The Columbia Association is poised to join discussions about the redevelopment of downtown Columbia with developers and county officials.

But first board members must agree on what they want to allow CA President Maggie Brown to talk about with the developer, General Growth Properties Inc. and county officials.

While some CA board members want to allow Brown to discuss all topics, others want to tailor her discussions so she advocates for issues on which board members agree, such as protecting open space and keeping traffic at acceptable levels.

General Growth is in the process of creating a 30-year master plan to redevelop downtown Columbia. Part of the project involves land CA owns in Symphony Woods. CA also owns land in front of Lake Kittamaqundi and along Little Patuxent Parkway.

The master plan, which General Growth officials released April 28, includes 5,500 new residential units, along with new shops and offices and a hotel. The plan would build roads and walkways that connect Columbia mall to what would be a new arts district in Symphony Woods, which is now a tree-filled area around Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Members of the Columbia Association's board of directors plan to vote June 26 on a new policy that would allow Brown to speak freely in private with county and General Growth officials. The CA board would have to vote to finalize any land deal.

Gregory Hamm, General Growth's regional vice president and general manager for Columbia, has said his company is unable to complete the arts district without support from CA, which owns land in Symphony Woods.

The CA board first voted to prohibit Brown from meeting privately with General Growth and county officials in March, 2006 because its members said they wanted to make sure that the negotiation process remained open and visible to the public.

This past April 24, board members voted to allow Brown and her staff speak with General Growth about specific issues such as storm-water management.

CA board member Miles Coffman, of Hickory Ridge, believed the April policy too restrictive, so he created the new policy to allow Brown to discuss whatever topics should arise in negotiations about downtown Columbia.

The policy passed CA's Planning and Strategy Committee June 12 by a 2-1 vote.

Cynthia Coyle, of Harper's Choice, who voted against the policy, thinks Brown should only negotiate issues on which board members have agreed upon by vote.

"It gives Maggie ammo to know what we think," Coyle said in a June 16 interview. "She needs to understand what we want in order to negotiate."

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