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Farewell Columbia Exxon Farewell

Columbia lost another business that had been there from day one; Columbia Exxon. There are several Exxon Stations in and around Columbia but this particular one had the distinct privilege of holding the title of Columbia Exxon for 42 years at the southwest corner of Little Patuxent Parkway and Banneker Road.
This was one of the only stations that still offered "Full Serve" Pumps. Full Serve is where a Gas Station Attendant pumps the gas for you without you leaving the comfort of your car. My Mother utilized this service when I was a little kid eventually getting with the times around '91 or '92. Needless to say, she used Columbia Exxon a lot.
Columbia Exxon was far more than just a filling station. It had a Car Wash, Convenience Store, Waterloo Pizza and Subs, Western Union Telegram, Rental Cars, Courtesy Shuttle, and a whopping 12 service bays.
Growing up, our cars were, for lack of a better word old. Living in Vantage Point we obviously gave Columbia Exxon a LOT of business to keep our old cars on the road. Our cars died each with well over 100,000 miles and each well over a decade old. With us having new cars, the need to use Columbia Exxon dwindled. With the exception of me constantly blowing tires and oil changes we didn't need the services of Columbia Exxon. Also, more and more Gas Stations opened up and their gas prices were cheaper.
I shared my story of Columbia Exxon because I think it reflects that of many Columbia Residents and their habits. Columbia became a wealthier area where people don't hold onto their cars like they used to making the need to get their cars serviced became less of a necessity. Car Dealers eventually became the neighborhood Mechanic offering free scheduled maintenance to lure customers.
With higher gas prices and the loss of people holding onto their cars left Columbia Exxon vulnerable. With such a large complex operation it became harder and harder to turn a profit. Oil companies raising gas prices sky high has not helped gas station owners. Maybe the owner of Columbia Exxon decided to retire and in this economy was unable to find a buyer and just threw in the towel.I can only speculate why the Station closed but what I can say is; Farewell Columbia Exxon, Farewell

Walgreens to the Rescue!

Walgreens has been trying to open its first Columbia Store for quite some time now.
First it was in Dorsey's Search across from the Dorsey Medical Building but the County wouldn't give them the necessary zoning.Now it's Oakland Mills on the grounds of a closed BB&T Bank branch. Commuinty outcry has thrown a monkey wrench in their plans but haven't been scrapped to my knowledge. It seems like wherever Walgreens wants to open up shop in Columbia they're not wanted. But suppose there was a location that would benefit from a Walgreens at least for the time being. How about an offer is put on the table they can't refuse?As I'm sure you're all painfully aware, Kimco has scrapped any redevelopment plans for Wilde Lake Village Center due to the economy. No apartments no nothing. They're also not pursuing any Grocers top replace Giant. Now, Grocers site proximity to competing properties as the reason for not opening a store in Wilde Lake but I'm sure if the economy were in better shape there would be plenty of store chains both local and national looking into expanding into the West Columbia Market. When that time comes Kimco should pursue them aggressively with the help of CA and the County.Now where does that leave Walgreens? Why not have them open at Wilde Lake in the Giant space until a Full Service Grocer can be nailed down. At 22,000 square feet and change that would be the perfect size for a Walgreens and it would increase foot traffic in the Village Center and increase sales in existing businesses that are currently hurting.
Very few modifications would have to be made to the space that Giant occupied for 39 and a half years. All that would need to be done would to install a drive through lane seeing as most Walgreens have them. That would go in the back of the building which ironically faces Twin Rivers Road. That's early Columbia Planning for you.Now why am I so sure Walgreens would agree to open up in Wilde Lake? After all I'm sure Kimco has pursued them because their stores fit the existing foot print of the old Giant Space making redevelopment unnecessary. Well, Kimco most likely hasn't offered them the space RENT FREE!
Now would I suggest that Kimco essentially give away an anchor space in one of its Village Centers? Actually, it's logical on both ends of the spectrum. Kimco, for now has all but given up on searching for a viable Wilde Lake solution so they're eating the loss of revenue from the Giant Space.
With Giant being empty Wilde Lake has lost a lot of other merchants including Produce Galore which was an anchor in and of itself. Other merchants to leave the center include
Feet First (they moved to Hickory Ridge), Great Clips (they moved to Dorsey's Search),The Medicine Shoppe, and Reidel's Florist.
Other merchants in danger of leaving the Center include the Bagel Bin their business has plummeted since the closing of Giant,
Anthony Richard Barbershop, they've been at Wilde Lake since its opening in 1967 and if business doesn't pick up the long time Barbers might decide to retire,
and Today's Catch Seafood Market. Although they maintain a loyal customer base and have decided to "weather the storm" of Wilde Lake let me remind you that they were originally in Harpers Choice and they moved to Wilde Lake when Harpers Choice lost its Valu Food Anchor. There's a vacant storefront in Hickory Ridge left when the Fractured Prune went belly up that would be the perfect size for Today's Catch. I wouldn't be surprised to Today's Catch moving there and once again sharing a Village Center with Feet First.Now keep in mind that these are only the businesses that I see closing and or moving. Giving away the Giant Space to Walgreens temporarily would stem the tide of store closings. Walgreens, wanting to open up shop in Columbia despite the shaky economy would probably jump at the chance to not only open in Columbia but not have to build their store like they would have in their other instances, they can just move in. Walgreens has less competition now that the Medicine Shoppe has closed further making this little arrangement feasible.
Kimco, in the mean time can still pursue a Full Service Grocer like Superfresh, Mars, or Food Lion to expand their portfolio into Wilde Lake and redevelop the Village Center to keep it viable for decades to come. For now, it's Walgreens to the Rescue!

Meridan Square DEAD Part II:The Reserection

Ok, now that I have blasted any chance of a career working in CA, GGP, and the County Government hows about I take a stab at cleaning up the mess left behind by the now dead Meridian Square?Now lets look at this as a blessing in disguise? Lets get another developer on board who has a broader spectrum than just the site that the old Exxon Station sits on. There's a large parcel of land just waiting to be redeveloped that the old Meridian Square site is a mere fraction of.Other land uses of the site include the Meeting House and the Stevens Forest Professional Center. Thunderhill Road also dead ends just before this site. This site has room for everything. What do I mean by everything? I mean extending Thunderhill Road to meet Stevens Forest, Redeveloping the Meeting House with a Serenity Garden, and redeveloping Stevens Forest Professional Center to look like the new Meridian Square.
The new Meridian Square should be almost the mirror image of its predecessor. The only way it would be modified would be to accommodate the Thunderhill Road extension. In the midst of Meridian Square's death Oakland Mills Village Center did achieve three victories.
First the opening of the Second Chance Saloon which is using a similar concept than that of the Last Chance Saloon, a popular pub that closed after Metro left.
Another is the quick lease of the Old Village Barber Stylist Space after the owners retired. Warrens will provide a more comprehensive experience in family hair and nail care.
Finally, the County will provide the necessary funds for the Robert Oliver Place Streetscape project.
During our economic woes Oakland Mills has fared phenomenally. Remember, Meridian Square was killed because too many entities had their hands dipped into it. Lets resurrect it!

Meridian Square:DEAD Part I

As I'm sure everyone is aware Meridian Square, the Mixed Use Retail/Office Building in Oakland Mills has been scrapped. Now who did the developers blame it on? The economy? No! The County, CA, and GGP for all the restrictions that were bestowed upon them. Columbia is so regulated that it would rather leave an empty barren parcel blighted than to just let the developers who have already presented their plans go ahead with it. Now you're back to square one and let me remind you how many years it took to get the Meridian Square Developers interested. Shame on all three parties!!! GGP should be trying to pay its bills and CA should be replacing its aging infrastructure and the County should lift the New Town Zoning restrictions.
It's time the got rid of the NT (New Town) Zoning all together and replace it according to the zone they're in. Examples R20 Single Family Detached with larger yards this would be perfect for a neighborhood like Hawthorn or Clemens Crossing. Then there's R12 Single Family Detached with smaller yards examples of this can be found in what I call "East Columbia Uglys" River Hill would warrant this zoning as well due to the smaller yard sizes Duplexes would receive the R12 classification. RSC or Residential Single Cluster would be used for smaller lots for Single Family Homes examples of these can be found in Thunderhill and Phelps Luck near Route 108 and in River Hill near the Village Center. R-SA8 would be for town homes and R-A15 would be for apartments and condos. PSC or Planned Senior Community would be used for the new Snowden Overlook. POR or Planned Office Research would be used for Columbia Gateway. B-1 would be used for a Village Center. B-2 would be used for something like Columbia Crossing. M-1 or light industrial would be used for Red Branch Road. M-2 or heavy industrial would be used for assorted properties along Dobbin Road or Snowden River Parkway and Gerwig Lane. PEC or Planned Employment Center would be the perfect designation for the defunct Meridian Square.
Now that the NT zoning regulations are lifted Columbia's blighted properties can redevelop with ease and make Columbia viable for decades to come. Stay tuned for Part II of this post which will clean up the mess of Meridian Square that was made by the County, GGP, and CA.

Wilde Lake Redevelopment

As Columbia's first Village one would assume that Wilde Lake would need the most redevelopment and its housing stock would be the most outdated. This isn't the case, Oakland Mills and Long Reach adapted styles of housing that were popular at the time but have since gone to the dogs. Wilde Lake, although there is plenty of room for redevelopment used a more classic timeless style for its housing stock, one that can look new, modern and well kept even at 41 years of age. Then there are properties in Wilde Lake that fall under the "reinvestment" category which will get its own post. Those are properties that don't need redevelopment but could use exterior facade improvements to keep competitive in the 21st century.Photo From Google Earth
Now for the properties in Wilde Lake I'm slating for redevelopment:
Partridge Courts- I used to live here from 1984-1988 (birth to age 4)actually, this was once a rental complex that was converted into owner occupied. The lay out of the development is out dated and the buildings are hideous. Any Partridge Courts resident will tell you that it's a hike to get from your car to your house.
The new development that will go in its place will feature a wide variety of housing options from condos to two level town homes without a garage (they will have basements) and three level town homes with car garages. All housing types will face inward so residents can park their car and walk right into their home. The tunnel between Partridge Courts and Wilde Lake Village Center will be removed as it's become unsafe. The new Partridge Courts will be 60% Market Rate Home Ownership, 35% Market Rate Rentals, and 5% Below Market Rate Rentals.
Concord House, this straddles the line between reinvestment and redevelopment because the building won't be redeveloped but there will be development on its property. Its parking lot has room to have two more high rises built over top of them.

Photo From Google Earth

The three "concord houses" will have underground parking. Wilde Lake was originally meant to have more high rises but Rouse was cautious due to the market. The swath of land next to the Interfaith Center was originally intended for two high rises.
Bryant Square, I tried sending out an SOS for this community but it's just not working out, especially since it has the new developments of Warfield Triangle across the street further adding to the blighted apperance of Bryant Square.
These are regarded as some of Columbia's largest town homes so naturally in its place will be large town homes. The tunnel going under Twin Rivers Road will be removed due to safety issues. Students will be bussed to Bryant Woods Elementary. This will be 100% Market Rate Home Ownership.

Rosslyn Rise,This "Community Homes" development will be redeveloped with a mix of market rate apartments and subsidized apartments. This will be 85% Market Rate Rentals and 15% Below Market Rate Rentals.Students here will also be bussed to Bryant Woods Elementary.
Rideout Heath,The other "Community Homes" development in Wilde Lake will be redeveloped as a mix of market rate condos and subsidized home ownership condos. This will be 60% Market Rate Home Ownership and 40% Below Market Rate Home Ownership.

Faulkner Station, This town home development located on Jason Lane, Faulkner Ridge Circle, and Tolling Clock Way has become too outdated. The homes are simply too small and narrow to serve today's family.
In its place will be two two level town homes stacked on top of each other. The new homes will be wider and will feature a one car garage per unit. This will be 100% below Market Rate Home Ownership.
Brook Way, Interior renovations and changing the name to "The Berkshires of Columbia" was like putting lipstick on a pig. What's needed is an income mix for a development of that size.

The new development will resemble the new Partridge Courts both in layout and housing options. What's different is that in the new Brook Way will have an income mix. 55% market rate home ownership, 30% market rate rental, 10% subsidized home ownership and 5% subsidized rentals. The mix will spread across all housing types and nobody will know what their neighbor "financial situation" is.
Running Brook Condominiums, Just across Columbia Road sits a circle of condos that were once rental apartments. They have become unattractive and add to the sense of feeling unsafe.
In its place will be a mix of condos and town homes built around the site's existing unique infrastructure.
The "inner circle" will be condos facing inward to make a courtyard.
The "outer circle" will be town homes that make a half circle around the development. This will be a gated community.Running Brook Elementary/711/Pool/Phone Building. Running Brook Elementary is dealing with over crowding it hasn't seen since the early 1970s before more schools were built. By 2020 Running Brook may be home to upwards of 500 students with a current capacity of 405 It was barely 300 when I went there in the early to mid 1990s. This figure isn't factoring in the new Town Center development which may push the number of students up to 600.

Photo From BCPS.org

A 150 seat addition will be the order of the day. I will go in the back of the building and towards the pool where the expanded parking lot currently is. The front entrance will actually face West Running Brook Road now.The Verizon Phone Building has no place in a residential neighborhood and will be demolished and moved to Route 108 and Ten Mills Road next to the church. A brand new 711 will be built in its place with room for a second neighborhood business such as a Dry Cleaner. The current 711 building will be used a new locker rooms and storage for the pool. Adequate storage and up to date locker rooms is something the pool currently lacks. The Pool will be updated to look like Columbia's new pools like those found in River Hill, Hawthorn, and Dickinson.

Wilde Lake Tennis Courts,It's time for them to be replaced that's all I have to say.

Wilde Lake Middle,With the new Town Center development and its current projections Wilde Lake Middle and its capacity of 506 won't cut it. An addition putting it to 662 won't make existing class rooms larger or the halls wider, nor will it make the Cafeteria or Gym larger (all problems I dealt with as a student here in the mid to late 1990s when the there were 500 students) It's time for a new WLMS and maybe with a new building more Clemens Crossing Parents will send their kids here and not a private Middle School in between Elementary and High School.

Well that's it for the redevelopment of Wilde Lake!