The Columbia Association board of directors last week unanimously voted to lift a two-year ban on allowing President Maggie Brown to meet with county officials and developers outside of a public meeting.

The June 26 vote means that Brown and other CA officials can enter into private discussions with developers and county government officials about the planned redevelopment of downtown Columbia.

Developer General Growth Properties Inc., is in the process of creating a 30-year master plan to redevelop downtown. The plan includes 5,500 new residential units, new shops, walkways, offices and an arts district.

Portions of the plan involve land that CA owns downtown, including Symphony Woods and Lake Kittamaqundi.

Officials of General Growth, which is the majority landowner in Town Center, have yet to present the plan to county officials, who must approve it before construction can begin.

In March 2006, a previous CA board voted to prohibit Brown from meeting privately with General Growth and county officials because members said they wanted to make sure all such discussions remained public.

On April 24, the board voted to allow Brown and her staff to speak in private with General Growth officials on a select group of topics, including the future of Symphony Woods and Columbia's watershed.

However, board member Miles Coffman, of Hickory Ridge, proposed the motion to lift the ban entirely because, he said, the April decision was too restrictive.

"The president of CA and staff should have the ability to talk to anyone about anything," Coffman said.

Gregory Hamm, General Growth's general manager for Columbia, said he believes the board's vote will open up the dialogue between General Growth and CA on the future of downtown Columbia.

Any final decision on a project involving land CA owns downtown would require a board vote, several board members said.

The board also approved a list of topics regarding the future of CA land in a redeveloped downtown, such as preserving trees in Symphony Woods, that it wants Brown and CA staff to discuss with developers and county officials.

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