Warfield Neighborhood Design Guidelines
Warfield Neighborhood Implementation Plan
Final Development Plan
Neighborhood Conceptual Plan

When you stop and think about it, that is kind of amazing because it is estimated that there are some 2 billion parking spaces in the country or about eight spots for every car, some suggest enough pavement to cover Connecticut and Vermont.  That’s a lot of parking.

Parking lots are ubiquitous. We can’t seem to live without them and, virtually every place we go, we expect them. If a business wants our business, it has some sort of parking arrangement. It’s been a vital part of the American way of life since some six decades ago which was about when critic Lewis Mumford pointed out, “The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is the right to destroy the city.”

Obviously, many see parking lots as blight, a necessary evil. But, let’s turn this car around and consider “ReThinking a Lot”, the soon to be published book by MIT urban planning professor Eran Ben-Joseph that takes a serious architectural look at parking facilities, pushing them conceptually into the 21st Century:

With purposeful design, Ben-Joseph argues, parking lots could be significant public places, contributing as much to their communities as great boulevards, parks, or plazas. For all the acreage they cover, parking lots have received scant attention. It’s time to change that; it’s time to rethink the lot. (MIT Press)

It turns out that parking lots are full of life, full of interesting behavior. Studies show those that park at the first available spot they come to and walk to their destination save time (and stress) over those that trawl for the spot nearest the door. An empty parking lot finds drivers ignoring lines and taking short cuts, but more carefully looking out for pedestrians than were those same drivers to move through a lot crowded with row after row of cars. Good for them.

At off times, parking lots fill with other uses: become flea markets, host lunch vans, become bus stops, impromptu sporting grounds, for instance. Look no further than the perimeter of the Columbia Mall parking and you’ll see the Goodwill truck set up, taking donations. That lot’s even the staging ground for Fourth of July and Festival of the Arts parades. Busy places. People places.

Not just somewhere to rest a car, parking lots are “the real entrance to a building.” This is something to think about, key to considering architectural responsibility in their design, development and maintenance, keeping in mind ways the space gets used, incorporating best new (green) practices, making better these places of utilitarian purpose and public gathering.

Can’t wait for the book? Check out the recent New York Times article (January 8, 2012) by architecture critic Michael Kimmelman that looks at the book and explores the issue in detail. Make sure to check out the accompanying photo gallery.

Another look at the book and article can be found here, at architizer.com.

Design Guidelines (pdf)

Warfiled Neighborhood Guidelines (pdf)

FDP (pdf)

Warfield Neighborhood Implementation Plan (pdf)

Neighborhood Concept Plan (pdf)

The first residential and commercial project for redevelopment — next to the Columbia mall — is being spearheaded by Howard Hughes Corp., which plans its first phase to include a maximum of 817 residential units and no more than 76,098 square feet of retail space. The building designs, which have not been done, will determine the actual numbers. More buildings are slated to come in future phases of construction, both in the Warfield neighborhood and throughout the area around the mall, Lake Kittamaqundi and Symphony Woods.

The panel’s recommendations only serve to inform the government’s future decisions. On Wednesday, the panel’s attention went to the design guidelines for the overall project rather than the first phase. Besides walk-ability, the panel suggested paying attention to the transition from Twin Rivers Road, which will be extended into Warfield; and having the signage in Warfield influence what signage in other neighborhoods will look like.

“I think it was all reasonable feedback,” Robert Jenkins, Howard Hughes’ vice president of engineering, said after the meeting. “We’re going to evaluate all their suggestions and accommodate them where we can.”

The project is very early in the approval process and still must have future hearings before government boards and committees.

The specific number of buildings to be constructed in the first phase could be three, or it could be more, depending on the designs, Jenkins said.

Documents that Howard Hughes filed with the county government projected one parcel with 14,000 square feet of retail space and 390 residential units on 4.78 acres of land. Another parcel could have 29,680 square feet of retail space and 267 residential units on 2.54 acres. A third parcel could have 32,418 square feet of retail space and 160 residential units on 1.85 acres.

The neighborhood of Warfield is eventually slated to add up to another 1,000 residential units and up to another 283,780 square feet of retail space. In total, downtown Columbia is expected to have a maximum of 5,500 new residential units.

First phase of construction could add up to 817 apartments, 76,000 square feet of retail

As the first new residential and commercial project was unveiled for the redevelopment of downtown Columbia, residents already living in Town Center wanted to know what it will mean for them.

About 90 people showed up at Howard Community College Thursday, as officials and consultants with the Howard Hughes Corp. presented plans for the project, the first phase of which could include a maximum of 817 residential units and no more than 76,098 square feet of retail space.

The residents grilled the Howard Hughes representatives on a variety of concerns, ranging from how the proposed new Warfield neighborhood would fit in with the existing community and how pedestrian-friendly it would be, to the wisdom of adding so many rental units and so much retail space..
The proposed Warfield neighborhood, one of several neighborhoods that will make up the revamped downtown, will include development on nearly 30 acres of land. The first phase is focused on 9.3 acres on what is now two parcels west of the Columbia mall, between the northern end of Broken Land Parkway and the road that loops around the mall.

The specific number of buildings to be constructed in this first phase could be three, or it could be more, depending on the designs, Robert Jenkins, Howard Hughes’ vice president of engineering, said Thursday night.

Documents that Howard Hughes filed with the county government projected one parcel with 14,000 square feet of retail space and 390 residential units on 4.78 acres of land. Another parcel could have 29,680 square feet of retail space and 267 residential units on 2.54 acres. A third parcel could have 32,418 square feet of retail space and 160 residential units on 185 acres.

The building designs, which have not yet been done, will determine the actual numbers, Jenkins said.

The neighborhood of Warfield is eventually slated to add up to another 1,000 residential units and up to another 283,780 square feet of retail space, according to the documents.

In total, downtown Columbia is expected to have a maximum of 5,500 new residential units.

Joel Broida, a Town Center village board member, said he was concerned about the residences being apartments.

“Putting in 817 units with rentals is like setting up a hotel,” he said. “When you’re a rental unit, you’re transient. You do not become part of the neighborhood. Columbia is great, and I would hate to see it become a transient, hotel-like community.”

There are now two rental properties in Warfield Triangle.

Sam Crozier of Harper’s Choice asked why the proposed development called for retail. “We already have a zillion square feet in the mall,” he said. “Is it really necessary to do more?”

John E. DeWolf III, a senior vice president of Howard Hughes, said the company envisioned shops similar to those in Bethesda, in Montgomery County.

“It’s not going to be more of the same,” DeWolf said. “It’s going to be new, different, something that fits in with the context of everything that we’re doing.”

Linda Wengel, a Town Center village board member who lives in Warfield Triangle, asked about pedestrian crossings to the new development.

“This is really important to me. I think we need to make this walk-able, first and foremost,” DeWolf said later in the evening. The design guidelines for the development, he said, “almost force that to happen.”

The buildings are the second project being pitched for downtown Columbia. The Columbia Association is seeking to transform Symphony Woods, which encircles Merriweather Post Pavilion, into a park with walkways and, potentially, a fountain, restrooms, a stage and a café.

Both the Symphony Woods Park and Warfield construction projects are just beginning the process of receiving government approvals. The Warfield proposal will next be taken up by the county’s Design Advisory Panel, on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m., in the county government’s George Howard Building in Ellicott City
By David Greisman, dgreisman@tribune.com

In its first major project planned for downtown Columbia since emerging from bankruptcy last November, the town’s master developer has proposed building up to 817 residences and 70,000 square feet of retail space.

The Howard Hughes Corp., which controls much of the land once held by the Rouse Co., says the as-yet-unnamed project next to The Mall in Columbia is being designed to attract young professionals and others who work nearby.

Robert Jenkins, vice president of engineering for Howard Hughes, said his company chose the site for its first downtown project because it has “major infrastructure” already in place, including water and sewer service, and is centrally located and within easy walking distance of restaurants, stores and other amenities.

Marsha McLaughlin, director of planning and zoning for Howard County, said she expects community interest in the project to be high not only because it comes from Howard Hughes but because it is the first proposal since the completion of a long-range plan to guide downtown development. It is one of the largest and most expensive projects proposed for Howard County since the economic downturn began.

“I think we’re all really excited that after five years of planning … the town center, we’re finally at the stage where a proposal is coming in,” McLaughlin said. “A lot of citizens have been very active in the planning process. People will be very interested in what this project will look like and how it will fit in.”

Before last fall, the master developer of Columbia was General Growth Properties of Chicago. It emerged from bankruptcy with Howard Hughes Corp. as a separate company. General Growth Properties retained control of Columbia’s mall, while Hughes took over much of the undeveloped land around it. Each company now has assets originally owned by the Rouse Co., which began assembling land to build Columbia 49 years ago and which GGP acquired in 2004.

Howard Hughes Corp. has scheduled a community meeting for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 to outline preliminary plans for its project, which would rise on a 12.8-acre tract between two ring roads surrounding the mall.

Jenkins said the community meeting is an early step in the company’s effort to develop design guidelines for the property and obtain the planning approvals needed to proceed with construction.

The company does not have a firm cost estimate or construction timetable for the project, but hopes to move ahead “as fast as the process will allow,” Jenkins said.

The residences would likely be developed in phases, with those in the first, covering about five acres, offered for rent. The average residence would have about 1,000 square feet, with one or two bedrooms and a variety of layouts, Jenkins said.

According to Howard County’s website, the tract eyed for development lies just beyond the main parking lot that surrounds the mall. Signs were posted recently announcing the community meeting at the Student Services Hall on the Howard County Community College campus, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway.

Jenkins said Howard Hughes Corp. would likely build the project in a joint venture with other companies. Design Collective of Baltimore is the architect working on the project, and GLW is the civil engineer.

The project is being designed to comply with all county zoning requirements, including the need to provide about 1.5 off-street parking spaces for each dwelling, Jenkins said. Although Columbia residents have long sought a downtown grocery store, he said the proposed 70,000 square feet of retail space probably would not include one.

The zoning plan for downtown Columbia adopted by the County Council allows construction of up to 5,500 residences.

The project would contain nearly four times the number of residences envisioned for the nearby Village of Wilde Lake, where another property owner, Kimco Realty, has unveiled preliminary plans to build about 220 residences on the site of a vacant Giant supermarket. McLaughlin said she expects to see a more specific proposal for Wilde Lake’s village center soon.

Warfield Neighborhood Design Guidelines (pdf)
Approved Downtown-wide Design Guidelines (pdf)
Warfield Neighborhood Concept Plan (pdf)
Warfield Implementation Plan (pdf)
Warfield Neighborhood Context Plan and Location Map (pdf)
Final Development Plan Area Map

Bicyclists, advocates and others met Monday, Oct. 17, at the Johns Hopkins University Applies Physics Laboratory in Laurel for the 2nd annual Howard County Bicycle Forum. More than 60 people heard how the county and state can become more friendly to bicyclists

“We’d all like to see bike routes on every major road in the county, the paths in Columbia well-lot, well-marked and made 20-feet wide,” Jack Guarneri, president of Bicycling Advocates of Howard County, said to the group. “But what we try to do instead is figure out where we can make changes and then be persistent in pushing for those changes.”

Drivers who are passing bicyclists now need to give riders at least three feet of space. Also, the penalties have been heightened for drivers who collide with and kill a bicyclist due to negligence.

County officials then spoke of programs designed to make the area more ridable.

The county government has $220,000 for developing a bicycle master plan that focuses on recreation, transportation, connectivity and safety, said Ben Pickar, acting division chief of transportation for the county’s department of planning and zoning. The government will be hiring a consultant by early 2012, Pickar said.

And Mark DeLuca, deputy director of the county’s department of public works, presented a map of Columbia roads he described as an inventory of streets that are legal and safe for riding. There were numerous gaps on the map.

“We don’t have any kind of local network we can knit together,” he said. “We need to be able to establish routes … that get us from the west to the east, from the north to the south, in more of a grid pattern for cyclists.”

With the county looking at roads and bike lanes, Columbia Association and Howard Hughes Corp. is focusing on pathways for bicyclists and walkers.

“Not everybody’s going to feel comfortable riding on the street, so we need places where people of all different skill levels can ride bikes,” said Jennifer O’Toole, who is working with Howard Hughes to design a trail between Howard County General Hospital and Howard Community College in west Columbia and Blandair Park on the east side of town.

“It’s going to be quite a significant trail,” she said.

Columbia Association is developing what it calls an “active transportation action agenda” promoting connectivity and fitness, said Jane Dembner, CA’s director of community planning.

Taking Columbia’s 94 miles of pathways into the 21st century could include adding signs “so you know where you’re going, which right now can be a challenge,” Dembner said. “If you don’t have a mental map, you get lost or you don’t feel comfortable.”

“The desire is to have our system be more friendly and easy to use, so not only the fearless can use it or venture out on their bicycles,” she said. “It’s a long process, though. This is one small step.”

After years of discussion about what to do with the largely wooded 40-acre property, the Columbia Association board gave its approval last week to the first phase of Symphony Woods Park.

Construction for the initial phase, slated for 16.7 acres on the north section of the land, could start in early July 2012 and be nearly complete by the end of the year, said Jan Clark, CA’s project manager.

CA is in the process of receiving county government approvals for the project.

“It will ultimately be the kind of park that will be a respite from the density that’s going to be downtown, but it’s also going to be a place with amenities,” said board member Shari Zaret, of Kings Contrivance. “People will want to come here to do things and meet other people. That’s very much in keeping with the spirit of Columbia.”

This first phase will provide the framework on which subsequent phases will be based. Additional ideas include adding a fountain, restrooms, a stage, a café and a pathway around the rest of Symphony Woods, which encircles the Merriweather Post Pavilion concert venue.

“It’s talked about in terms of a Central Park-type retreat for the people of Columbia,” board member Tom Coale, of Dorsey’s Search, said. “As Columbia does build up and become more of the city it’s anticipated to become, it will have our roots in nature and offer an opportunity for residents to use it for recreational purposes. I think it can also be a centerpiece for community events, as it already has been.

“That’s our legacy for Symphony Woods that we need to maintain. We don’t do enough with it as it is right now. We need to put this park in a position where it can be used an enjoyed by residents, rather than it being just a piece of land that has not been developed on,” he said.

The board approved the park’s first phase by a 7-2 vote. Michael Cornell, of River Hill, was not present at the meeting. Oakland Mills’ Alex Hekimian and Hickory Ridge’s Gregg Schwind voted against the plan.

Removing too many trees?

Hekimian said that while he likes the idea of the park, he objected to the number of trees that would be cut down, most of them healthy. Clark said 53 trees will be removed. She said there are “hundreds and hundreds” of trees in that section of the park, although she did not know the exact number.

“The trees are going down unnecessarily, in my opinion,” Hekimian said. “There are ways to reduce the cutting down of so many healthy trees. There are ways to bring it down to around 12 trees.”

Hekimian also objected to postponing the installation of a ramp at the entry plaza for people with disabilities and families with strollers.

“If we’re going to have a grand entrance, then it ought to be accessible to all people,” he said.

Schwind said his opposition came from the project being “a plan without a vision,” from not knowing better how the park will interface with adjacent properties, and from the number of trees to be cut down on property whose natural state differentiates it from other parks in the county.

But Zaret noted that CA has a policy of planting two trees for every tree that it removes. The replacements could be located in another section of the park wrapping around Merriweather Post Pavilion. Toward the back, she said, will be “much more of a nature type of walk,” which would be “a great place for us to be looking at replanting.”

Zaret said the trees must be taken down to build a park.

“There is a difference between a woods and a park,” Zaret said. “And I think it is going to be very significant, the shift from Symphony Woods, which is a green space that nobody really goes into, to Symphony Woods Park, which is going to be a place about the movement of people.”

She said the park possibly could work as a link from Howard Community College down to Columbia’s lakefront and even across Route 29 to Blandair Park.

“I think there really is a very fine vision,” Zaret said. “And we’re going to see it emerge over time.”

Hekimian envisioned a more active setting on the northern end of the property near Little Patuxent Parkway, with a playground, a historic carousel that would relocate from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, an interactive fountain similar to those in the harbor and downtown Silver Spring. Other sections of Symphony Woods would be for contemplation, solitude, gardens and a trail, he said.

TIME: 6:30 PM

LOCATION: Howard Community College

The Rouse Company Foundation Student Services Hall

Room 400

10901 Little Patuxent Parkway

Columbia, Maryland 21044

The Howard Hughes Corporation will hold a Pre-Submission Community Meeting on Thursday, October 27, 2011, for the purpose of presenting concept plans and materials to the community regarding the proposed development and the Final Development Plan for Parcels C and D, and Lot 39 in downtown Columbia. This meeting, held in accordance with Section 125 of the Howard County Zoning Regulations, will provide the members of the community with an opportunity to comment and to ask questions.
These three parcels of land are located just west of the mall ring road and east of Broken Land Parkway on the west side of the mall, and the other is north of the mall ring road between Little Patuxent Parkway and the north mall entrance road.

Following the process as adopted in the General Plan Amendment approved in February 2010, this meeting is the first step in the public engagement process for redevelopment in downtown Columbia.