I wanted to stay home the other night. Michigan State was playing North
Carolina in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. A fifth seed versus a fourth seed, with the
winner likely to face off in the next round against a formidable University of South
Carolina team coached by Philadelphia’s own Dawn Staley. The game promised two solid hours of
hoops-centric entertainment.
But as a member of a local village board, a civic organization
designed to promote the “health, safety, common good and social welfare of the
owners of property in, and the residents of…the Village of Wilde Lake,” I found
myself instead at a community hall with around 100 of my neighbors, all of whom
had braved a late March snow-fall to attend an event called the “Columbia
Market Analysis and Economic Development Services” presentation (the second of
a planned three public meetings on this topic). It was shaping up to be the
Empire Strikes Back of the Market Study trilogy. A must-see.
I sat in the back, close to the entrance of the theatre room
in the Slayton House. Doors provide a
natural choke point. Like the Greeks at
Thermopylae, I knew any numerical advantage any crazed attackers might possess
would be diminished by their need to come through single-file. This was a comforting thought.
However, as most of my primarily middle-aged neighbors were
ensconced in their seats, facing front and showing no overt signs
of imminent physical hostility, I turned my attention to the presenters, who
were calling the meeting to order.
The PowerPoint deck was displayed on the screen. Our Director of Community Building and Open
Space Services Bureau ably provided a succinct introduction to the evening’s
proceedings. Essentially, we would be
glimpsing into the future of Columbia as an economic entity. We would hear from the Experts regarding what
businesses could work, and where, and why.
[I feel as though a brief digression is in order for those
who are unaware of Columbia’s history.
What follows is a bit reductionist, so please bear with me:
Columbia is what is known as an unincorporated “census
designated place.” Contrary to
appearances, we are not a city in the traditional sense. With a population of around 100,000, Columbia
is the second largest community in the state of Maryland (Baltimore being the
largest). However, not being an
incorporated municipality, most local government functions reside with either
the county government (Howard County) or with a curious local entity known as
the Columbia Association. The Columbia
Association, or CA for short, would be the rough equivalent of a city
council…with powers more closely aligned with that of a parks and recreation
department of a mid-sized American city, with some notable exceptions and
responsibilities unique to our planned community.
Within that community are 10 villages, really nine villages
and an embryonic urban core called the Town Center, at the center of the center
is our Mall and an area known as Symphony Woods, within which is a popular
outdoor concert venue known as Merriweather Post Pavilion. The population of the 10 villages ranges from
slightly north of three thousand to over 14,000.]
This demographic information is important to bear in mind,
given the findings that were presented last night. What follows is my interpretation of the key
takeaways.
Groceries: When
Columbia was founded, the idea was that each of the villages, within what is
referred to as their village centers (places that would include retail outlets
as well as community facilities), would have its own grocery store.
Given the emphasis the presenters placed on the developments
in the space traditionally occupied by supermarkets (the rise of hypermarkets (most
notably Wal-Mart), the entrance of pharmacies into the food and beverage retail
marketplace, and the growth of niche or specialty players, ranging from Trader
Joe’s to “ethnic” supermarkets), it is clear that the old model is now
considered, as Ron Ziegler might have put it, inoperative.
In short, you want a new traditional grocery store like Giant
(or Heaven Forbid, Safeway) within walking distance of your abode? Hard cheese, my friend. Seriously,
if you want to buy some hard cheese, you will need to burn some gasoline.
Village Center retail outlets: Are you a Mom and Pop store? Fantastic…as
long as you are selling shawarma. With
Xers and Millennials more willing to spend their hard-earned dollars dining out
compared to other age cohorts, the presenters believe that the village centers
are ideal locations for restaurants and other food and beverage service-centric
establishments.
Hotels: given our
proximity to Washington D.C., our hotels are geared towards Federal Government contractors. In short, don’t expect five-star
accommodations anytime soon.
Growth/Development:
It is clear that the presenters believe that a section of our community,
located in the southeastern quadrant of Columbia, is primed to be the Next Big
Thing, at least from a commercial/retail perspective. Many shopping centers already exist in this
area, which was referred to by the efficient yet clunky acronym GEDS (GE
Appliance Facility – Dobbin Road – Snowden River Parkway corridors). This area could very well develop into Town
Center II, but we will leave that for a future discussion.
At this point, my notes get sketchy. Several elected officials were seated in the
row immediately behind me, and they were talking amongst themselves, presumably
discussing the findings. Either that or
plotting the best means for Howard County to secede from the State of
Maryland…and debating if the new state capital should be housed closer to the
Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia or The Rumor Mill in Ellicott City.
Following the conclusion of the presentation, a Q & A
session broke out. The first three
questions from the audience nailed the source of the menace I noticed in the
room earlier that evening: the Specter of Apprehension…about subsidized housing
and safety in the villages, about change, about the future.
One would think that more area residents would express a
feeling of confidence about the days ahead.
On paper, there should be a greater sense of security. Howard County is, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the
“second wealthiest county by median household in the United States.” Of course there is poverty here too…many
families in our neighborhoods are struggling to get by. But the folks at this forum were, primarily,
solidly middle-class. Not 1%ers, but people who were doing OK…all things
considered. Yet they were anxious. What does this say about Columbia? About the
American Dream?
Heavy questions, which remain unanswered on this bright
Thursday morning. Time to go forth and launch into the day.
Stay tuned, as more will follow.
