areas.
    Something to keep in mind is [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 2:24pm EDT

  • Questions Regarding Symphony Woods

    The Columbia Association has put a lot of effort in promoting their plans for Symphony Woods. Through a series of public events, a website, local press, editorials and blog commentaries (here, here, and here) the Cy Paumier design has created a buzz around town. [...]

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    Posted: September 28, 2009, 1:34pm EDT

  • Sign of the Times

    elkhorn signHas anyone noticed the new Owen Brown Village signs?



    These signs are maintained by the Columbia Association. Over time, they have been replacing signs in the city. Sometimes the new signs closely approximate the original design. [...]
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    Posted: September 11, 2009, 1:27pm EDT

  • Was James Rouse an Urban Thinker?

    The planning website Plantizen is conducting a poll of who are the great urban thinkers. James Rouse is on the list, but currently languishes with twenty votes at the time of this writing. If you can take the time to visit the poll website and cast your vote.[...]
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    Posted: August 12, 2009, 9:59am EDT

  • Diminished Expectations?

    Currently cloudy, 70 deg-F, possible showers today. How many CA pools will open? [...]
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    Posted: June 26, 2009, 9:09am EDT

  • CA Pools Close for No Good Reason?

    goggles

    There may have been. There might have been a strike by lifeguards. Pumps could have failed. Chemicals not delivered. I’m just not sure.

    For all accounts, yesterday was a typical Maryland/Columbia day in June. Temperatures in the mid-80’s; [...]
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    Posted: June 21, 2009, 3:00pm EDT

  • Quote

    "A great city has two hallmarks: tolerance for strangers and intolerance for mediocrity."
    Bonnie Menes Kahn, Cosmopolitan City [...]
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    Posted: May 06, 2009, 6:12pm EDT

  • Church Awarded Expansion Over Residents Concerns

    Today in the Columbia Flier, Jennifer Broadwater has a piece on the Columbia Presbyterian Church expansion that was approved by the Howard County Board of Appeals. One of the uses that was talked about extensively during the hearing was the rental of the space to homeschooling groups during the [...]
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    Posted: April 30, 2009, 3:26pm EDT

  • Beyond the Numbers on Columbia Election Day

    I would like to take a moment and thank everyone that ran for either a Village Board or CA Board of Directors position this spring. Although there were many non-competitive races this year, those that where competitive certainly made this election season interesting. For those that won, congratulations! For those [...]
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    Posted: April 26, 2009, 10:13am EDT

  • We are Good for Business

    Thinking about starting up a small business in Maryland? Business Week has named Columbia as the best small city in Maryland for business startups. Columbia also compares favorably to other small cities across the United States. Particularly similar sized communities such as Sugarland, Texas and Provo, Utah.[...]
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    Posted: March 30, 2009, 12:30pm EDT

  • Worth a Look

    A quick shout-out to my friends over @ Columbia 2.0.

    Their latest video is a little look at downtown Columbia last week and worth a look. The mock interview with James Rouse is a little hokey. Otherwise, some intriguing questions.

    BZ to C2.0 [...]
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    Posted: March 04, 2009, 8:15pm EST

  • A Call to Service

    Nominating petitions for the Columbia Village Elections are now available at most Village Centers. Please consider running and serving on your local village board or the CA Board of Directors. [...]
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    Posted: February 25, 2009, 10:00am EST

  • GGP Gains Breathing Room

    Reports today indicate GGP has reached an agreement with lenders on an extension of thier $900M loan that was due last month. The agreement, termed a "forbearance and waiver" agreement gives GGP until February 12, 2009 to pay the loan. [...]
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    Posted: December 18, 2008, 8:36am EST

  • CoFoCoDo Advocates Agenda that is Counter to Rouse

    The kind, well-intentioned, leaderless organization has been railing against the GGP downtown plan. One of the primary criticisms has been what CoFoCoDo “spokesman” Alan Klein calls phasing. “Spokesman” Klein was quoted recently on the Explore Howard blog (Groups weigh in on plan for downtown Columbia):

    Klein said his [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2008, 12:06pm EST

  • Columbia’s Chief Planner Publishes Book

    William E. Finley, the Chief Planner of Columbia, Maryland recently published the book “Curing Urbanitis.”

    An overview of the book can be found on the Planetizen website.

    Americans have a love-hate relationship with big cities. They love the vibrancy, diversity, the sophisticated shops and restaurants, the [...]
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    Posted: October 30, 2008, 10:39am EDT

  • Someone Reminded me that I have a Blog

    It’s been a while. Goodies to come soon, but let’s start small. [...]
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    Posted: October 30, 2008, 10:25am EDT

  • Forward Moving

    Last Wednesday, the folks from General Growth Properties arrived at the CA boardroom to discuss downtown Columbia. Based on an agenda posted on the Columbia Association website, the topic of discussion was to be Symphony Woods. Upon arriving in the boardroom, it was clear that much more was going [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2008, 1:29pm EDT

  • GGP Sells Office Park

    Based on a report from Costar, GGP has sold the Rivers I and Rivers II industrial parks for $42 million, or approximately $137/sq ft. These parks are located off Guilford Road, between Murray Hill Road and the Rt. 32 overpass.


    View Larger Map [...]
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    Posted: October 02, 2008, 12:21pm EDT

  • Downtown Zoning Change Submitted

    This afternoon, Councilperson Mary Kay Sigaty filed a zoning regulation amendment that has been proposed by General Growth Properties. The proposal calls for 5,500 additional dwelling units, 5 million square feet of office space, 1.25 million square feet of retail space and 1,000 hotel rooms.

    The amendment will first [...]
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    Posted: October 01, 2008, 11:20pm EDT

  • The 5500

    5500. Sometimes, it’s a hard number to comprehend. I do not believe I have 5500 of anything in my house. (Blades of grass? Perhaps). My son has about 150 Lincoln Logs. Given how they look when spread out on the family room floor, I would loathe the thought of 5500 [...]
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    Posted: September 22, 2008, 11:04pm EDT

  • Rocky Run

    rockyrun

    Rocky Run was one of my favorite places. It was a place to have a beer with friends, a place to chat, and a place to eat a simple (but satisfying) meal. I am certainly not the first to [...]
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    Posted: August 16, 2008, 7:18am EDT

  • Symphony Woods History

    I have been thinking about Symphony Woods lately. Actually, I have been thinking about Symphony Woods A LOT lately. Currently, General Growth Properties has suggested placing a Small Cities Institute, the Columbia Association Headquarters, and a Library on the site. As can be noted in the Letters to the Editor [...]
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    Posted: August 09, 2008, 11:05pm EDT

  • Explore Howard Editorial Board Should Sit Down on Standing

    This weeks editorial on the Explore Howard website focuses on the standing issue associated with the Downtown Columbia Plaza Tower mess. Taken in total, the editorial goes to great lengths to remove large parts of the issue and arrive at its conclusion:

    “The merits of his argument aside…”
    [...]
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    Posted: August 06, 2008, 12:55am EDT

  • Much to talk about, little time to do it

    Two issues are on many minds this morning: The CA Board of Directors deliberations on Symphony Woods (I stayed until 10:30 PM last night, and still no decision had been made) and the Maryland Court of Special Appeals decision that Joel Broida has standing in his appeal of the [...]
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    Posted: July 25, 2008, 6:54am EDT

  • Sometimes, you get what you ask for

    As has been noted here and elsewhere, things have been somewhat quiet on the downtown development front. I believe this in part because the people at CoFoCoDo have been quietly popping champagne corks and celebrating a job well done.

    The reason? In January 2007, CoFoCoDo set their terms [...]
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    Posted: July 21, 2008, 4:38pm EDT

  • ...and Speaking of CoFoCoDo...

    Our friends at our favorite coalition have once again put out some poorly researched information. Currently featured on their website under the banner "CCD's Response," is the following:

    "We are quite concerned that he [Greg Hamm] is insisting on proposing 5500 new residential units, three to four'" [...]
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    Posted: July 16, 2008, 11:04pm EDT

  • What Happened?

    Oh how the mighty have fallen.

    In 2006, Money magazine put the Columbia/Ellicott City region as number four on their list of best places to live. Many of the CoFoCoDO/HCCA variety loudly proclaimed that Columbia was anointed the best place to live east of the Mississippi River. Although this [...]
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    Posted: July 15, 2008, 3:36pm EDT

  • How do You Like Maryland Transportation Planning?

    I received an email from the Baltimore Metropolitan Council of Governments (Balto Metro) today. The email detailed a meeting between Balto Metro, the United States Department of Transportation, and the public. The purpose of the meeting was to get public input on the Balto Metro planning process. The meeting was [...]
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    Posted: July 07, 2008, 5:42pm EDT

  • Possible Trouble in Wilde Lake

    It's about 10:10 PM on Tuesday night, there is a helicopter slowly circling over Running Brook, and a periodic stream of Howard County Police vehicles driving up and down Ten Mills Road. [...]
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    Posted: June 24, 2008, 10:11pm EDT

  • Columbia BMX Memories

    Kuwahara, GT, Diamond Back, Mongoose, chromoly. R.L. Osborne, Bob Haro bunny hops, half pipes. Ashtabula forks, Pro-neck, Snake Belly tires, Vans, Skyway rims, the “uno” seat. Berms, tabletops, dropoffs, whoop-de-doos.

    The above stream of consciousness was precipitated by an article that appeared in the Sunday, 15JUN08 edition of the [...]
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    Posted: June 18, 2008, 12:16am EDT

  • Things have been quiet around here...

    Compass faithful, I have not had a chance to post here in a while, and I apologize. I have been trying to find some time to put up some posts, but I recently took a new job in College Park, and I'm still tweaking the schedule.

    The b.santos' [...]
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    Posted: June 10, 2008, 6:34pm EDT

  • Resident? Guess Again

    Maybe it’s the monsoon-like rain. Maybe it’s the brilliant sunshine and clear skies. Maybe it’s the ebb and flow of the weather patterns over the last two weeks. The bottom line is, the Columbia Flier got it terribly wrong this week.

    Of course, I am referring to the story, [...]
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    Posted: May 22, 2008, 11:33pm EDT

  • 2008-2009 CA Board Leadership Decided

    Based on reports from the field, Tom O’Connor (DS) has been elected CA Board Chair for this year and Michael Cornell (RH) has been elected vice-chair. Congratulations to Tom and Mike. [...]
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    Posted: May 02, 2008, 9:48am EDT

  • Village Election Results – Unofficial

    Initial reports indicate an elevated turnout for Village Board and CA Board elections. Nine of the ten Columbia Villages had elections for Village Board. Because the election in Owen Brown was not contested, Owen Brown did not have elections this year. Columbia Council Representative (aka CA Board Member) elections were [...]
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    Posted: April 27, 2008, 9:56am EDT

  • Columbia Elections - Open Forum

    Well, tomorrow is election day (and it has already started in Kings Contrivance). I would like to hear what people are thinking. Is there any juice about this year's election? Any races in your village that are interesting? Is there any particular candidate with new and interesting ideas? Anyone have' [...]
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    Posted: April 25, 2008, 8:49am EDT

  • If the Wilde Lake Village Center is Discussed, Can the Slate Candidates Hear It?

    Last night, I attended the Columbia Association Planning and Strategy Committee meeting to hear Kimco representative Kevin Allen discuss the Columbia Village Centers. For the record, Phil Kirsch, the current CA Board member from Wilde Lake serves on the Planning and Strategy Committee. Other than Phil, no other Wilde Lake [...]
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    Posted: April 17, 2008, 1:53pm EDT

  • Columnist Claims Rouse Practiced Discrimination Before Building Columbia

    Today columnist Antero Pietila of the Baltimore Examiner details the discrimination practices of several organizations James Rouse either led or was part of during the early 1960's. I would like to hear the comments of the Compass readers. [...]
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    Posted: April 16, 2008, 7:38am EDT

  • For Some in Wilde Lake, Diversity Stands in the Way of Getting Things Done

    Last night, the Wilde Lake Community Association sponsored a Candidates Night for the upcoming Wilde Lake Village Board and Columbia Council Representative Elections. The event (based on past Wilde Lake Candidates Night standards) was well attended, with about forty residents and property owners in the audience. After opening statements of [...]
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    Posted: April 15, 2008, 11:47am EDT

  • Attention to Detail – Wilde Lake 2008 Election Update

    Well, once again, the Wilde Lake Village election machines are out there. One of the most interesting is a coalition of five candidates running (Vince Marando, Mary Pivar, Lisa Mikkelsen, Elliott Simons, and Phil Kirsch) that published a flier and mailed it to people all over the Village.

    Figure [...]
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    Posted: April 12, 2008, 4:24pm EDT

  • Wilde Lake Village Board Election – 2008

    This month, each of the Columbia Villages will hold elections for their Village Boards. I am running for the Wilde Lake Village Board. As I have been talking to people in Wilde Lake, the Wilde Lake Village Center is the biggest issue this election season. The prolonged grocery store vacancy [...]
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    Posted: April 10, 2008, 9:48am EDT

  • Last Night, the Columbia Community Changed

    Last night the Wilde Lake Village Board, serving as the Wilde Lake Architectural Committee, reversed an earlier resident committee’s recommendation and approved the architectural style of a 48-foot tall church (that’s almost five floors high) with a 16-foot cross facing Wilde Lake residents and traffic on Twin Rivers Road.

    [...]
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    Posted: April 08, 2008, 9:53am EDT

  • Ignorance

    TC 21

    The CA Board of Directors recently approved the budget for 2008/2009 fiscal year. One of the casualties of the budget was the axing of funds to address maintenance and structural problems along the Kittamaquandi Lakefront. This budget [...]
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    Posted: March 06, 2008, 12:43am EST

  • Call to Service 2008

    It’s election season again in the Next American City. All Villages will hold elections for Village Board and CA Board elections will be held in Wilde Lake, Town Center, Hickory Ridge, Harpers Choice, Owen Brown and Oakland Mills. I encourage anyone who wants to contribute to their community to get [...]
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    Posted: March 03, 2008, 11:01pm EST

  • Back from Vacation

    Just a quick mid-day note: The Compass will be back to posting more frequently starting this week. I suppose it was time for a break. Mind you, no big trips to the Caribbean or the American Rockies, just a little mental time out that has now passed.

    [...]
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    Posted: March 03, 2008, 11:52am EST

  • An Unprecedented Victory

    Yes, the primaries last night did provide wins for Barak Obama and John McCain, but the big story last night was that Uno, a beagle, won the Westminster Kennel Club Best in Show at Madison Square Garden Last night. This is the first time that a Beagle has won [...]

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    Posted: February 13, 2008, 8:59am EST

  • Primary Observation

    My son and I made our usual trek to daycare this morning underneath a subfreezing oatmeal sky. We were both a bit sleepy, so we opted for the Sirius satellite radio kids music channel this morning to ease us into the day. Rolling from west to east, we listened to [...]
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    Posted: February 12, 2008, 10:36am EST

  • CA Board of Directors Violates Bylaws, Watchdog Appear s Silent

    The Columbia Association issued a press release yesterday announcing a Special Meeting scheduled for Monday, February 11, 2008:

    The Columbia Association (CA) Board of Directors is inviting Columbia residents to attend a public forum on Monday, February 11 to share their thoughts on what background, experience and qualifications [...]
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    Posted: February 07, 2008, 6:47am EST

  • One of Columbia’s Favorite Sons Endorses Obama

    Pulitzer Prize winner and former resident (Longfellow, Phelps Luck) Michael Chabon, provides his perspective on the presidential candidate.

    From the editorial pages of the Washington Post today. [...]
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    Posted: February 04, 2008, 12:21pm EST

  • Gettin' Bloggy

    With an engaging football game tonight and Super Tuesday Right around the corner, the time to blog has been pretty limited. But I wanted to take a moment to call some features here at the compass to your attention. First off is a new tagging widget called Jiglu. Located over [...]
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    Posted: February 03, 2008, 10:35pm EST

  • Planning Board Approved most of Wegmans Plan

    Last night the Howard County Planning Board held a worksession on the proposed Wegmans site development plan. The discussion, in front of a full house of onlookers, was marked by the serious tone of the board members and the wide range of topics covered. Ultimately, the Planning Board approved the [...]
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    Posted: February 01, 2008, 10:05am EST

  • Super Sunday vs. Super Tuesday

    Well, the dual colossus is upon us. Super Bowl Sunday and the political cousin Super (some say Tsunami) Tuesday. Both these events could have millions glued to their TV sets for hours at a time. So now is the time to prepare.

    Menus

    Any favorite snacks and/or beverage [...]
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    Posted: January 31, 2008, 12:20pm EST

  • Inflated Expectations

    In the lead-up to General Growth Properties regional vice president Greg Hamm’s first public meeting with the CA Board of directors, the following was posted on the Chicago-based Baltimore Sun's website Explore Howard (23JAN08):

    Although officials of the Chicago-based General Growth are working with a team of planners [...]
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    Posted: January 30, 2008, 11:38pm EST

  • A Rhetorical Shotgun Blast

    A recent post on the Hometown Columbia blog revealed an email circulating throughout the county. For the sake of discussion, the email is reproduced below:

    As many of you know developers like GGP are gaining an
increasingly larger control over development in
Columbia, while Howard County Officials and the County
Council [...]
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    Posted: January 28, 2008, 11:32pm EST

  • Traffic Update

    Merely a data point, no need to look too deep here; however, I was taking my son to a doctor appointment this morning (about 8:40 AM), and had to drive through downtown Columbia. We were traveling along Little Patuxent Parkway, southbound between Sterrett Place and the Howard County Central Library, [...]
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    Posted: January 28, 2008, 1:08pm EST

  • Now You Can Hear “It Could Happen Here”

    I recently came across a library of audio recordings on the web which has all of the featured speakers at the 1963 “Metropolitan Future Conference on the Metropolitan Future” from Berkeley, California. This conference is where James Rouse gave the “It Could Happen Here” speech.

    Here is the [...]
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    Posted: January 24, 2008, 9:15am EST

  • Sun of a Son of a Sailor

    Today’s post comes from my son. We were talking the other day, and he asked me “Daddy, what house is the sun house in Columbia?” Intrigued, I pushed for more info, “What is a sun house?” “The sun house” he replied, “is the first house that sees the sun in [...]
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    Posted: January 22, 2008, 10:25am EST

  • The Dimension of Scale

    Over the past year, much has been made about downtown and “human scale.” This discussion of human scale is often in the context of building height. As many know, James Rouse is known for criticizing other communities (both cities and suburbs) for being out of scale with people. This post [...]
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    Posted: January 21, 2008, 6:37am EST

  • The Dimension of Scale

    Over the past year, much has been made about downtown and “human scale.” This discussion of human scale is often in the context of building height. As many know, James Rouse is known for criticizing other communities (both cities and suburbs) for being out of scale with people. This post [...]
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    Posted: January 20, 2008, 9:36pm EST

  • New Towns, New Friends

    100_1401

    Greenbelt Museum Curator Jill St. John (left) and
    Education Coordinator Megan Searing Young


    This evening, I went down to Greenbelt to attend a lecture on New Towns. The lecture was sponsored by the Greenbelt Museum and [...]
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    Posted: January 15, 2008, 11:47pm EST

  • In a battle between Leprechauns and Sorcerers, who wins?

    Ok, forgive the Dungeons and Dragons title, but in the last 48 hours the Washington Wizards have defeated the Boston Celtics, twice. For those of us that are fans of the local professional basketball franchise, this is HUGE. The Boston Celtics currently hold the best record in the [...]
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    Posted: January 15, 2008, 2:49pm EST

  • Road Trip – Short Notice

    I received word about this not too long ago, but the Greenbelt Museum is showing a film about the towns of Greenbelt, MD, Columbia, MD, and Reston VA tonight. The film is free and open to the public. I am trying to clear my schedule to shuffle-on-down the BW [...]
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    Posted: January 15, 2008, 1:44pm EST

  • Company TownLast week Martin Berdit ...

    Company Town

    Last week Martin Berdit of Harpers Choice had the following letter “What fills vacuum as county forfeits planning function?” published in the Columbia Flier. I submitted a response that was published this week “County, developer should collaborate on downtown” (scroll all the way down ). [...]
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    Posted: January 10, 2008, 4:09pm EST

  • You Can Pick Your Friends…

    But you can’t pick the next CA President. That is up to the Columbia Association Board of Directors. Hiring the next CA President will probably be the most important decision of the currently constituted board and the board elected this spring.

    Did you want to provide input into [...]
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    Posted: January 07, 2008, 11:30pm EST

  • We Are (Bun) Penny-less

    100_1366

    Page One, Barry’s Pizza, Harmony Hut, Taco Bueno, Patowmak Toy Shop, Jade Palace, Paper Carousel. We will have to add Bun Penny to this list of other stores that we all loved at the Columbia Mall (and while we [...]
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    Posted: January 07, 2008, 7:17pm EST

  • Stir Crazy

    A four-year old with a full leg cast and a walker will break your heart. This has been the scene here in casa-de-Santos for the past week. All-in-all, my son has been a trooper. He has adapted fairly well, with some expected bouts of frustration. Our greatest challenge this week [...]
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    Posted: January 05, 2008, 10:02pm EST

  • Compass Update

    For those who have been peeking in over the holiday week and not seen much going on here, I apologize. This holiday season has seen the family on the road, followed by a stomach virus sequentially working its way through the entire family. The culmination has been my son breaking [...]
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    Posted: December 31, 2007, 1:49pm EST

  • Meetings, Terminology, and Precedent

    Private, or Secret?

    Public, or Membership?

    These are some terms that, over the past month, have been used interchangeably to describe General Growth Properties (GGP) invitation to the CA Board of Directors and the Columbia Village Boards. The problem is that these words do indeed have different meanings [...]
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    Posted: December 10, 2007, 11:26pm EST

  • Letter to the Editor takes shots, mostly misses

    Long Reach resident Bridget Mugane has a letter to the editor in this week’s Columbia Flier. In her letter, Ms. Mugane “summarizes” the “Is Rouse Still Right” symposium featured in last week’s Flier. A quick review shows one positive comment, and six critical remarks. Further review reveals inaccurate generalities [...]
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    Posted: December 07, 2007, 12:38am EST

  • More Fish in the Pond

    I was pleased to read about a new group in town, Responsible Growth for Columbia (and I would never truncate their lengthy title to Re-Grow Co. No, never). I first heard about them on Hayduke’s blog. I also recently found a group, known as Concerned Citizens of [...]
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    Posted: December 06, 2007, 11:34pm EST

  • What a difference (almost) half a decade makes…

    Yesterday, I read with great surprise a letter to the editor printed in the Baltimore Sun. The letter, authored by former Columbia Council Representative Phil Marcus, addressed the General Growth Properties invitation to the CA board of directors and the ten Columbia village boards. In his letter, Phil states:
    [...]
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    Posted: December 03, 2007, 12:22pm EST

  • Columbia Flier - Bravo Zulu

    The November 29, 2007 edition of the Columbia Flier is, in my opinion, the best edition of the paper in a very long time. To all the editorial staff and reporters, well done, and thank you. [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2007, 11:49pm EST

  • Live, Work, Learn: Two-out-of-Three isn’t Bad, but it Could Be Better

    I want to touch base on a Baltimore Sun article from Monday, November 26, 2007 (Home-buying program continues). This story tracks the evolution of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development program that offers purchasing assistance for homebuyers that purchase homes near their place of work. The program [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2007, 10:13am EST

  • Mornings are Fun Again

    Things around here have been getting kind of heavy. I thought I would go a little light here, and share why my commute is better. No, it’s still a long slog every morning, but I’m smiling more. The reason? The Bryant Park Project.

    Now keep in mind, this [...]
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    Posted: November 28, 2007, 10:48pm EST

  • Money Well Spent?

    ----------
    Note: I have had a few conversations with folks who support the Compass, and there has been some concern that my math in the post below is not exact. Specifically, the cost associated with getting a letter to the County involved more than just a stamp. There are costs [...]
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    Posted: November 26, 2007, 1:09pm EST

  • Columbia Town Center Info

    General Growth Properties has activated their Columbia Town Center website. Not much functionality so far, but the site is back up, and would expect more to follow after the Howard County framework is updated.

    Take a look, share a thought…. [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2007, 8:37am EST

  • When asking others for specifics, CA Board is short on specifics

    Two articles today feature CA Board members focusing on who should pay rather than what is being paid for. In an article published this morning in the Baltimore Examiner, reporter Sara Michael (Downtown work costs questioned) indirectly quotes CA Board member, onetime blogger, and Bagel Bin Meeting Announcer Evan [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2007, 4:19pm EST

  • My Remarks to the CA Board of Directors – 01NOV07

    Last night the CA Board of Directors provided a venue for residents to comment on development in Downtown Columbia. Below are my prepared remarks. Keep in mind that at the podium, I did not strictly adhere to the prepared text, but I think I got my point across.

    Good [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2007, 10:17am EDT

  • Corporate Boulevard, Now Under New Management


    View Larger Map

    A report filed yesterday afternoon on the Globe Street real estate website indicates that GGP has handed over the management of the buildings along Little Patuxent Parkway to NAI KLNB. From the article:

    The class A portfolio, called Columbia Town Center portfolio, [...]
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    Posted: October 24, 2007, 10:54pm EDT

  • The People of Maryland are at odds with the CA Board Chair

    Two stories in last week’s Baltimore Sun demonstrate how out of touch CA Board Chairwoman Barbara Russell is with residents in the State of Maryland. To be fair, Chair Russell’s heart is in the right place.

    In an October 14, 2007 article published in the Baltimore Sun (Village [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2007, 10:46pm EDT

  • Micro Multi-Modal

    I have been thinking about the recently released downtown Columbia traffic study, and specifically how to mitigate increased traffic. My focus has been on little things; things that can be done for a moderate cost, in a short term time frame, and would provide at least the promise of [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2007, 5:12pm EDT

  • Maryland United

    Do you remember that concept model of downtown Columbia? The one from the late 1960’s that showed what downtown Columbia could look like? Do you remember the sports stadium tucked away in the upper left corner? Well, we now have a possibility to realize that dream.

    According to an [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2007, 5:05pm EDT

  • Sound Familiar?

    WARNING: PLAGERISM ALERT

    Bad news: Unless the experts are wrong, Howard County suburbs will continue to sprawl beyond the horizon.

    The threat of global warming pales next to the allure of a backyard sliver of green. Two-hour commutes are tough, but it's even tougher to persuade an older [...]
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    Posted: October 10, 2007, 10:56am EDT

  • Espera

    The title of this blog post came to me last night as my family was grocery shopping. My son and I were at one end of the store, and we caught site of my wife halfway towards the other end. Being four, my son was proud to be pushing the [...]
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    Posted: September 30, 2007, 11:09pm EDT

  • On First Blushhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

    As the days of this abnormally dry (but otherwise pleasant) September have ticked away, the back of my mind has been politely reminding me that the County had promised to release to the public a downtown Columbia traffic study and draft master plan. That promise became a reality yesterday. The [...]
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    Posted: September 29, 2007, 2:49pm EDT
    by B. Santos

  • The Tower of Babble

    Number of comments: 9
    Well its been one Plaza-riffic week! I will save my impression of the whole thing until the end, but first, lets take a look at how the two days of testimony was reported. Dave Wissing at the Hedgehog Report was first out the gate with some great impressions of [...]
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    Posted: September 23, 2007, 11:09pm EDT
    by B. Santos

  • Red Rocks!

    Number of comments: 1
    Columbia blogger Red Writes weighs in on the Wegmans coming to Columbia. It's time well spent so check it out. I put my two cents in. Also take the time to read other posts, Red provides a great first-person perspective on the happenings in the area.

    Go Red! [...]
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    Posted: September 18, 2007, 12:57pm EDT
    by B. Santos

  • To-MAY-to, to-MAH-to?

    Number of comments: 1
    It looks to me that the Plaza Tower and Wegmans are becoming a planning and zoning Scylla and Charybdis visited upon our fine community. The opposition mounted (mostly by labor unions) to the Wegmans is starting to sound awful similar to the path blazed by the friends of the community [...]
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    Posted: September 14, 2007, 12:11am EDT
    by B. Santos

  • I found another one

    Another Oakland Mills Village Center sign. It is located on Thunder Hill Road, south of Twin Knolls Road. Check it out.


    View Larger Map [...]
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    Posted: September 10, 2007, 10:13pm EDT
    by B. Santos

  • The Face of Sprawl

    Number of comments: 7
    Let us all take a moment and think good thoughts for CA Board member Evan Coren (KC). Evan needs some good thoughts. He needs some good karma. He is in a bad place right now. In his latest post on his blog. Evan states:

    Wednesday night at the [...]
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    Posted: September 06, 2007, 11:37am EDT
    by B. Santos

  • Baltimore Examiner Declares War on Columbia, Maryland

    Number of comments: 4
    No, not really; but given the Examiner’s proclivity for misleading headlines, why not join the party? What we have today is poorly constructed editorial from the Baltimore Examiner. It’s headline “Columbia Association milks homeowners” seems to only tangentially enter into the body of their piece. Ostensibly, the topic of [...]
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    Posted: September 04, 2007, 4:24pm EDT
    by B. Santos

  • Waging a War of Wages

    Number of comments: 2
    It seems that Alex Hekimian (and for the uninitiated, that’s “eye-key-me-an”), a long time Oakland Mills resident and current President of the Alliance for a Better Columbia (ABC) is upset about Columbia Association senior staff salaries. His concern made it into both the Baltimore Examiner and Baltimore Sun newspapers [...]
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    Posted: August 29, 2007, 2:31pm EDT
    by B. Santos

  • A suggestion for the Wilde Lake Village Center

    The front page story from the August 23, 2007 Columbia Flier “Market forces buffet Wilde Lake” has been bothering me. The Wilde Lake Village Board Chair Vince Marando is quoted extensively:

    Vincent Marando wants a grocery store to open in the Wilde Lake Village Center as much as [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2007, 9:06pm EDT
    by B. Santos

  • Back Off

    Number of comments: 4
    Mary Kay Sigaty, you are doing a good job. It is about time that it was said. Since being elected, I have seen you honor your campaign promises, but more importantly, serve your community. Beyond the fashionable fear campaign waged by some in the community, you have been a steady [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2007, 8:51am EDT
    by B. Santos

  • What the Columbia Association can do about Downtown Columbia…Right Now

    Number of comments: 7
    Well, its been a little while since we have heard “Columbia Association” and “Downtown Columbia” in the same breath. The City Fair is over and construction has started on the Plaza. I believe what CA could do to improve downtown Right Now is to start working on rehabilitating the pavilion [...]
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    Posted: August 22, 2007, 10:02pm EDT
    by B. Santos

  • One true, one not, both strange

    Number of comments: 1
    The confluence of a rainy day and internet connectivity (via my Apple Mac Book Pro and lunch at Panera Bread) Have provided two interesting results. Up front, I will give a bit of each story; decide in your head which is factual and which is fiction:


    When the [...]
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    Posted: August 21, 2007, 1:23pm EDT
    by B. Santos

  • Required Reading It has been a while since my las...

    Number of comments: 3
    It has been a while since my last post. It is not for lack of desire, I have had a lot on my plate recently. One thing that I have had an enormous interest in has been the unfolding “Neighbor Manifesto” on the where blog. This five-part (parts 1-4 [...]
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    Posted: August 20, 2007, 1:22pm EDT
    by B. Santos
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