The GGP presentation on the Town Center Master Plan on Wednesday, July 9 was most impressive. It is clear that the plan has been very well thought-out, and that GGP is committed to thinking creatively in terms of redefining Town Center as the heart of a new Columbia that will endure as a leading edge community of its size for future generations. However, there are hopes that need to continue to be held, questions that still need to be asked, and cautions that still need to be offered.
First, I'll address two pet peeves of mind. I wish the GGP folks would stop referring to Merriwether Post Pavilion as "Post Pavilion". OK, post-what? Call it MPP, call it Merriwether Post, but I've never heard of "Post Pavilion". Sounds like some corporate arena and I'd rather lose the monicker.
Second pet peeve-- there is only one Central Park, and it's in New York City. The references to "Central Park" in Columbia make me chafe. Let's find another name, like "Crescent Park" or "Rouse Park" or "Friendship Park", or something like that.
On to the questions:
1. The big one I have is the numbers. How does a million square feet of retail space, five million square feet of office space (equivalent to what was in both towers of the World Trade Center), and 5,600 residential units get filled? The latter is for me, the easiest to see. What's much harder to see is the retail and office space, especially since we have so many vacancies in our village centers of what, 250,000 square feet on average?
2. How does the impact on connections to the neighboring villages, indeed all the villages, get addressed? Town Center can not become so transformed independent of transformation in the other villages? Certainly, infrastructure around Town Center will have to be expanded. Good things were said last night about pedestrian connections to Wilde Lake and to other parts of Town Center. Nothing said about any connections to Oakland Mills. And, as Cindy Coyle from the CA Board pointed out, it does seem as if schools will need to be planned.
Now for the hopes:
1. Every building built within the environs of Town Center needs to be as green as it can be. Town Center must be better than carbon neutral; for Town Center to keystone the new Columbia I sense is coming, it has to be giving more to the planet than it is taking out.
2. The plans show a lot of redevelopment in Town Center. I am sure there will have to be a lot of construction and redirection of streets, sidewalks and building. I hope that this can be minimized such as to reduce disruption to a minimum.
3. I hope a plan is revealed as to the phasing of the actual redevelopment. What is the horizon (15, 20, how many years), and what will be built when?
Now for the cautions:
1. At the meeting the first question was posed by a lady who was obviously a longtime resident, who was very concerned about the congestion on streets in Town Center, notably Little Patuxent Parkway. After she asked her question, a GGP employee, a guy who looked to be in his 20s wearing brown horn-rimmed glasses, turned to a colleague and said, "That's the voice of yesterday", quite dismissively. Actually, Skeezix, that's the voice of a concerned resident, and although I don't share her near hysteria, your butt needs to pay attention. Regardless of this dope, the presenters were all very knowledgeable and diplomatic and the staff who worked within the crowd was quite gracious. This bodes well for a civil discourse.
2. I get back to the numbers. I saw a lot of great things last night, exciting possibilities about what Columbia could be for my children and grandchildren. I don't want it to be done half-assed. If that means scaling down some of the targets on space or on residential capacity, so be it.
3. I fear negativity and waving the people flag. I do not think what was presented last night was perfect. But I do think the tone and tenor of Columbia was captured by the presenters. Now what's going to happen is that a lot of irrelevant jerks are going to prattle on about "Jim Rouse's vision" and how this plan is or is not what Columbia "is supposed to be". To everyone engaged in this debate, I implore everyone: let this debate be about the future, let it be about what Columbia will be! I don't need to be given a history lecture, and in return I will respect the foundation upon which this city was founded.
The next year or so is going to bring a vigorous debate about the future of Columbia. After last night, I finally feel as if the debate has been joined in earnest. I urge GGP to have its radar turned on for good ideas coming from the community (it sounds so far as if it has) and I urge the community to think carefully, with great consideration, and creatively about what Columbia can and will be. Literally, the future of this town within a city depends on it.