Long Reach Redevelopment

Just like Oakland Mills, Long Reach is ready for some massive redevelopment. The two villages were built at exactly the same time by the same builders in the same style. One difference between the two is the distribution of open space. Long Reach's open space is in one section of the village rather than spread out like Oakland Mills every other village in Columbia. That plan was flawed because in 1976 route 175 cut through Long Reach's open space.
The past decade in a half was not kind to Long Reach. As River Hill came up middle and upper income families fled for Columbia's newest village as Long Reach saw an increase and in crime, blight and drugs. A big saving grace was the expansion of the Safeway in the Village Center which involved relocating the doors to face the parking lot. Another addition to the Village Center was a Howard County Police Satellite Office. Eventually Harpers Choice, North Laurel, and Oakland Mills received these offices. Owen Brown and Wilde Lake are the last two Columbia Villages that would need one.
Now back to the redevelopment of Long Reach. The two effected neighborhoods would be Locust Park and Jeffers Hill. The most would occur in Locust Park, in fact I'm guessing 90% of the neighborhood would be rebuilt from the ground up. In Jeffers Hill, there would only be two effected developments but they would give the neighborhood a face lift and provoke more investment. Going along with Rouse's 10% low income rule the income breakdown for the new Long Reach would 65% Market Rate Homeownership and 25% Market Rate Rentals spread out through the new developments. Now with the 10% low income rule who says it has to mean rentals? Why not make them subsidized homeownership? Why not put equity in these people's pockets instead of helping "buy time" as is the case with renting. Also additional home owners means a bigger stake in the community and would translate into more long term residents.
The developments to hit the wrecking ball are (drum roll please) Columbia Landing (formerly Bentana east and west) Sierra Woods (Flowerstcok Row and Airy Brink Lane) Long Reach Knolls, Long Reach Condos, Heatherstone (Tamar Drive and Hayshed Lane), Lazy Hollow, Jeffers Glen, and Treover.The Columbia Landing West site will contain low rise elevator condos and will be renamed Locust Grove. With 65% Market Rate Home Ownership and 35% Market Rate Rentals.The Long Reach Knolls/Sierra Woods Flowerstock Row Site will contain 4 story elevator garage condos and will be renamed the Crescent at Locust Park. It will contain 45% Market Rate Home Ownership 30% Market Rate Rentals, 20% Below Market Rate Homeownership and 5% Below Market Rate Rentals.The Lazy Hollow site will contain 5 story elevator condos with and will be renamed Long Reach Town Center. It will be 30% Below Market Rate Home Ownership and 70% Market Rate Rentals.The Columbia Landing East site will contain two car garage town homes and will be renamed The Townes at Locust Park. They will be 90% Market Rate Home Ownership and 10% Below Market Rate Rentals.The Heatherstone sites will contain non garage town homes and will be renamed Tamar Overlook. They will be 100% Market Rate Home Ownerhip.
Long Reach House Condos will contain one car garage villa town homes for seniors and will be named Hearthstone at Locust Park. They will be 100% Market Rate Home Ownership for Seniors.The Sierra Woods Airy Brink Lane site will contain two on two town homes stacked above each other with one car garage per unit and will be renamed Locust Woods. They will be 50% Market Rate Home Ownership and 50% Market Rate Rentals.
Longwood House Apartments will be redeveloped into low income senior condos and will not be taken from the pool of affordable housing units. They will be 100% Below Market Rate Home Ownership.
Shalom Square will be redeveloped into rental senior villa town homes for low income residents. It will resemble what is replacing Long Reach House Condos. They will be 100% Below Market Rate Rentals.
The site on Old Dobbin Lane across from Long Reach High School will be developed with high rise elevator condoes with underground parking and will be part of the Long Reach Town Center development. The relocated Exxon station from the Village Center redevelopment will be here too.
In Jeffers Hill the site of Jeffers Glen will be one car garage town homes renamed Majors Overlook. This will be 75% Market Rate Home Ownership 20% Market Rate Rentals and 5% Below Market Rate Home Ownership.
The Treover site will contain low rise elevator condos and will be renamed the Pointe at Jeffers Hill. These will be 100% Market Rate Home Ownership.

Last of all, the Fire Station will be redeveloped with a brand new 21st century state of the art facility.

Well that's it for Long Reach's redevelopment.

Oakland Mills Redevelopment

Photo From Oakland Mills Website
Lets 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 Google
Earth everything in black will be redeveloped

First lets start off with Oakland Mills. The high density housing stock only serves a poor population and doesn't take advantage of the views of Downtown and the lake front. Autumn Crest, Grand Pointe, Stevens Forest Apartments,Verona at Oakland Mills (formerly Dorsey's Forge) Shadow Oaks Condos, Cinnamon Tree Quads (both in Talbott Springs in Stevens Forest will hit the wrecking ball in my plan. This sounds drastic and it is but I think the housing market both rental and home ownership has gone stagnant in East Columbia especially in Oakland Mills and in order to pump new blood into Oakland Mills significant change must occur. Also preconceived notions of Oakland Mills will be erased with the introduction of brand new homes. The income breakdown will be as follows with the exception of Stevens Forest Apartments. Spread out in the redeveloped area will be 60% market rate home ownership, 25% market rate rental, 5% subsidized home ownership and 10% section 8 (a requirement of Rouse's that I'm adhering to.) Stevens Forest Apartments will be 100% subsidized home ownership for those 55 and "better."
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 Earth

A number of posts ago I said that Blandiar should be developed as Single Family Homes rather than a park. I still hold this position and if this takes place Talbott Springs Elementary should be replaced with a brand new school with a capacity of 688 since the entire Blandair development will be districted here. Oakland Mills Middle should also be replaced if Blandair becomes a development. The new school will have a capacity of 662. Blandair development or not Stevens Forest Elementary needs to undergo major exterior facade improvements, it's just plain ugly.

Well this is my Oakland Mills redevelopment plan. Stay tuned for future redevelopment plans for other villages because they will pop up.

Oakland Mills Village Center

The County has come up with a Master Plan for Oakland Mills Village Center but I'm coming out with my own. It mimics the County's in many ways but mine goes way more in depth. The County touches on community issues that weren't yet discussed in previous Columbia/Howard County politics. This post is dedicated to strictly the Village Center and I will do another one that touches on those other things although I might brush upon them here.My plan would include the extension of Thunderhill Road through the Village Center to meet Stevens Forest Road. In order to make that happen the Interfaith Center would have to be redeveloped, something their master plan does not talk about. It talks about a serenity garden on Santiago Road and my plan includes it.
Speaking of Stevens Forest Road it will receive streetscape enhancements including a landscaped median and additional lighting.
The Stevens Forest Professional Center is outdated and blighted. It will be redeveloped to mimic the planned development at the former Exxon Station.
The Columbia Ice Rink's functional life span has also come to an end. Redevelopment rather than mere facade improvements would be crucial to its future success. An outdoor Ice Rink proposed in the Master Plan has a space in my plan as well.Now on to the retail component. First and foremost the Food Lion would be converted into a "Bloom." Bloom is Food Lion's upscale component that will fit into my Master Plan for Oakland Mills as a whole and the evolution of Grocery Stores in Columbia and beyond.To the right of the new Bloom which is vacant would be a Starbucks Coffee.
Now the long standing independent merchants deserve a big round of applause for whethering the storm without an anchor not once but twice. The building that most recently occupied "Fire Rock" and will eventually house "Second Chance Saloon" will be torn down and the plaza with the existing merchants would be expanded. New merchants will include a Nail Salon, Coldstone Creamery, FedEx Kinkos, and a new location for the Police Satellite Office.
The Second Chance Saloon will be located where the present Bankok Garden is. They will probably close soon because they get virtually no business. That building will be torn down and the Second Chance Saloon will have first chance at occupying its new building.
The long vacant bank building will also be torn down and will be the location for the new Sams Mart. Sam's Mart, in addition to being a convenience store will house a BP Gas Station with a Carwash, a Boardwalk Fries and a Krispy Kreme Donuts.The current Sam's Mart Building will be torn down and an Outback Steakhouse will go in its place.To the left of Outback there is land available from a put put course that closed decades ago on this land will be home to the area's first "Bonefish" a Seafood Restaurant that's owned by the same company as Outback and the two are usually located next to each other as will be the case in Oakland Mills.
Now the new office building on the site of the former Exxon Station will have ground floor retail. Four spaces to be exact, they will include a full serviced upscale Salon and Day Spa that will occupy two spaces. The other two will be occupied by a Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy and an African Hair Braiding Salon.
There are some who say the struggles of Oakland Mills Village Center began when the Camelback Lane entrance/exit to Route 29 was closed during the Broken Land Parkway Interchange. As a way to link Oakland Mills Village Center to Route 29 and Columbia Town Center I'm proposing to reopen that interchange and have a bridge connect it to South Entrance Road on the other side of Route 29. Route 29 will have signage pointing traffic to Oakland Mills Village Center, something it currently lacks. The new interchange will have ramps to all directions on Route 29 and South Entrance Road and River Meadows Drive which connects Camelback Lane to the Village Center.

Well that's my ambitious plan for Oakland Mills Village Center. Stay tuned for my Oakland Mills redevelopment plan which will warrant some of these new upscale businesses.