The Howard County Times Asks a Good Question
The Howard County Times asks a good question:
Let's get this plan right. We will be living with the consequences of the downtown Columbia plan for decades to come and it will be infinitely more difficult to fix the problems in the plan after it is passed. There is no need to rush and a couple months to get it right cannot hurt. As I have told many people before, I don't care when it is done as long as it is done right. Right now the plan looks no where near being ready. Let's get the mixed income housing guaranteed. Let's get Wincopin Street South fixed so that it is pedestrian only from Hug Statue Park south and thus save the grass amphitheater. Let's find a solution to make sure future tenants of the area around Merriweather don't complain about the noise and try to create political pressure for Merriweather to be closed down or restricted to the point it is no longer economically viable. Let's admit that the proposed grid system for downtown will not achieve the increased traffic capacity that is being claimed and fix the zigzag intersections and use strategically located parking and mass transit to deal with the increase traffic pressures. Let's make sure that the parking that will be built will be enough for the community's needs and will be free, public parking provided by the developer to the community in exchange for the increased residential units they will make tons of money off of and not paid parking owned by one company that has just made a fortune off of its new residential units and can also now use its monopoly position to set the parking rates. Let's make the architectural review panel's approval required rather than advisory.
We have the time to get this right so let's take the time now to fix the plan before it is approved.
What's another few months when we're talking about the shape downtown Columbia will take over the next 30 years?
Let's get this plan right. We will be living with the consequences of the downtown Columbia plan for decades to come and it will be infinitely more difficult to fix the problems in the plan after it is passed. There is no need to rush and a couple months to get it right cannot hurt. As I have told many people before, I don't care when it is done as long as it is done right. Right now the plan looks no where near being ready. Let's get the mixed income housing guaranteed. Let's get Wincopin Street South fixed so that it is pedestrian only from Hug Statue Park south and thus save the grass amphitheater. Let's find a solution to make sure future tenants of the area around Merriweather don't complain about the noise and try to create political pressure for Merriweather to be closed down or restricted to the point it is no longer economically viable. Let's admit that the proposed grid system for downtown will not achieve the increased traffic capacity that is being claimed and fix the zigzag intersections and use strategically located parking and mass transit to deal with the increase traffic pressures. Let's make sure that the parking that will be built will be enough for the community's needs and will be free, public parking provided by the developer to the community in exchange for the increased residential units they will make tons of money off of and not paid parking owned by one company that has just made a fortune off of its new residential units and can also now use its monopoly position to set the parking rates. Let's make the architectural review panel's approval required rather than advisory.
We have the time to get this right so let's take the time now to fix the plan before it is approved.
posted by Evan | 4:55 PM
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Was this an editorial or a letter to the editor?
The Times asked the question in an editorial.
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