Response

Here is the response I just received from the Howard County Government regarding the request in my previous post...

SUBJECT: Your concerns for the Commission on the Environment & Sustainability Executive Director

Good morning Ms. Bricker,
Thank you for your concern for our community and the environment. Joshua Feldmark asked me to contact you about your specific concern about the areas around Columbia Gateway. I have consulted with two of our experts from the Traffic Division and from the Construction Inspection Division and the following are their answers:

The Transportation Projects Division has a capital project to install a sidewalk along the south side of Robert Fulton Drive starting just west of the Columbia Gateway Drive intersection where the sidewalk currently ends, continuing through the Lee Deforest intersection and connecting with the existing sidewalk along Solar Walk. Design of the alignment of the sidewalk is complete, however easements must be obtained from CA prior to construction beginning. For more information, please contact Mark Kovach at 410.313.6153.

Putting sidewalk along Commerce Center Drive requires the assistance of the management company for the Snowden Square shopping center. This is private property. Our acting bureau chief has worked with them before when their landscaping obstructed the sight distance coming out of the shopping center at the Robert Fulton Dr intersection. They were very accommodating with removing the landscaping. She will contact them regarding the communities desire for sidewalk from the intersection into their store area.

With the installation of sidewalk on the shopping center side, then the traffic division can have a signalized marked pedestrian crosswalk installed with pushbuttons and pedestrian signals at Robert Fulton Dr and Solar Walk. Technically, according to State Highway standards, they should not provide a signalized marked crosswalk unless both sides of the road have sidewalk to lead the pedestrian to their destination.

As far as the mud is concerned, there are some small amounts of dirt where the County has test pitted an abandoned bridge abutment and fiber optic cable. The amount of dirt is no bigger that what you would see around a tree. Is this what you may have seen while walking to the shopping center (see attached photo labeled Robert Fulton 2 on right)? As you can see from the attached pictures, the area is completely stabilized, and there is no active land development.
I hope this helps. Please let Joshua or me know if you need anything else.
Best,
Candace Dodson Reed
Community Liaison
Howard County Government

I'll mark that in the win category for now. She even attached 4 photos of the exact places I mentioned in my letter. I wonder how long it will take CA (the Columbia Association) to provide the easements... Time to write another letter!