Redesign

Hopes for a reborn central Columbia clashed with fears over a bankrupt developer's future at an unusual, daylong Howard County Council hearing Saturday. Discussion has been going on for five years as debates raged over traffic, affordable housing, schools and infrastructure cost. The council intends to vote on the resulting legislation by January, though critics say more time is needed. Columbia's master developer, General Growth Properties Inc., the Chicago shopping center chain that bought the Rouse Company five years ago, is pushing to urbanize downtown Columbia with a new street grid, pedestrian plazas, sidewalk shops, restaurants and multistory, densely packed offices and garages.

Here's what the new Baltimore Style magazine looks like. "It's got a new logo, a fresh design - and Katie O'Malley on the cover," editor-in-chief Joe Sugarman said in an email to The Sun. "Our fashion editor, Suzin Boddiford, somehow convinced the first lady to model the latest spring fashions in a 10-page fashion shoot. We've got an interview with her in there, too. I have to say, she looks like a real model. People will be stunned. " #sigshell { float: left; width: 320px; height: 52px; margin: 20px 0px; display: block; }

The Sun's high praise for the course design innovations at the University of Maryland Baltimore County is well deserved ("A Model Institution," Dec. 27). UMBC's success in transforming courses in fundamental chemistry, mathematics and physics has led to better student performance in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines that are so important to moving Maryland forward. The transformation at UMBC reflects an effort throughout the University System of Maryland to increase student performance in a range of gateway introductory courses.

Joe Sugarman has been promoted from senior editor to editor-in-chief at Baltimore's Style magazine. He succeeds Brian Lawrence who was fired in September after 10 years in that job. "Yes, the rumors are true," Sugarman wrote in an email response seeking confirmation of his appointment. "The November food issue will be my first as editor-in-chief at Style. That issue comes out early next week, with a great cover photo of Hilary Phelps looking like she just stepped out of the set of 'Mad Men.'" Sugarman added that he and his team will "likely roll out some changes to the magazine by the second quarter of 2013, including a redesign by the new creative director, Kim Van Dyke.

After more than a decade of planning, Charles Village and the Johns Hopkins University are preparing for two years of traffic disruptions along North Charles Street. The stretch between 25th Street and University Parkway has been slated for repaving and redesign since 2002. Utility updates along the corridor are nearing completion, and the city expects to begin the street's reconstruction this spring. About 2,000 feet of North Charles, between 25th and 29th streets, will be resurfaced.

A developer has two weeks to resubmit plans for 114 condominiums anda small office center on a heavily wooded lot in Glen Burnie.Thecounty has set a deadline of April 26 for Pasadena developer George Stone to submit revised sketch plans for 114 two-bedroom condominiumsand a 6,000-square-foot office complex on Crain Highway.Stone wants to develop an8.3-acre property to continue a commercial strip of gas stations and small shops on the east side of Crain Highway near Aquahart Road. In November, the county Office of Zoning and Planning asked Stone to revise the plans to provide more buffers and redesign the layout.

Sun editors were so determined that readers be prepared for the paper's sweeping redesign that they published a 10-page explanatory guide just before its launch on Monday, Sept. 19. "We wanted a newspaper that better reflects the demands and interests of readers in this busy, complex, high-definition world of ours," said Editor Tim Franklin. The first reactions were much more negative than positive. Many found the increased emphasis on color and index boxes "glitzy," "jarring" and "obtrusive" and the text hard to read.

Annapolis citizens will offer their views on the proposed redesigns of a popular downtown eatery and a fast-food restaurant tonight when the City Council meets at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall.First on the agenda is a plan to rebuild part of Harry Browne's, at 66 State Circle, near the State House.Rusty Romo, the restaurant's owner, wants to enclose the outdoor dining area, which seats about 60 people. Mr. Romo said he'd lose about 15 seats, but could use the space year-round. The enclosure would take about four months to complete, he said.

As Leo Bretholz gazes at the refurbished Holocaust Memorial in downtown Baltimore that was dedicated yesterday, he thinks of the November night nearly 55 years ago when he escaped from a cattle car bound for the Auschwitz concentration camp.The centerpiece of the new memorial is two concrete monoliths that suggest the boxcars that were used to transport to death camps many of the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust."It conveys a message immediately," Bretholz said. "The [old memorial]

Thwarted in an attempt to lift height restrictions on new construction around historic Federal Hill, a Florida developer now intends to redesign a Ritz-Carlton hotel proposed for south of the Inner Harbor to comply with existing limitations.Developer Neil Fisher said the redesigned $100 million luxury lodging and condominium project will meet the 71-foot height limitation that is in place for a parcel adjacent to the Rusty Scupper restaurant."We're taking one last look to see if something can be designed to meet the height restrictions," Fisher said.

In the beginning, the Pasadena home purchased by Matt and Jenny Knoepfle was not so much a dream as it was a challenge. "This was a 1940s shore cottage [back when] people were building randomly and then adding on to their houses," said Jenny Knoepfle of the home she and her husband bought on Cockey Creek, which is off the Magothy River. "When we bought this house, our third floor was not here; there were steps to a loft. We knew we were going to rebuild for a family. " Most of the rooms in the bilevel brick structure were crammed on one floor, including a corner kitchen, a dining area, a small living area and an even smaller master bedroom and bath.

Officials criticized new plans for the redevelopment of North Baltimore's Rotunda mall on Thursday, questioning whether turning the landmark shopping center inside out - making stores accessible only from outdoor sidewalks - would best serve residents of the surrounding communities. New Jersey-based developer Hekemian & Co. has tried for more than five years to revitalize the 11-acre Rotunda site, but Thursday's presentation was the first time that details of the $100 million rehabilitation plan had been shown to a citywide group.

In an effort to make guests' experiences more "distinctive," the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., is undergoing a $51 million face-lift that includes refurbishing poker and guest rooms. The Borgata opened in 2003, but hotel officials said it was time to freshen up. "Having such high customer volumes and almost 50 percent of the poker market share in Atlantic City, it was simply time," said Joe Lupo, the hotel's senior vice president of operations. Renovations to the poker room, which opened in 2006, include new carpeting throughout the 21,500-square-foot area and installation of 23 flat-screen TVs. The hotel also introduced The Boardroom, a high-limit poker lounge that requires a minimum buy-in of $10,000.

Many Baltimore City property owners may have a hard time comprehending the size of their tax bills, but the bills themselves should make more sense when the new batch goes out in the mail in a couple of months. City tax bills are getting something of a makeover. “We are in the process of redesigning some elements of the tax bill to the extent that our current systems allow,” mayoral spokesman Ryan O'Doherty said this week in an email. O'Doherty said details won't be available for another couple weeks, but added: “We are generally pleased with the efforts the city plans to implement this year to make bills more transparent.” Vague wording has confused some taxpayers , particularly when it comes to property tax credits.

Mandatory showers and mouthwash for all people sitting in my aisle. Luke Broadwater, reporter, The Baltimore Sun How about slightly larger bathrooms ... or iPad rentals? Stokely Baksh, community coordinator, The Baltimore Sun Improve the pretzels. And by "improve," I mean get Auntie Annes on the plane. Wesley Case, reporter, b Improv theater, performed by flight attendants. Between the flight attendant who sailed cursing down the emergency chute, and the ranting pilot who lost his mind mid-flight, this seems to be an industry trend.

Some people purchase waterfront property with the intent of tearing down any structures as soon as possible. It's usually the land they are after. In 1991, Roy and Mary Jones purchased property in eastern Baltimore County on Middle River, one of the busiest tributaries on the Chesapeake Bay. They paid $235,000, and their intentions were a little different. They lived in the house instead of tearing it down. But after 20 years raising a family in the home, the couple decided it was time to start over.

In a music review in yesterday's editions of The Sun, an incorrect name was given for the person responsible for the acoustic redesign of the Kennedy Center's Concert Hall. The redesign was done by Christopher Jaffee.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 11/05/97

State regulators cracked down on the operation of the troubled Millersville Landfill late yesterday afternoon, giving the county five months to construct an environmentally sound facility.The Maryland Department of the Environment served County Executive Robert R. Neall with a complaint for violations of state environmental laws, including the operating permit.The agency ordered the county to take immediate steps, including the construction of a new disposal cell with a plastic liner and pollutant collection system, to bring the Burns Crossing Road facility back into compliance.

Pallotti Prep High School's redesigned courtyard, named Panther Courtyard, is the home of commemorative bricks that can be purchased and inscribed with the names of students, alumni, parents and businesses. The 4x8-inch bricks cost $150 and have space for two lines with 18 characters per line. To order a brick, go to http://www.pallottihs.org . For information, contact Kris Weaver, kweaver@pallottihs.org , 301-725-3228, Ext. 209 ;or Nina Gass, ngass@pallottihs.org , 301-725-3228, Ext. 223.

After more than a decade of planning, Charles Village and the Johns Hopkins University are preparing for two years of traffic disruptions along North Charles Street. The stretch between 25th Street and University Parkway has been slated for repaving and redesign since 2002. Utility updates along the corridor are nearing completion, and the city expects to begin the street's reconstruction this spring. About 2,000 feet of North Charles, between 25th and 29th streets, will be resurfaced.