Symphony Woods Park Could Lead Off Changes to Columbia's Downtown

The eventual metamorphosis of downtown Columbia into a more vibrant hub could begin not with shops or residential construction, but with a park in the woods.

The Columbia Association is pitching a “passive-use park” in Symphony Woods, the mostly forested area that encircles Merriweather Post Pavilion. Though details are few, early plans for the park include a central plaza holding a 60-foot-wide fountain over which a small stage could be set up, a path system and 25 to 30 parking spots.

Conceptual drawings were presented at an association hearing Thursday night. Information on the proposed project can be seen in the PDF file above.

The first stage of the park project is planned for 16.7 acres on the northern section of the approximately 40-acre Symphony Woods.

Work on the first stage could start in spring 2012 and be completed by fall 2012, though the cost of and design work for the fountain will likely push its installation to a later date, according to CA officials.

“It’s a relatively modest proposal, really,” Jan Clark, CA’s project manager, said in an interview with Patch. “It’s beautiful woods there now. We want to retain that and make it more pleasurable to be there, both on a day-to-day basis and for the occasional community event.”

The land surrounding the proposed 100-foot-wide plaza naturally forms an amphitheater-like bowl, allowing people to sit on the ground to watch performances.

“This portion is just kind of the front door to the park,” Clark said. “There is some opportunity to have more facilities there in the future.”

The “front door” would include entrances from Little Patuxent Parkway, with one wider entrance—across the street from an access road to The Mall in Columbia—leading visitors down a path directly to the plaza and fountain.

“We provide a simple, easy to navigate walkway system and provide visual interest from the road, make it [appear] more attractive,” Clark said. “Someone driving by might be more interested to go into the park.”

Future plans could see paths looping around the rest of the property. A playground  and a sculpture garden are among other possibilities, CA officials said.

“Over time as budgets allow and as the community makes its wishes known, we anticipate that there will be additions,” Jane Dembner, CA’s director of community planning, told about 50 residents attending the meeting.

Clark emphasized that CA is looking to minimize the impact on the woods itself. Of the approximately 380 trees in this section of the property, about 44 would be affected, project officials said. There could be replanting on another section of land.

Resident Janet Henry said she was surprised that on-site bathrooms are not part of the initial plans.

“I suggest that you rethink that,” she said. “I think that’s a very critical part of making the park useable for more than an hour or so.”

Resident Derrek Lawson said that the park needs more than what was laid out at the hearing if it is to draw visitors.

“While the grand plan seems pretty exciting, without a fountain, without something for the kids, without soliciting artwork, there’s not really a lot for citizens of Columbia to get excited about,” he said.

Association officials said work on other proposals is under way.

There was less specific information presented Thursday than residents might be accustomed to because new county zoning regulations require hearings to be held early in the process, according to Chick Rhodehamel, CA vice president.

Approval for the project must come from the county government.