Councilwoman Mary Kay Sigaty has filed legislation to limit building heights in Columbia to 150 feet until a plan for downtown Columbia is developed.

“It’s a statement of wanting to ensure we have a good plan,” Sigaty, D-District 4, said.

The measure would expire after the plan is created.

A related measure changes the definition of projects that are pending to include those being challenged in court. This modification included the planned 275-foot Plaza Residences in the limits.

This story continues below
Advertisement

Howard County Circuit Court Judge Diane Leasure last month denied two motions by Columbia resident and tower opponent Joel Broida, which upholds a previous decision that he did not have legal standing to fight the project.

Broida’s attorney E. Alexander Adams said he hasn’t filed an appeal, but he has until the middle of September.

Without an appeal, the measure would not apply to the Plaza Residences.

Meanwhile, construction on the tower is under way, said William Rowe, a vice president at developer WCI Communities Inc.

The company has been “consistently available for discussions” for a compromise with the county on the building’s height, he said.

However, “there will come a period of time where flexibility will not be an option anymore,” he said, referring to the construction.

Rowe said he couldn’t determine what that point of considerable construction would be, but said it was “sooner rather than later.”

smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com