Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The renovated Kennedy Gardens will feature legacy Yoshino cherry trees donated from Blossoms of Hope.
Update - 1:00 p.m. - Information on cost was added to this story and a correction is appended. Over the next few years, Kennedy Gardens, which is located across Lake Kittamaqundi from Town Center Plaza, will be receiving a major overhaul. A project is under way to make the gardens into a lush sequence of plantings, providing attractive views from the lakefront, and acting as a centerpiece for legacy Yoshino cherry trees donated from Blossoms of Hope, according to Jan Clark, a landscape architect for Columbia Association. Sign up for the free Columbia Patch e-newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for instant news updates and community conversations. “The installation of more than 80 trees, hundreds of shrubs and thousands of…
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The plan to remove the spots was approved on Thursday.
UPDATE - March 8 - At their meeting on March 7, the Howard County Planning Board approved Howard Hughes Co's plan to remove the parking spots and redevelop the site at the former Rouse Building which is slated to be a Whole Foods and Columbia Association Gym. Original Story - March 5 The big changes shown in Howard Hughes Co.'s plan to develop the Rouse Building downtown to make way for a Whole Foods and Columbia Association Gym largely has to do with parking. One of the most noticeable developments for most residents will be a traffic signal on Little Patuxent Parkway leading into the lakefront lot. A traffic study by the county deemed the signal necessary, according to a staff report written by the the Department of Planning and Zoning. …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
For years residents have been interested in connecting the path, says CA.
Last month, the Columbia Association presented three plans to encircle Lake Kittamaqundi with a footpath designed by BayLand environmental designers. CA's board already approved planning and engineering funds for the project, according to Dennis Mattey, CA's director of construction. Currently the pathway traces about two-thirds of the lake, ending in a small loop at Kennedy Gardens, on the east side. The plan to encircle the lake has been in Howard County's general plan for years and was highlighted in CA's active transportation action agenda, according to Jane Dembner, CA's director of community building and sustainability. "The pathway around the lake has long been envisioned," said Dembner, in an email. "Nature lovers, runners, …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
After a gun reportedly turned up during the dredging of Lake Kittamaqundi, could there be anything else?
During opening statements in the retrial of a man convicted of a 2008 murder in Wilde Lake, assistant state's attorney Doug Nelsen told the court that the murder weapon used in the homicide was found during the dredging process of Lake Kittamaqundi. Federal officials were able to take the gun and match it with shell casings found at the scene of the shooting, according to Nelsen. This got me wondering, did anything else interesting, unique or dangerous turn up during the dredging process of Columbia's three man-made lakes? On Wednesday I received an answer: No, according to Columbia Association spokesperson David Greisman. Dredging of the lakes began in 2010 with Lake Kittamaqundi and both Kittamaqundi and Wilde Lake were finished by …
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
At least 20 trees, including three historic saplings, will be donated by the nonprofit Blossoms of Hope and planted on the east shore of Lake Kittamaqundi.
This year, Washington is celebrating 100 years of cherry blossom trees in the district. The pink and white flowers of the renowned trees will begin to blossom in late March and fill the city with the sights and smells of a vibrant spring. Of the original 3,000 trees donated to Washington in 1912 by Japan, only 300 remain. But for Columbia and the nonprofit Blossoms of Hope, that was plenty from which to cull some new cherry trees. Blossoms of Hope will donate three Yoshino cherry tree saplings from the original trees given to Washington to be planted on the east shore of Lake Kittamaqundi this fall as part of Howard County’s Cherry Tree Project, according to Victoria Goodman, executive director of Blossoms of Hope. Howard County is the …
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Urban designer Cy Paumier on a Hocomojo podcast says the spirit of Rouse lives on, but his team deals with the “realities of today.”
Appearing on a podcast that recently aired on the HoCoMoJo news network, urban designer Cy Paumier discussed his vision for the future of the Columbia Lakefront and Symphony Woods redevelopment projects, while saying his team was “contemporary in its thinking.” “I think the sprit of Jim Rouse is what lives on,” he told hosts Paul Skalny and Dennis Lane on the “And Then There’s That,” podcast this month. “I think there are very few things we see as being sacred. And I think we’re constantly having to deal with the realities of today.” Paumier was one of the original planners of Columbia, having worked under famous developer Jim Rouse for three years in the late 60s and early 70s. Paumier is the former chief land planner for the company. …
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The construction of a footbridge across the lake would connect two ends of the popular and well-used — but unfinished — trail.
Completing the loop for the footpath around Lake Kittamaqundi is being studied for possible inclusion in the Columbia Association's budget as early as fiscal year 2013 or 2014, according to staff members. Board members at the association's Oct. 13 meeting gave the go-ahead for staff members to collect information needed to assess the affordability of the project. The board has not voted to move forward with the project, nor has it committed any funding at this point, according to Chick Rhodehamel, the association's director of sustainability. "This is just an OK to do some homework to provide board members with more information about the project," he said. Currently, a path in the shape of a big "U" around the lake dead-ends in a heavily …
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
From great food to live entertainment, we look at how people were celebrating our nation's birth here in Columbia.
Thousands showed up for the annual Fourth of July Celebration along the shores of Lake Kittamaqundi Monday night. The festivities officially kicked off at 5 p.m., and included a variety of children’s entertainment and live music. Many people claimed their spots early and the hillsides from the lake to the mall were quickly covered in blankets, tarps and beach towels. There were plenty of summer-time treats like ice cream, snow cones and funnel cakes available, as well as kid’s activities such as face-painting and games. Howard County Government and The Columbia Association were among the sponsors. Although a late rain shower threatened to shut down the show, the fireworks display kicked off at 9:30 as planned.
Danny
11:20 am on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
what a ridiculous comment! who's the "we all" that you speak of? and if everyone avoids the area, driving won't be difficult at all in downtown columbia, now will it? more ›