Photo From Oakland Mills WebsiteLets face it, Columbia is 41 years old and some its buildings and developments are outdated, blighted, and just simple maintenance won't even begin to do the trick. It's time to think redevelopment on a large scale and not just Downtown but in the Villages and not just their Village Centers either it's for residential redevelopment and almost all of Columbia's Villages will see it.
Photo From GoogleEarth everything in black will be redeveloped
The site that Autumn Crest currently sits on would be turned 4 story elevator apartments and condos and renamed "Kittamaqundi Overlook." The For Sale/Rent Ratio will be 60% Market Rate for Sale, 25% Market Rate for Rent, and 15% Affordable Rentals.
The site that is Grand Pointe will be turned into mid and high rise elevator apartments and condos and renamed "Oakland Mills Estates." Which will be 55% Market Rate Home Ownership, 35% Market Rate Rentals, and 10% Below Market Rate Home Ownership.
Stevens Forest Apartments will be low rises handicapped accessible condos priced below market value for seniors. It will be renamed "The Residences at Stevens Forest." They will be 100% Home Ownership for Seniors with prices starting below $100,000.
The Verona will be low rise elevator apartments and condos, residents will have keys to get in and out of the buildings as well as their individual home. The new development will be named "The Crescent at Talbott Springs." It will feature 45% Market Rate Home Ownership 30% Market Rate Rentals, and 25% Below Market Home Ownership.
Shadow Oaks will be the same set up as the former Verona/Dorseys Forge but it will have a different facade. It will be renamed "Oakland Mills Towne Centre." and will have 50% Market Rate Home Ownership, 45% Market Rate Rentals and 5% Below Market Rate Rentals.
The Cinnamon Tree Quads will retain their name but will be redeveloped as Duplexes so they will have more windows and back yards. They will also be larger in size. They will be 100% Market Rate Home Ownership.
Photo From Google EarthWell this is my Oakland Mills redevelopment plan. Stay tuned for future redevelopment plans for other villages because they will pop up.
6 comments:
ok. I found an information here that i want to look for.
As I read this sorry Blog. I know that Rouse would be in tears. Some of the things said in the have nothing to do with community. You've miss the point of the designs that were intended.
Development profit is not the only rule of the game. People are. Pumping new blood is translated to rich move in and poor move to double wide or less. I'm sorry that you think clearing tree to have a better view of a lake with a major highway cutting in front of that same lake would increase your profit margin.
Greed is the both line and that last part keeping to the Rouse plan sound very hollow.
Instead of the nuke plan for profit build a plan for people. Most of the apartments/Condo could use a refit.
Frankly 2 or 3 large towers could replace the shopping center and condo. The building could be mix use and have underground parking. A large green space for events and farmer market could be the focal point of this development. The barns stay. The community police gets inside one of the structures not setting out like an eyesore. Frankly and open space is setting next to the quick mart why not move it there.
The present apartments could get converted to a real senior condo community 55+ and sect 8 that after a refit for better sound proofing and security. The general population is graying check your stats. One other thing. A road from the new upgraded village to quickly access route 29 north and south is a must figure out how to do this. This is to reduce traffic stress to and from the upgrade village.
About the Quads: are you nuts... Duplexes are dime a dozen. The Quads are the some of the best reasons to move to Columbia. They are a style point. Not everybody can afford $500,000 style up house. Price points at different levels are the core of the Rouse plan Persons take better care of those houses than some of the standalone houses nearby. Sure better lighting [the type that light sidewalks not sky and bedroom windows]; carports [for future plug-in cars]; a play area for the kids and re skinning outside structures would help the properties. Geothermal heat and air conditioning and larger Patio would be nice. A wreaking ball follow by cheap BORING duplex structures... that so Montgomery Village.
I notice that you failed to target any standalone in your statement. You need to spend some time with the locals in a quad 6 months and then move into Montgomery Village for a month. Safety tip double you insurance for the MV. Getting hit by the wrecking ball would be less painful.
I agree, Rouse would be in tears, not for the reasons you pointed out, but because his beloved Columbia has not been allowed to change due to aging hippies putting it in a plastic bubble. Profits aside he was a proponent of redevelopment he was on the Civic Board of Planners that created Charles Center and redeveloped the Inner Harbor. After retiring from the Rouse Company he started the non-profit Enterprise Foundation which redeveloped dilapidated row homes in Baltimore's Sandtown-Winchester Neighborhood achieving great success. If you read closer you'll see that close to every replacement development has homes set aside for affordability whether it be for rent or purchase. The developments in question have lost all practicality in today's world. the 2 and 3 bedroom apartments still have just one bath, no walk in closets, no washer and dryer in the unit. Stevens Forest being replaced with 100% affordable senior condos came about when I struck a conversation with a group of senior citizens on a Columbia Bus Tour who said affordable senior housing for purchase is not available for them. This solves that problem and guess what? That would create "Community" something you say I lack a sense of. As for the quads, friends of my family lived in one and they watched their neighborhood succumb to surrounding crime and lack of HOA maintenance. They found their Dream Home in Thunder Hill but despite them putting their quad on the market while homes were selling like hot cakes, it stayed on the Market for 6-8 months. Town homes in question lack conveniences of today like three finished levels of living, a garage,and a super bath. Not once did I say that new development would have any less than CA's requirement for Open Space or that I was against Farmers Markets, in fact I'm very much in favor of both. I figured all readers of this "sorry blog" would have taken that for granted but I guess I over estimated the intelligence of the average reader. As for a lack of Single Family Homes in my redevelopment plans; the developments in question are near Village Centers where (as Rouse wanted) higher density housing is needed for better accessibility to said Village Centers. Also Single Family Homes have fared much better than other home types, and home owners have taken advantage of additional freedoms to fix up their homes. Yes, this Blog is sorry and Rouse would be in tears because this Blog is nothing but ideas instead of a reality.
Recently, I visited some apartments in Columbia and I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Grand Pointe and Autumn Crest are less than attractive. I was not impressed with the exterior of either communities...and The Verona is definitely out of the question!
I own a condo in Shadow Oaks and am wondering what is going to happen to owners if this happens. The new condos look great but will current owners be able to afford them or will they HAVE to move. I love my condo and it's location. I would hate to be forced to live somewhere else. What choice would I have?
The ownership percentage sgould be higher. THere are few countries where that happens. Argentina is one of them. It is really easy nowadays for a young adult to acquire a house or a buenos aires apartment for instance. The only ones renting are tourists. Salaries are good so just by having a normal job you can have access to a loan!
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