Seven years ago I stumbled into an online rant which I dubbed the Great Columbia Grass-Cutting War. The problem? Someone in the village of Harper’s Choice had not mowed their lawn.
This. Means. War. Village Green/Town², May, 2018
A (long-suffering?) gentleman came forward to re-iterate the steps that Harper’s Choice was already taking to address the situation.
Do you guys think that if someone violates a covenant we can immediately sue them? These processes take time. Would you like me to go to your house, find all of the issues, and then give you 7 days to fix them all before I start fining you by the day? Probably not. That is why the process is civil. The grass sucks but it will get cut. We are on it.
And then, he shared a bit of golden information:
The new owners didn’t know their responsibility. This town is very complex. People don’t realize. The village center itself is owned by over 4 entities. This town is confusing.
I was thoroughly impressed and charmed by this fellow’s words and his overall perspective on how we can treat each other in our community. Here was someone I hoped I’d get to know better. And I have.
Over the years he has appeared on the blog several times precisely because of his well chosen words and valuable insight. I’ve come to consider him one of the people who make Columbia a better place - - more human, sometimes light-hearted, sometimes intensely truthful on hard topics.
Then, at the end of the school year, he and his family pulled up stakes and moved to Canton in Baltimore. It’s a great new adventure for them but I admit to feeling a bit bereft.
What follows is his explanatory post for their big change. It is shared here with permission. I found ironic that grass-cutting figures somewhat prominently in the story. - - jam
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I remember the first time I visited Columbia back in 2001 when I was in the Army. It was a confusing maze of green, with no corporate signage, and a centralized mall that got us so lost that we almost didn’t make it back to formation at Fort Meade.
When I met Becca and we decided to start a life together in 2004, it was going to be in Columbia without question. We started in Laurel in 2005, and quickly after got an apartment in Hickory Ridge. This was where Charlie was born in 2007.
We bought the condo in Harper’s Choice later that year, and lived there until 2019. Then onto Long Reach until 2025.
Our son went to pre K at Owen Brown Interfaith Center, then Longfellow Elementary, then Harper’s Choice Middle, then Bonnie Branch Middle, and finally Howard High.
Charlie played soccer all over Howard County, got to purple belt at Wild Lake Karate, loved chess club at Longfellow, and tolerated scouts at Pack 61 and Troop 759.
I walked or ran on all of the Columbia trails. Every mile. Just since 2019 I’ve logged over 5k miles in Columbia. I have spent hundreds of hours at the Athletic Club, and the Supreme Sports Club. We loved the 20 plus pools!
I served three years on the Harper’s Choice Board of Directors. I attended countless Columbia Association meetings, and made lifelong friends in the process.
Those are the facts of our time there, but if I had to sum it up for someone moving to Columbia, I’d say it is idyllic. It has some issues like all places, but overall it’s a great town with lots of green space to raise a family.
It took me a while to make this post, and it would be fair to ask why we decided to leave. Well the short answer is walkability. Although Columbia is very walkable, it is still a car dependent suburb. I’ve also grown bitter to the enormous amount of gas, time, and energy it takes to maintain the lush green lawns of the suburbs.
Suburban life comes with a cost, and it’s not one I’m willing to pay for. I now take a bus to work, use no gas to maintain my property, and I don’t have to listen to legions of landscaping crews mowing and blowing leaves all year long. It’s a 4 minute walk to the grocery store, pharmacy, hardware store, dry cleaner, dentist, doctor, and veterinarian. I dont need a car for everyday tasks
The suburbs are not for us anymore. It was a good 45 year run, but let’s give city life a shot.
It’s odd because I know many folks fight their whole lives to escape the city and go to the suburbs. I understand the privilege we have to move to a good neighborhood in Baltimore. Many parts of the city are not like this.
Yes, city life can have its downfalls, but right now this city street is quieter than my previous cul de sac, with 9 months of constant lawn machines making ungodly noise from 7am to 7pm every day!
We’ve had many favorite places in Columbia. We will miss you.
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