First in a four-part series on the key aspects of General Growth Properties' 30-year master plan for downtown Columbia. Future issues will examine arts and culture, the environment and housing.

General Growth Properties Inc. does not want to just build more homes, shops and offices in downtown Columbia. The company wants to radically change how people move around downtown.

Getting people out of their cars is a major part of the 30-year downtown development plan proposed by General Growth and currently under review by the county.

But there is already concern from some residents that adding 5,500 more residential units, along with retail, office and hotel space, to Town Center is a recipe for gridlock that the General Growth plan does not do enough to address.

A traffic study done for General Growth estimated that the redevelopment would add between 5,700 and 8,400 more vehicle trips to Town Center per day, which would bring traffic volume above current county standards.

But the company is asking that the higher volume of traffic be allowed, arguing that local roads would be able to handle the increased volume, provided certain improvements to key intersections are made.

The higher number of new trips would be offset in part by walking, biking and public transportation, the company also argues.

"There would be more activity downtown and that really is the point -- to bring more people into Town Center both during the daytime and evening," said Martin Wells, president of Wells & Associates, the firm that did the traffic study. "It would be the cultural hub of Howard County and all of that means more activity."

Drivers 'park once'

In the general plan amendment, which presents an overall vision for Town Center redevelopment, General Growth states its vision is to have people "park once" and walk or use public transportation to get everywhere else.

Other components of the plan include a connected network of streets that would better link Town Center to the rest of the county.

Overseeing downtown transportation services would be a Transportation Management Association funded by fees paid by developers. The association would manage a new downtown transportation hub, as well as a shuttle bus that would loop through Town Center.

Developers typically need to outline the kind of road improvements needed to accommodate their plans through an "adequate public facilities amendment." But documents submitted by General Growth refer to having adequate "transportation facilities," which would allow their other transportation proposals, not just their road improvements, to be considered.

County Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson said she is reviewing the plans, but would like the county's Adequate Public Facilities Committee to review them as well.

"They are probably most qualified to give us an unbiased opinion," she said. "It's a sea change from the standards that were developed in the 1990s and early 2000s."

Study 'not credible'

The transportation plan has already gained critics, among them Alex Hekimian, a member of the Columbia Association board of directors.

"The study is not credible," said Hekimian, a retired transportation coordinator for the Montgomery County Planning Department. "There are many assumptions that are made in this study that have no basis."

He said the traffic volumes being projected are "severely underestimated" and would likely be "much, much higher" than General Growth has stated. The amount of residential, retail and office development being proposed would cause the level of service on local roads to deteriorate, he said.

Hekimian faulted General Growth for asking for standards that allow a higher volume of traffic.

He said General Growth needs to put millions of dollars up front for infrastructure improvements and be prepared to phase in transportation elements so they are directly tied to growth.

Wells said phasing would be required, as General Growth would need to demonstrate at each stage of development that the necessary traffic improvements are in place before proceeding.

He disputed Hekimian's claims about the study, saying his firm followed the Howard County design manual that lays out guidelines for traffic engineers and the conclusions were similar to those reached by other firms that have studied downtown.

Case for regional transit

In the long term, General Growth has said adding a higher concentration of people and services downtown will make a stronger case for regional transit, such as buses, light rail or extension of the Metro Green Line from Washington, D.C.

However, State Del. Elizabeth Bobo, who represents part of Columbia, said she has explored some of those avenues and remains skeptical about Columbia gaining mass transit anytime soon because of high costs.

A feasibility study done for the Maryland General Assembly found bringing Metro Green Line service to Columbia Town Center would cost an estimated $1.3 to $4.3 billion -- on top of the $2.2 to $2.9 billion it would cost to link the Metro to Baltimore/Washington International Airport.

In addition, the Maryland Department of Transportation sent a letter to Bobo last year that outlined the obstacles, including high cost, to bringing MARC trains to Columbia.

Given the current tight nature of the state budget, Bobo said, it would be difficult to get money to fund either project.

Next week: Arts and culture

user comments (2)

user chrisbachmann says...

The problem here, as I can see it, is a lack of a long term focus concerning the future of Town Center. While current budgetary restrictions are certainly a factor, it is still no excuse for sloppy planning from any side. Are we building a town center for today's demographics, or the one that will be in place 20 to 30 years from now? What economic trends are we likely to face within that time frame? What will the status of the oil industry be in and what are the likely forms of transportation. How does the automobile fit into the picture down the road? What are the preferred choices of housing of the younger folks of today and of those to come? What can we do today to ensure a truly green infrastructure and not just slap up a modest amount of solar panels to give the impression that we're being "green". If we can't bring in a green or yellow line to Columbia right now, why don't we prepare for that eventuality? What do we need to put in place today to make it easier tomorrow? Should we even encourage cars in the town center area or should we restrict parking to the periphery to encourage people to walk some more. If it's the latter, should it be a loop line or a series of people movers that are largely automated and require little labor on a routine basis? How do we manage truck access for deliveries? These are not exactly now questions, but ones that seem to be out of the popular conversation. I would love to hear some answers in the future.

Posted 3:58 PM, 10.17.08 | Permalink

user chrisbachmann says...

I meant to say "new questions" rather than now questions". Oops...

Posted 10:45 PM, 10.17.08 | Permalink