Opponents of the 23-story tower planned for Columbia's Lakefront lost another round in their struggle this week when a county Circuit Court judge dismissed their lawsuit.
Judge Diane O. Leasure upheld earlier rulings that the residents trying to stop the 275-foot Plaza Residences at Columbia Town Center don't have legal standing. She dismissed their action Monday - a decision hailed as important by the project's developer, despite likely further appeals.
"Now that the appeal has been dismissed, hopefully the community can move into the future with this issue behind us," said William Rowe, mid-Atlantic vice president of WCI Communities' tower division. The firm has building permits for the project.
The tower would feature shops and offices at street level, topped by 22 stories of condominiums in a spot where Columbia's first movie theater once sat. If built, it would be at least nine stories higher than any other building in the town - something critics say would damage aesthetics and make Columbia too urban and congested.
The county planning board also recently rejected zoning amendments to limit building heights in central Columbia.
Joel Broida, one of four parties in the case, said he was "disappointed," but vowed to continue it.
"We still haven't gotten to the merits of the case," he said.
Rowe said he feels confident.
"My hope is that now we have a hearing examiner ruling, a board of appeals ruling, a Circuit Court ruling complemented by a unanimous [planning board] vote against the proposed zoning amendments. All of them put together complement each other and should be enough to convince everybody that the project was approved appropriately," Rowe said.
larry.carson@baltsun.com