Wegmans is a super addition to our city! The local neighbor centers need competition to improve and keep up with the times. I still use a neighborhood shopping area for some things, Wegmans for some things - so what's the big deal? Afraid of the competition - remember what moves us forward and encourages us to be better?

It is not Wegman's fault, but for years our elected officials and their appointees have gutted the village center philosophy, a basic tenet of Columbia's philosophy and values, by allowed the big stores outside of our village centers.

I has to be hurting the village center grocery stores, they will need to stay competitive - you cannot beat Wegman's prices - I have a hard time justifying going to my village center grocery store when I know I'll spend 15 to 20% more on my food bill.

I find myself shopping more at the Owen Brown Giant. It is not as crowded as it used to be, and their level of customer service has gone up. A good move on their part.

If I had a decent village center store nearby, I'd shop there more than I do, but I'm stuck with the Harper's Choice Safeway. I have literally never been in such a poorly-managed store as this one. I could write volumes about what's wrong with it, including broken self-checkouts, 30-45min lines, broken carts, and just plain depressing lighting. I avoid it whenever possible, which means Trader Joe's, Costco, Wegmans, or even another village center's supermarket.

Village centers need to stay competitive regardless of the market. I think the owners of the shops in all the village centers believe convenience trumps quality of service and quality of products. Personally, I would rather drive and extra 5-10 mins. for service and quality regardless of the store. This goes for beer and wine stores as well. I don't find myself going to my local village center much because of it's quality of stores and service. I also believe all the loitering at some of the village centers plays a big part in the perception of the quality. Clean the centers up, and provide the proper quality service and you'll see a change. In the meantime I will drive and extra 5 minutes to Wegmans and liquor stores not located in village centers.

I've been to Wegman's a couple of times, but unless it's convenient to me...I'm not stopping there.

The times I've been there it's been extremely crowded. I prefer a more peaceful shopping experience.

I think it's too soon to tell how it will effect the village centers. Right now the Wegmans is shiney and new and everyone wants to go at least once. After things settle down into a routine, it may still draw some people away but the village centers are convenient and will still survive. As for the village centers needing to step up their game and get competitive, you need to know what their margin is and expenses before you can say they need to be competitive as far as price. Price is determined by a lot of factors, not all of which is in their control.

It's a higher level of customer service which will improve our perception of village center stores!

I live in Wilde Lake, I have no village grocery store and have not had one for several years now. I am forced to shop at the Harpers Choice Safeway (which never seems to have enough staff on hand for checking out) or drive to Wegmans or other stores in the surrounding area. Unfortunately KIMCO did not see it fit to place a practical grocery store in our village...they are choosing to add more apartments in the space. We are close to David's Natural Market, but that is really not a place for day to day grocery shopping. So with that being said, I will continue to shop at Wegmans...if I have to drive I may as well go there for very fresh produce and great customer service (Safeway in Harpers Choice provides neither).

I will NOT be shopping @ Wegman's since it is corporate policy that I produce a PHOTO ID in order to access membership in the "loyalty card" program. The same policy applies @ Harris Teeter so I will do w/o shopping @ that establishment as well. I could understand if I were going to cash checks or pay for purchases buy check but since I do neither, I reuse to participate & this makes their prices much less competitive. Last, for those of you who are allergic to soy products, Wegman's uses soy in its prepared foods. A close friend purchased a prepared meal for her & her husband & did ask the clerk if soy had been used in the dishes. Given a very uncertain negative reply, she consumed the meal & suffered a reaction. Wegman's? I am not impressed.

Welcome to the business world.... It is all about competition and strategic planning. Businesses have to stay connected with their customer and their wants and needs, just because a store is in a villiage center does not mean that it is destined for that customer to shop there. Bottom line up front... It brought jobs to Columbia & People are coming to shop at the Wegmans and may spend some money on other establishments while they are here in Columbia. PS it looks a whole lot better than that run down grass over grown heap of a factory that was there before!

I also live in Wilde Lake, and so I have to drive to a supermarket outside my village center. Thanks, Kimco, for ruining the Columbia concept for us. I am diabetic and have to shop at several stores to find low carb foods. It seems that Safeway and Giant are forcing me to go to Wegman's. In the last two weeks, they both have discontinued carrying certain items I buy that Wegman's carries. Before, Wegman's was a curiosity to me. In the last two weeks, it has become a necessity.

The idea that every area must be 'walkable' is a nice concept, but in reality, you need to have a certain amount of residential uses within a half mile (preferably within a quarter mile) of the area. McGaw road is missing that key component, and thus, does not have the foot traffic generation needed to supply a 'walkable' environment. This said, sidewalks should be placed on both sides of McGaw Road, and those sidewalks should continue down Dobbin Road toward Oakland Mills Road. The residential uses along and near Oakland Mills Road and Dobbin Road interchange might find that walk more appealing if they had sidewalks to use. The idea might be good for Snowden River Parkway so folks living in the townhomes near the intersection with Oakland Mills Road could also walk to that corridor more easily...although, the walk would be far less appealing than Dobbin Road given it's much higher traffic volume and lack of trees.

Who is going to walk to any grocery store w/ the idea of doing a great deal of shopping? Groceries are heavy & bulky & large orders require a vehicle unless you wish to use up your savings by hiring a cab. Attempting to lug multiple plastic bags full of purchases is a nightmare on the bus as well. So installing sidewalks is no answer. The proposed food store in the current Howard Hughes building has ONE residential development within walking distance & that is the Town Center Apartments. Who in their right minds is going to lug heavy bags of groceries & sundry items up the hill which is Little Patuxent Parkway to their apartment? The Oakland Mills Food Lion, the Harper's Choice Safeway & the Owen Brown Giant ALL had the right idea. They are located in village centers right in the middle of housing clusters! The problem w/ Wegman's is a lack of foresight in their location as well as their assumption that the second floor liquor store would be a fait accompli: if they built it, the county officials would allow it to operate.

I can't believe that someone would write in complaining that they can't walk to the new Wegmans! I am totally surprised that these people were not consulted about Wegmans location, size, products, etc to make sure that the store would be just right for them. And they are afraid the Village Center stores may go out of business?, Well then lets not consider that market forces change in a Capitalistic Society. Only someone who is employed by the Gov't would miss that one. VERY FUNNY INDEED.

Wegmans is part of the solution to the changing times facing Columbia. Now Columbia needs better roads, sidewalks, and bike paths to move the people around in the most efficient manner. The world, today, is not what was envisioned by the designers of Columbia some 45 plus years ago! Columbia needs to meet the demands of today's society and be proactive to stay on the leading edge of services. I want my money's worth from my CA taxes!

This is a great discussion. Now we need representatives from Howard County and Columbia Association to explain who is responsible for what. I think many folks are confused as to who does what. For instance, we do not pay taxes to CA. We pay taxes to Local government.