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Columbia’s Village Centers in 2024 and Why You Should Read The Merriweather Post



A Monday morning shout out to Jeremy Dommu (The Merriweather Post Blog) for his comprehensive look at Columbia’s Village Centers. 

The Village Center Edition- - June 2024 News Roundup

He describes it as “a comprehensive rating and review of every Columbia Village Center.” This is the kind of work that Dommu does extremely well. He has taken a large amount of information, organized it, and presented it in a way that is easy to comprehend for the average reader. 

It’s a lot to process but it’s easy enough to read in chunks if you want to. He also includes a visual layout of each center which I found extremely helpful.

What I have particularly enjoyed is how open Dommu is to receiving feedback and incorporating new information as readers respond. So, if you have thoughts after reading the piece, you should feel comfortable adding your two cents. 

How?

You can respond to the post on the blog itself, on Facebook, and on Reddit. I found the conversation on Reddit to be highly informative. If you’re not following the Columbia Reddit, I’d recommend it. 

Years ago I got snapped at on Facebook when I asked about which businesses people liked in various village centers that they thought would make that particular village center “worth the trip.” I was told that the topic was largely inappropriate since each village center was meant for the people of that village. Their tone suggested I was encouraging people to go where they didn’t belong and weren’t wanted. 

I truly hope that point of view isn’t widely held. It feels counterproductive to me. Not very friendly, either.

When I first started thinking about Columbia’s Villages it was more about the personality of each one rather than the Village Centers specifically.

When newer residents move to Columbia, they may be looking for the right house at the right price, good schools, a decent commute. The Village concept may not even figure into the decision at all.  Once they are here, it remains possible to live, work and shop without really gaining an understanding of what Columbia's Villages mean, or the unique qualities of their own village. It may be hard for long-time Columbians to believe this, but it's true. Columbia can be just a nice suburban place with grass and trees and shopping centers, if you don't know. - - How Villagey Are You? Village Green/Town² May, 2013

What makes a village center different than a shopping center, you ask? I’d say it’s the old Village Concept that Columbia incorporated from its earliest beginnings. As Dommu says, the work of keeping these places as functionally successful commercial hubs is ongoing. The Village Concept part? I don’t know.

The Merriweather Post piece rates village centers using three attributes: Retail, Amenities, and Location. I realized as I read that high in my own personal “ratings” is whether or not the center incorporates public spaces that visitors are welcomed and encouraged to use. Many of the Village Centers have lost this aspect as they have been modernized according to current business trends. 

For instance, when I make the decision to go out for a cold treat at Rita’s, I’m more likely to choose Kings Contrivance over Harpers Choice purely because of the tables and courtyard in KC and the possibly of shade. 

And yet, what’s ironic is that the Howard Hughes Corporation is spending a lot of money in the Merriweather District to create an enormous commercial project where people can enjoy hanging out. Is it just the next generation of Village Center? Instead of beautiful flower beds you get splashpads and live music. It’s entertaining, surely, but hardly intimate. - - Village Green/Town² 

Are welcoming public spaces an integral part of Village Centers in 2024? Do you think they should be?

The River Hill Village Center gets a high rating on Dommu’s scale and I’m glad it’s successful. As a community hub I find it somewhat lacking. Then again, it’s not for “for me” so take my observations with a grain of salt. If I were using it daily I might feel differently. The kind of experience I’m looking for has been achieved in recent years by Clarksville Commons, which is owned locally, and not by a large commercial real estate concern. But it’s not where I’d buy groceries or drop off dry cleaning so perhaps that’s not a fair comparison.

I am in full agreement with two of the statements that Dommu makes as a part of his conclusion: 

  • In my mind, Village Centers would be the ideal place for local community-oriented independent small-businesses to set up shop and thrive.  
  • I think a big part of the reason for that is that there just aren't many commercial spaces with rental rates that are approachable for new entrepreneurs.

Howard County has really modeled an approach that values independent small businesses in Long Reach. So far large commercial entities like Kimco don’t seem to see the value of that way of thinking. 

If you have an opinion on Village Centers, I’d love to hear it. What kind of rating system would you use?







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