Jeesh... How Many Cogs To Make A Wheel Turn?

Take a look at this email to Columbia's Director of Development Services today. Mr. Anders wrote this in response to a long Memo some of us received earlier this morning.

His email is insightful and thought worthy, to say the least. On another hand, this is a good illustration of how specific this sort of thing gets, how hard it is to please everyone and why the political process takes SO DANG LONG...!

See below. FJ

Marc,

Have any of the following been discussed with staff?

1. Exemption of major corridors that line designated districts (North Main, Rosewood, Bull Street, Millwood, Etc.)? Seems that some single family homes on these major streets would be functionally obsolete and may create blight and is not "highest and best use".

2. Modern Design with-in districts? If the guidelines had been in place years ago we might not have the "Robot House" on Forest Drive or the Mcgee-Degenhart House on Harden St.. While Disney-esque copies of bungalows are sometimes nice, that is not the only design vernacular in the world. Has The Columbia Design League been consulted?

3.Have any of the findings from the "affordable housing task force" been considered and put into possible solutions? They should be a major voice in this.

4. Has staff discuss the possibility of Easing the requirement of "50 years" to maybe say 80 years and a "spot zoning designation" structures deemed worthy by Historic Columbia from the 1930's thru the 1970's. To me, a fifty year window means we could lose several great examples of 1950, 60's and 70's architecture (tomorrows history).


The article you included I think perfectly touches on the problems here. How do we protect homes of historical significance in Shandon, Heathwood, Elmwood Park while not shutting down redevelopment in North Columbia. Would the small, post war homes on the back side of Rosewood (and elsewhere) be placed into preservation districts? (I think we along North Main we have four neighborhoods that would qualify for Historic Designation - Seminary Ridge, Windemere Springs, Hyatt Park and College Place).

Thanks,

Rhett Anders
President
Windemere Springs N.A.