| Page 3 of 3 < |
'Whatever Happened to Tivoli?'
Columbia's planners envisioned a town center evocative of Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens, above. Below, in Columbia's early days, Bill Finley, left, James W. Rouse and Mort Hoppenfield discuss plans for the town.
(By Morten Juhl -- Associated Press)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
"The charrette is like the time Rouse brought the planners together," Kellner said. "This is not a time for feasibility. This is a time for big dreams."
Ken Ulman agrees.
As a County Council member and Zoning Board chairman, Ulman (D-West Columbia) challenged efforts by General Growth to sell and downsize Merriweather Post Pavilion and build high-density housing on the adjacent 51.7 acres, the last significant undeveloped parcel in Town Center. The giant Chicago-based developer changed its course. Last spring, the company announced plans to keep the amphitheater and make it the focal point of a pedestrian-friendly town center that would include a mix of housing, retail, office and commercial space.
General Growth Vice President Dennis W. Miller said he welcomes the charrette, adding that he sees it as a chance to take a comprehensive look at Town Center.
Ulman thinks the spirit at the workshops will be cooperative.
"Clearly, everyone who looks at Town Center can't help but think it could be so much better," said Ulman, 31, who grew up in Columbia.
"There was supposed to be a Tivoli . . . a really special place. I don't think we have that now."
Some of the elements are here, nearby, Ulman said. The public library, Symphony Woods, Merriweather. But for now, they remain fragmented.
"We have some of the pieces," he said. "Connecting them, for whatever reason, never happened." But, he said, "I don't think we are that far now from creating a special place. A sense of place."
Robert Tennenbaum, who helped plan Columbia and lives there, thinks the need for a more unified town center is real but said the cost must be shared -- by General Growth, the Columbia Association and the county. "People tend to forget it's no one group's responsibility."
Financial feasibility will be a part of the charrette process, Ulman said. He hopes a consensus can be reached about the best plan. People can suggest anything they want. Houses, kiosks, office buildings, walkways. A Ponte Vecchio over Little Patuxent Parkway.
Or glittering lights and tulips, pagodas and a scenic railway: Will Columbia finally get its Tivoli?
Ulman laughs. He's not sure.
"Whether it's Tivoli or something else, people want that special place."
Mobile
Email