For Whom The Bell Tolls

While wrapping your brain around the complex issue of parking at Merriweather,  Frank Heckler’s Blog has broken it down into a simple comparison. Spoiler alert!  The best solution came out of the Woodlands Texas. They have a pavilion called the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion that rivals Merriweather.  They use a combination of an onsite paid parking garage, agreements with businesses to use their underground parking, and nearby mall overflow. The plan works! Yielding Yelp ratings as high as Columbia has now. And why not? The Woodlands is a planned community operated by the Howard Hughes Corporation. With such outstanding success, why not copy the same thing for Columbia?

The super-smart people at Howard Hughes have put together a plan so we do not have to break out our slide rules and sweat the heavy math. When Mrs Merriweather Post funded the pavilion, she envisioned lightly attended venues with arts patrons walking or riding the community mini-buses. I doubt she could have imagined the popularity of the venue today, as thousands of people from the unplanned communities flock in for vibrant rock concerts.  The wear and tear places a toll on the pavilion.  So rather than place a toll on the walking community, Howard Hughes is going to toll those who drive their smoggy soccer-wagons to the pavilion. The profits will insure that the Crescent community will remain shiny and viable for years to come.