Steet signs

Columbia continues its slow progression toward utter suburban banality.

Responding to laments from frustrated motorists, Howard County public works officials gradually are replacing Columbia's distinctive - but hard-to-read - street signs with rectangular signs that have a more traditional design.

It begins with changing the signs, and the next thing you know, they’ll start changing the street names. A sad day, indeed.

(Aside: Who cares if you can read street signs? Doesn’t everyone have in-car navigation systems now?

In case you were wondering...

Why you couldn't access this blog last night for a couple hours, the fine folks at Blogger explain here.

Sure, it was a little annoying (and I panicked a bit), but who am I to begrudge a company that offers me a free and easy way to spread my dimwitted thoughts throughout cyberspace?

Now, if they could only get their built in spellchecker to recognize the words "blog," "blogging," and "blogger" I would have no beef whatsoever.

Roping 'em in

A cheesy title like that can only mean one thing, time for another installment of your favorite Hayduke feature: News Round Up, YEEHAW!

Too lazy to cook (oh, right, you're too busy), here's a bizarre new establishment just for you. Don't forget, conversation included!

Happy 26th birthday to Howard County's best, and only, dinner theater, Toby's.

"At A Glance" at a glance:

· CA voted to review further a plan to better solicit input from residents. And they wonder why many residents have lost faith. Any time you need to further review a proposal that, although not perfect, essentially amounts to having a stronger dialogue with residents, you’ve got bigger issues.

· Planning board member Jen Terrasa officially announced her candidacy for the District 3 council seat, pitting her against Republican Donna Thewes. Finally, a woman to bring some sense to the council. It’s been a while.

· Crime in the county: Up and down. Brought to you by the good/bad news department.

· Police chief avoids kerfuffle and opens to the public meetings of his advisory board. Um, okay then.

Finally, I think the first item in the section deserves it’s own, non-bulleted comment. Howard County auxiliary police officer Petrus Lucas, 21, was struck by an SUV while directing traffic November 23. According to the Flier, he is in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma after having his lower leg amputated.

Despite his youth, Lucas is an involved member of this community, volunteering with the auxiliary and the fire department while he finishes a degree in criminal justice at the University of Maryland, and he had planned on continuing his service as a police officer. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope that this tragedy does not diminish his energy or desire to help.

In the words of his mother, Margaretha, “His personality is helping people in the community…It’s just his life. It’s what he wants to do.”

Guzzone gone

Wow. I certainly didn't see this coming.

The Howard County Council elected its first Republican chairman in seven years, in a 3 to 2 vote last night that saw one Democrat switch allegiance and throw his support to the GOP.

With the help of Democrat David A. Rakes (D-East Columbia), council member Christopher J. Merdon (R-Northeast County) assumed the one-year chairmanship, ousting the incumbent.

"David voted for me because he trusts me," said Merdon, who is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for county executive in 2006. "He felt that I would respect him and make sure all members are heard."

I'm not even sure what to say about this. I mean, we've all known that Rakes is a bit of a loose cannon--which can be a good and a bad thing--but this move is just strange, especially since it seems he is seeking reelection, presumably as a Democrat. However, responding to the news last night, Howard Democratic chairman Wendy Fielder said, he "ended his career tonight with the Democratic Party."

Maybe he's switching sides, which would be more foolish than shrewd in his heavily Democratic district. I don't know, I'm just throwing out ideas here.

So, needless to say, Guzzone didn't sound to happy about the changing of the guard. Well, really he didn't sound like much, having apparently little to say on the matter.

"It's unusual for a member to defect from his party," Guzzone said. He added that he thought Rakes was retaliating after Guzzone and fellow Democrat Ken Ulman (West Columbia) did not rise to Rakes's defense during the probe by the county's ethics commission. The Maryland state prosecutor is also said to be looking into the matter.

I don't think, however, this will have much of an impact on Guzzone's political future. I think he's got a very good chance of winning the delegate seat for District 13 and Rakes' "unusual" vote might even garner him some sympathy.

The real question is what impact, if any, this will have on the race for county executive. Merdon has been given center stage, which can be a blessing and curse. He's been able to stay on the sidelines and protest a lot of what the democrats have done on the council. Now, he's going to have to get his hands dirty, something he hasn't been fond of doing in the past (instead wishing to usually straddle both sides of an issue).

Another question for Merdon is how his new affiliation with Rakes will affect voters' perception of him. Rakes isn't exactly the most likeable guy (possible ethics violations, weird and ill-informed votes on important issues) and Merdon would be wise to use his new allay cautiously. I'm sure the democrats on the council have been biting their tongue on Rakes for a while, and we may now start hearing more about the man.

It is still too early to tell what's going to happen. But this certainly made things a whole lot more interesting.

Movin' on up...

From the 14th floor of my hotel in San Francisco, I’ve got a pretty good view of a couple high-rise buildings currently under construction. Both appear to be about 20 stories in height and obviously don’t seem out of place in this town, where land is at a premium, to put it mildly. Here, they certainly don’t seem out of place, but what about in Columbia?

A Florida developer's plan to build a 22-story condominium building in Columbia's Town Center is progressing despite concern among some residents that its height would be out of character with a new, emerging master plan deigned to guide downtown's redevelopment.

If built as planned, the roughly $60 million Plaza Residences would be the tallest building in Howard County. The largest buildings in Town center are 12 stories.

…The plan for the high-rise foresees 160 units with private elevators that would whisk occupants from parking garages to the doors of their condos. It also would feature retail shops and dining on its ground floor along with social rooms, club rooms, a juice bar, guest suites, a business center and a theater.

It is interesting that in the Baltimore Sun’s story on this (the above link is to an article in the Flier) a picture of the full building was included. See here. But in the Flier’s story, the building is shown from a different angle and the top 14 stories are cut off, which is strange but understandable given the public’s expressed desire to not have large buildings near the lake. When was this desire expressed? Oh yeah, at the charrette.

The draft plan, which county officials still must approve, is designed to guide downtown's redevelopment over the next 30 or so years. It suggests prohibiting the construction of buildings of more than six stories along Lake Kittamaqundi and 20 stories in the rest of the town.

"We just put a lot of energy and time into the charrette process," said Del. Elizabeth Bobo, a Democrat from Columbia. "The (high-rise) is in the study area and it goes against the plan. I don't know why we did the charrette if what comes out of it is counter to what we proposed."

If only it were that easy. The problem, at least in my mind, is that this plan was proposed long before the charrette. In fact, the county has been reviewing plans for it since last January. And to say that public input at the charrette was not shaped to some degree by this proposal is ludicrous.

Therefore, it is only fair that we review these plans according to the zoning that was in place when it was proposed. If this is the case, there is nothing to stop construction. Apparently, the Flier’s editorial board agrees.

The Flier article goes on to quote General Growth vice president Dennis Miller as he explains how this building will help spur the “revitalization of downtown.” It is interesting that he’s now referring to downtown development as revitalization, almost as though he is admitting that his company failed to develop it properly in the first place. After all, they own all the land.

I’m not so sure about his statement, but the building would certainly be symbolic of the changes taking place in Town Center. My hope is that in the future, developers hire better architects.

The final part of the article worth mentioning is one of the most sensible quotes I’ve seen in a while. It speaks to the challenges and opportunities present in developing affordable housing. In the words of Columbia Association’s Town Center board member Jud Malone:

"It's not fair to say that this project has to introduce affordable housing for everyone, but people in the community are starting to wonder at what point will there be affordable housing," he said. "In order for it to proceed, there ought to be some requirement that affordable housing in another part of town be available."

There is a belief that every development project should include some provision for affordable housing. Generally, I support this concept, as I believe mixed income communities are the most productive and benefit the most number of people. But in certain instances, mixing incomes is not appropriate, and this building is one of those instances.

However, this doesn’t mean that the developer shouldn’t be responsible for providing affordable housing—preferably in the general vicinity—as part of the costs of doing business in this county. After all, who’s going to work in the retail shops, theater, restaurants, and other establishments in this building?

Views from the left (coast)

Another day, another flight.

Hayduke’s tour of the U.S. continues, this time coming to you from the West Coast. San Francisco, to be exact.

Thankfully, the flight wasn’t bad (well, aside from the fact that with a stop in Kansas City I spent 9 hours in the same seat) and I abstained from my usual airplane “medication.”

I’ll be here all week, but through the wonder of the Internet, you won’t notice a difference. In fact, I may even have a chance to write more here than I would at home. I’m not making any promises, though.

I’m sure right now local news stations are broadcasting non-stop about the looming snowstorm, which I am very sad to be missing.

Here’s to hoping it snows enough that everything shuts down on Tuesday. If so, throw some snowballs at passing cars for me. I’ll pick up the slack when I get home.

No rules, just right

As far as public hearings go, chances are you won’t find anything with more variety than the Howard County delegation’s annual meeting to hear public input on bills proposed for the General Assembly.

With contentious testimony from hunters, animal rights activists, and a wide variety of others, as well as a sparring match between members of the delegation and General Growth Properties vice-president Dennis Miller, last year’s hearing may have been the most exciting ever.

Sadly, this year’s rite of autumn was not so lively. Indeed, Hayduke’s at a loss for comment on most of the bills.

Well, except for one. This one bill deals with something that is of vital importance to this county and something that I have long wondered about. Why is there only one Outback Steakhouse in Howard County?

If you have ever visited this establishment, you’ve no doubt asked yourself the same question. It is not uncommon to see wait times approaching two hours for hungry patrons. Moreover, such crowding is not relegated to weekend nights.

So, I’ll ask again, why is there only one Outback Steakhouse in Howard County?

Because any more than one would be against the law, that's why.

The delegation also heard testimony on two liquor bills, one that would allow wineries to sell wine in Howard, which has no wineries, and another that would allow multiple liquor licenses to be granted to the same person or corporation.
Richard W. Story, chief executive officer of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, said such a law would allow companies that own multiple restaurants to build more establishments in the county.
"To have a successful restaurant, you need an alcohol license," he said.

Surprise, government regulation has led to market shortages!
Kidding aside, I can’t think of any reason for this law to still be in force. And I’m glad to see progress being made towards a more equitable and efficient distribution of $12 steaks in Howard County.

CA: The new BGE?

Hayduke has often wondered what exactly Columbians get for the “taxes” they pay to the Association each year, aside from covenant enforcement and access to lots of open space (which non-Columbians can access as well, creating the dreaded [at least by economists] free rider problem). And I know that CA provides a bunch of amenities, like a fitness center, golf courses, and other recreational programs. But all of these cost extra.
So, what do you get for your CPRA money? Maybe a lower energy bill.

The association's board of directors is studying how to form a buying cooperative that, in Maryland's deregulating energy market, would shop for the best deal on electricity. Under state law, city and county governments are forbidden to launch such arrangements. But the odd governance structure in this Howard County planned community provides a rare opportunity.

The discussion comes amid expectations that electric bills for residential customers of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. will rise 20 percent to 30 percent next year when the state rate cap is lifted July 1, according to the Maryland Public Service Commission.

The rate increase is "expected and alarming. The numbers are significant," said Joshua Feldmark, chairman of Columbia's 10-member board of directors. Forming a buying cooperative "is something worth getting into," he said. "We can provide a value-added benefit for living in Columbia. That's at the core of our mission."

One consultant estimated that a Columbia cooperative could buy electricity at 6 percent to 8 percent below market rates, depending on the deal struck. The risk would be locking into a rate that is too high in a fluctuating market.

At first blush, this seems like a good idea, especially if Maryland’s deregulating energy market at all resembles California’s of a couple years ago. However, sorting out the details of this program would be an immense undertaking. A story from the Columbia Flier elaborates on some of the specifics.

Under the proposal, CA would act as the broker between residents and the utility company and leave such tasks as billing and customer service to the company. The program would be optional for residents.

Optional is good, as is leaving administrative tasks to someone else. But there is still much to be worked out, and I’m sure CA will put together a respectable proposal.

But the question remains: Is this actually a good idea?

In order for residents to recognize any real savings a large number would have to agree to participate, thereby increasing CA’s bargaining power. If only a small group sign up, however, the CA co-op might not get prices any lower than they are on the open market.

Also, won’t this program incur some costs? Would these costs be borne only by those participating in the co-op, or would they be paid out of general operating revenue?

I’ll withhold a full opinion until I see the actual plan. But, for once, it looks like CA’s bizarre status as…well, whatever it is, might be a good thing.

Still growing

Despite not reaching it's job creation goals, Howard County's economy had a pretty good year in 2005, at least according to the CEO of the Economic Development Authority, Richard Story. And though such growth is admirable, it will pale in comparison to what we'll see in a few years when the military base realignment--slated to bring 5,300 new jobs to Fort Meade, as well as up to 15,000 new defense contractor positions--is finished.

While not all of the new defense workers will live in Howard County--Story predicts about 40 percent will--those who do decide to make our county their home will need housing and services, the latter of which will lead to a further increase in jobs, though typically the low-wage type.

Good news, right? Maybe not.

The same story above mentions some undeniable facts that we have heretofore decided to sweep under the rug.

Although there are no trends suggesting an economic reversal for the county, there are issues that, if not addressed, could cause problems in the future.

One of the most problematic is declining land to accommodate growth. The Department of Planning and Zoning projects that at the current rate of growth the county will exhaust all developable land by 2020.

In-fill development in places such as Town Center in Columbia, Maple Lawn and Emerson and, ultimately along the U.S. 1 corridor, "is still a relief valve," Story says, "... but at some point in the near future, we run out of land for residential, retail, commercial and industrial."

The only other options are permitting higher density in areas such as Town Center, Turf Valley, Maple Lawn and Emerson, or permitting more growth in rural western Howard County. But the public and elected officials have opposed both, sometimes vehemently.

Higher density is anathema to many in this county. However, many of these same people bemoan the increasing economic exclusivity of this county, saying it runs counter to the character of our community, particularly Columbia, which was founded on including residents of all incomes--something that is important for social as well as economic reasons (somebody's got to fill the low paying jobs, right?). Unfortunately, we can't have it both ways.

Thankfully, Story recognizes the looming problem, saying "Affordable housing is the real question mark, but it's a question you have to start addressing today, even though the impact will be beyond 2010."

One of the big problems I see with the issues of growth in this county is an inability to look beyond the horizons of our immediate future (5 years, give or take). Whenever growth is brought up, the discussion immediately gravitates to overcrowded schools and increased traffic, as if these impacts are going to be felt tomorrow.

The plain truth is that there are both good and bad things about growth (or, positive and negative externalities). The county has already slowed the pace of growth to a crawl and this, coupled with the Federal Reserve's foolishly low interest rates, created housing "froth" and maybe a bubble (many like to say Howard's housing market will withstand a cooling off period without appreciable drops in prices--just a leveling off--but I'm not so sure).

It's time for us to have honest discussions about the future of this county and how it will grow. Not conversations based on fear and short-sightedness. Sadly, the only person I've found willing to have this dialogue is me, and talking to oneself is generally perceived as a sign of craziness, a label that's never scared me in the past.

A confession

In the interest of full disclosure, I need to confess something. Well, two things.

First, I'm not a good flyer. For all the complex technology on board, planes, in my mind, are little more than school buses with wings. And that thought passes through my brain approximately 1 million times in the days leading up to a flight. So, needless to say, I get a little nervous about air travel.

Those of you who know me know that I'm a pretty big admirer of birds, particularly raptors, some of which fly impossibly high. My fascination with these birds, it seems, would make flying an enjoyable experience. To be sure, I like looking out the window while the plane is traveling smoothly, admiring the views and landscape below, but as soon as there's a bump in the air, the sweat glands in my palms start working extra hard.

Second, in order to "deal" with flying, Hayduke enjoys his own special blend of medication--specifically, Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Tennessee whiskey and ginger ale. Not enough to get drunk, mind you. Just enough to get from one stuffy airport to another (Because of this, I have no idea how people--Father Hayduke, to name one--endure trans-oceanic flights that are measured in days, not hours. The mere thought of this has drenched my keyboard in sweat).

So, why am I telling you this? Because I had to fly today, and therefore I had to imbibe a drink or two. Thus, if the following posts don't seem up to par, that's one of my lame excuses.

The other lame excuse for subpar performance is that I'm writing this in the shadow of the tallest ivory tower in the nation, Harvard, in what only can be described as the Smartest City in America, Cambridge, MA, and suddenly my extended education in a string of Maryland public schools doesn't seem up to snuff.

Where there's smoke...

To be honest, I'm getting a little burned out over writing about smoking stuff. I think my position on this issue is sufficiently obtuse and therefore is in no need of clarification. However, a couple stories from last week are worth mentioning.

First, the Sun writes about the election implications of the proposed smoking ban. As I've said before, I don't think candidates are going to win or lose many votes based on their position on this bill, but it is interesting to see the flack councilman David Rakes is taking for reneging on a campaign promise:

(Rakes) told Glenn Schneider, legislative chair of the Howard County Smoke Free Coalition, he had not met him until after winning the primary.

"One of the first things you did was say, 'Are you against smoking? Sign this.' I hope you can appreciate how elated I was winning a hard-fought election," Rakes told Schneider. "If somebody said, 'Sign this check,' I probably would have signed that, too."

But Schneider, who testified for the bill, held his ground, replying that Rakes was given the pledge before the election, and had time to deliberate before signing it.

"You signed that pledge in August 2002, prior to the election. No one forced you to sign that pledge," he said. "You did sign that. I know you got votes" as a result, he said. "I was very happy to vote for you."

..."If I'm voted out of office because of my vote on this issue, then so be it," Rakes replied defiantly. "We need people to be leaders and do what is right."

It's good to see Rakes actually take a firm stand on something, even if it is a reversal from his firm stand of three years ago.

Meanwhile, near the end of the same article, my position that this isn't really a big vote changing issue is validated by a college professor.

Donald F. Norris, professor of public policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, agreed with Robey (that politicians, like Rakes, are free to change their minds).

"If the smoking ban were a really, really big thing, and there were large groups for and against it and someone changed their mind, it might be a big thing," Norris said. "I don't see this as being one of those issues.

"We elect these people to use their brains. Occasionally, they actually do that. Positions are nuanced. I don't see the fact that an elected official changes their mind as a bad thing."

Finally, a letter to the editor in the Washington Post provides an interesting and articulate take on this issue. I've included it in full below, so no need to click the link, unless you need to verify my honesty (Please do!).

I must disclose the following. First, I am not a smoker. Second, I have lost a spouse to cancer. Third, I have been a steady and frequent contributor to and supporter of the American Cancer Society.

When I returned home recently from a beautiful afternoon of hiking in Patapsco State Park, I found a misleading flier from the American Cancer Society inside my front door. The flier was misleading because it encourages the reader to call a County Council member to demand a vote for smoke-free restaurants and bars in Howard County.

Howard has been a leader in smoke-free elevators, workplaces and restaurants. Just a few years ago, bar and restaurant owners were required to build expensive partitions between bars and dining areas to keep the dining area smoke-free. All restaurants in the county are smoke-free. People who choose to work in and patronize bars where smoking is legal know the risk before they enter the establishment.

When are we going to stop bullying people and businesses for individual agendas? Smokers have rights. Business owners have rights. People who don't smoke have the right to patronize establishments where smoking is not allowed and avoid bars where smokers congregate.

The misleading propaganda distributed Sunday afternoon would have you believe that all restaurants in the county allow smoking when they do not. I am alarmed by the use of my contributions to the American Cancer Society to print and distribute such false and disingenuous information. This is not research, and it is not prevention. This is a heavy-handed attempt to control a segment of the business community and its adult patrons.

If I receive another one of these false and misleading fliers, I will stop contributing to the American Cancer Society and find a nonprofit group that is less invasive and more truthful where my contributions will be used more effectively.

And they're off...

Following recent announcements from councilmen Chris Merdon and Ken Ulman, the race for county executive is, I guess, underway. Both have said they would campaign on issues and leave partisanship aside, which shouldn't be too hard on the local level where party labels are all but useless, at least in my opinion. The anti-partisan campaign theme received a boost at Merdon's coming out party, where he said:

"This is not a race about party labels," (Merdon) said Saturday. "In order to represent all the people, the county executive must transcend all party lines. And I have a record of doing exactly that. In fact, the district that elected me to the County Council two times is a Democrat district."

During the same speech, Merdon went on to outline several key issues--notably, zoning reform and strengthening schools--he would address if elected. Meanwhile, Ulman has been preemptively responding to criticism over his vote to increase taxes a few years ago (when a slumping economy resulted in budget shortfalls at all levels of government) and is touting his leadership on issues, particularly the charrette.

So far so good, right? Nobody's tossing around cliched partisan rhetoric; no one's making baseless attacks; we're all sticking to the issues, right? Uh...no

With both men last week announcing their intentions to seek the county's highest office in 2006, Republicans began casting Ulman, a Democrat, as a tax-and-spend liberal whose personality is too brash to win election to the seat.

In turn, Democrats charged that Merdon, a Republican, doesn't financially support the county's services and is too timid to lead.

Key to the debate is a 30 percent income tax increase the County Council's three Democrats, including Ulman, passed in 2003, after voting down an alternative proposed by the council's two Republicans, including Merdon, that would have cut the proposed budget by $24 million, several observers said.

Ulman is "fiscally irresponsible," said Jim Oglethorpe, president of the Howard County Taxpayers Association, a citizens group that opposes tax hikes, including the 2003 increase. "He fleeced a large tax increase on us."

Howard Rensin, the chairman of the Howard County Republican Central Committee, agreed. "Ken Ulman is very quick to raise taxes," he said, while Merdon "is fiscally mature."

But County Council chairman Guy Guzzone, a Columbia Democrat, made the opposite charge: That Merdon's alternative budget in 2003 irresponsibly attempted to cut key services.

"Clearly, Mr. Merdon has done his best to try to make cuts in the school system and in libraries, cuts in the police department," Guzzone said. "Fortunately, none of them passed. He has, in my opinion, not done the difficult things to ensure that we maintain the quality of life that we all enjoy."

That's right, liberals just want to steal citizen's hard earned money and use it to further bloat a bureaucracy and conservatives view government as the root of all suffering in this world. It certainly didn't take long for the veneer of civility to wear off.

It is unfortunate that national politics and ideologies are going to dictate the course of our local election, where the distinctions between Democrats and Republicans are all but nonexistent. If Merdon and Ulman really want to base their campaigns on issues, they can call of the attack dogs. However, it seems fairly evident, even at this early stage, that party labels will play a major role in this election. And for that, we're all worse off.

Charrette comments

Do you have any deep convictions that you feel were not adequately represented during the charrette? Is there something you thought of after the week-long planning session that you feel must be considered as the plan is drafted? Or, do you just feel like pestering a county bureaucrat?

If so, the county has set up a web page for you to send in comments about the charrette. Click here, and let 'em have it.

Turkey Hangover: Done

Another f-ing holiday--food, family, friends, frivolity and football--left Hayduke needing a few days to fully recover, particularly from football-related thumb injury that left the opposable digit on the right hand a couple sizes larger than the corresponding one on the other hand. Not to worry, movement has returned, the swelling has gone down, and the overall soreness of the thumb--and entire body for that matter--has diminished to the point where at least non-physical tasks are no longer painful.

I don't feel old until I try chasing after an oblong pigskin orb for a couple of hours.

Anyway, enough about me. Here are a few new posts. Sadly, this is all for today. Several other posts are in various stages of completion, but with more football coming on the magic picture tube in a couple of minutes, I've got to go drain myself of intelligent thoughts for the rest of the day (as if I had any to begin with!).

Comcast has also not been cooperative. The internet connection has toggled between barely and not working today, which is just about par for the course for Howard County's legally protected cable monopoly. Three cheers for consumer rights!

Argh.

Symbolism

I never enjoyed reading for my high school English classes. Whenever I read something, I approached it very literally and was often amazed at all of the symbolism my peers and teacher noticed in assigned novels--The Great Gatsby and Native Son stand out in particular.

But with age I've grown to appreciate symbolism in written works, and thus the true message of this story is not lost on me.

A sturdier pair of eyeglasses that will be more resistant to vandalism are being retrofitted on the slightly larger-than-life bronze statue of James W. Rouse, a Columbia Association spokeswoman said.

The sculpture of the visionary developer of Columbia, who died in 1996, was removed from its site near Lake Kittamaqundi in Town Center last week.

The statue's creator, William F. Duffy, who is adding the new glasses, said one side of Rouse's existing eyeglass frames were removed by recent vandalism.

"Somebody wrenched and probably stuck a lever in between the glasses and broke them off," he said. "What I am doing is putting on a stronger and heavy-duty pair of glasses in bronze."

I get it: Rouse's vision has been messed with. Literally, vandals--probably pesky teenagers--have targeted it for fun, while figuratively, someone else has targeted it for, um, other reasons. Additionally, Rouse's supporters are taking steps to preserve his vision in the face of such unwarranted tampering.

Can I get that "B" in English changed to an "A" now?

No win for CA

Because I'm still not sure what to call them, I will henceforth refer to the governing body of the Columbia Association as the "Columbia Association Governing Body" or CAGB for short.

With that out of the way, I must confess similar confusion over the issue of what is to become of the old Teacher's Building on the lakefront in Town Center, CA's current headquarters and home to local restaurants Clyde's and the Tomato Palace. From the Sun:

An idea from the county-sponsored charrette about the future of downtown Columbia included razing the building to make way for an open lakefront vista. Complaints from residents have prompted the county to look for alternatives.

Many have been drawing the wrong conclusion that demolishing this building would result in the destruction of Columbia's "Cheers," which surely will not happen. The building itself is nothing special--a rectangular stucco structure with no real redeeming architectural attributes--but certainly its tenants are. However, wanting to keep Clyde's on the lakefront and wanting to get rid of the Teacher's Building are not mutually exclusive. I support them both, and apparently the county sees that we can have it both ways, too.

(Deputy director of the planning department Steve) Lafferty said residents primarily seem to be concerned about compromising the location of Clyde's. He said he believes it makes sense for the restaurant to stay on the lakefront.

"We don't expect the bulldozers to be out there; we don't expect Clyde's to lose their location," Lafferty said. "We fully expect that if the property owners decide they want to be done with the building there will be an alternative for Clyde's. It's an icon."

What I find most disturbing (or funny, depending on how you look at it) is the anger directed at CAGB over this. Since it doesn't own the Teacher's Building and its lease runs out in 2007, CA has been considering relocating to a new building for a while. Moreover, those trying to paint CAGB as a back-room deal-maker for conducting a public but unannounced meeting to discuss this during the charrette have not won my support with their protestations, which seem hollow considering that no decisions were made and that this was part of the charrette where many public but unannounced meetings took place between many public and private individuals. More moreover, CA doesn't even own the building. General Growth does, and they can do with it what they want without having to accommodate CAGB or anyone else.

Finally, all of this controversy stems from an artist's rendering of the area released during the charrette. The rendering, which was released on the final day and is in no way a legally binding part of the plan, shows a new building in place of the Teacher's Building, with improve sight lines from the mall area to the lake. It was meant to graphically represent what the finished product of this master plan might look like. It is important to remember here that master plan process, of which the charrette was a part, is still ongoing.

My hope is that the Teacher's building fades into architectural oblivion--along with several other mundane downtown buildings (cough, American City Building/Sterrett Place, cough)--and Clyde's, the Tomato Palace, and CA get buildings worthy of their stature in the community.

Turkey Roundup

Because of the two days of lost productivity this week (Holidays: A waste of workable hours), Hayduke's corporate overlords have been feverishly turning the screws the past couple of days. Thus, blogging has taken a back seat to the paying gig. Other obligations will keep my busy until the weekend, so for now, here's special pre-Turkey Day edition of News Roundup.

File this one in the Not Surprised folder: "Howard County Executive James N. Robey announced yesterday that he intends to run for the Maryland Senate next year, aiming to defeat incumbent state Sen. Sandra B. Schrader, a moderate Republican." I'd say Robey has as good a shot at beating the popular incumbent Schrader as anyone. And, you've got to love his (expressed) reasoning: "'For the first time in 43 years of marriage I would be around the house every hour, every day,' if he retired, Robey joked"

Smoking update: Lots of predictable testimony given at a hearing Monday over the proposed ban. Interesting tidbit from the story, uber-lobbyist and felony-conviction-survivor Bruce C. Bereano made an appearance...for the tobacco wholesalers, naturally.

Finally, an informative story about the 300-acre park, nee farm, in the middle of Columbia that has been a source of controversy.

More this weekend (maybe tomorrow if the shackles binding me to my cubicle are removed at a reasonable hour).

YEEHAW!

Terps lose, Terps lose

Well, the good feelings generated by the basketball team's cake walk over Farleigh-Dickinson have disappeared in the wake of today's football loss to BC. Oh well. At least I managed to get a bunch of writing done during the game, though I should probably reread it all to be sure that it actually makes sense.

It's official

Both Chris Merdon and Ken Ulman will be running for county executive.

Now, let's hope this is true:

If they win nomination and oppose each other, both promised campaigns based on issues and not partisan bickering.

"I like Chris," said Ulman. "I think we have an excellent working relationship. We have some fundamental differences and views on the role government will have, but my hope is this would be a ... campaign based on issues."

Merdon had similar sentiments.

"I think in this election campaign, our campaign will avoid partisan issues," he said.

So, that makes three candidates, two Democrats (Ulman and Harry Dunbar) and one Republican. Anyone else?

A little math

This + this = this.

I know I'm over simplifying things a bit, but I think these stories point to some very important facts about housing and development in this county.

The first story is from the Flier, and I hope it is a sign of things to come. In it, the Flier allows its writer, Andrei Blakely, to actually explore an issue in depth. He focuses on the changing demographics of the county, particularly that many seniors are choosing to age in place instead of migrating somewhere south of here.

The second story discusses the thousands on new jobs being shifted to Fort Meade as part of the federal military base realignment, as well as the fact that many of these folks will be moving to Howard County.

The third story is focused on addressing the county's affordable housing issue, especially as it relates to the charrette and Town Center. The first two stories make the third more significant. Programs to address affordable housing are certainly important, but such programs are doomed to fail if they don't consider the broader issue of housing supply, or lack thereof. As the need for housing, affordable or not, increases, limiting housing supply through overly restrictive allocations is going to make the situation untenable.

I don't wish to be painted as pro- or anti-growth. Instead, I consider myself one who looks at things as they are and as they are likely to be and addresses issues accordingly. And, from my perspective, overly restricting growth will do much to change the character of this community, specifically in terms of our supposed emphases on inclusiveness and diversity.

This isn't a matter of ideology. It's reality. We can either deal with it now, or we can live in denial until we can no longer live with that which we have created.