General Plan

The revival of Columbia's stagnant downtown by a Dallas-based developer is still in its formative stage, but the 30-year "smart growth" plan could generate more than $300 million annually in state and county tax revenue, according to the Howard County Economic Development Authority. Richard Story, CEO of the Economic Development Authority, disclosed that figure to the County Council on Wednesday night, one night after the developer, General Growth Properties, provided little in the way of details about its plan.

Article on car lot missed key point Larry Carson's article Feb. 1 on the effort of Concerned Citizens of Western Howard County to block development of a used car lot in Daisy missed one important point our community organization has been making about the need for rezoning in the county's rural west. That point is that if rezoning had been done by the county when it should have been done, we would not be fighting a proposal to build a used car lot in a rural community where the General Plan in 1990 and 2000 said such large-scale commercial development is impractical and undesirable outside of five designated rural growth areas, of which Daisy is not one. The problem was created by the failure in the 2003-04 comprehensive rezoning process to follow policy set in the 2000 General Plan that was adopted to protect the rural character and resources of the county's largest remaining area of agricultural preservation, rural conservation and rural residential land - nearly 70,000 acres.

County officials are encouraging residents to submit comments on a draft of the General Development Plan, the final version of which is to be completed later this year. The land-use plan, which is required by the state, is revised every decade. The plan is meant to serve as a guide for county growth and development during next 10 to 20 years. The more than 200-page draft addresses several topics, including land use and development policy, priority preservation areas, transportation and water resources.

BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain said yesterday that British forces will depart Iraq by the end of July, leaving the United States as the only major foreign military presence in the country. Meanwhile, a plan described to President-elect Barack Obama fails to meet the 16-month timetable Obama outlined during his election campaign, U.S. military officials said yesterday. The plan was proposed by the top American commanders responsible for Iraq, Gens. David Petraeus and Ray Odierno, and it represents their first recommendation on troop withdrawals under an Obama presidency.

Another business-oriented group of Columbia activists in favor of the General Growth Properties plan to redevelop Town Center is organizing with the hope of playing a role in the long process. The group, called Columbia Tomorrow and led by development consultant Jud Malone, joins several others with similar objectives. They include Columbia 2.0, oriented toward younger adults, and Bring Back the Vision. Other groups, such as the Columbia Association and the Coalition for Columbia's downtown, have taken a more skeptical view of the GGP plan.

Though an annual report shows that new home construction in Howard County dropped precipitously last year, land-use issues remain a pressing concern among politicians and activists. To be sure, complaints about land-use policy have been somewhat subdued in this period between elections. But the housing slump detailed in the annual county report hasn't completely quieted the conversation. "We have big changes [coming] in Columbia," said Mary Kay Sigaty, a Democrat who represents West Columbia on the County Council.

MEXICO CITY -- On a weekend when four top drug leaders were sent to face trial in the United States, Mexico's attorney general said yesterday he plans more extraditions, tacitly acknowledging that corruption has allowed drug kingpins to direct their operations even while behind bars in maximum-security Mexican prisons. The latest round of extraditions breaks ties between drug capos and "the structures of the criminal organizations in our country," said Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora.

In an ironic conclusion to months of contentious debate, the two chief protagonists were not around to hear the verdict as the Planning Board unanimously approved a plan to expand the luxury development of Turf Valley in western Ellicott City. The outcome was widely anticipated after opponents struggled to present relevant evidence of why the expansion should be stopped during hearings that stretched over six months. The board members Tuesday night refrained from responding to those who demeaned their integrity and challenged their competence during the hearings.

Nothing is ever treated as routine when it comes to Turf Valley. The next evidence of that is likely to come in November when a challenge is made contesting the Planning Board's right to consider the latest expansion proposal of the luxury development. Until now, the board's authority has gone unquestioned. It has spent much of the past 18 months on plans - and criticisms of them - to enlarge the project in western Howard County. But opponents are turning their attention to the board itself, says Marc Norman, co-chairman of a coalition fighting expansion of the development.