Little Patuxent Square Breaks Ground in Downtown Columbia

A new building that broke ground Tuesday in downtown Columbia will offer electric charging stations in its garage and a special space for Zipcars, Howard County officials say.

Called Little Patuxent Square, the project off Little Patuxent Parkway near Lake Kittamaqundi will include more than 140,000 square feet of office and retail space plus 160 luxury apartments when complete. It is the first concrete-frame office building in Columbia and the first major commercial structure being built in Columbia’s downtown in the last decade, according to a statement from Howard County.

“We are setting a new standard for quality development in Columbia,” David Costello, a partner in Little Patuxent Square who owns Costello Construction, said in the statement.

A Maryland technology company has already rented most of the office space at Little Patuxent Square, which is just beginning construction, according to Costello.

“The next chapter of Downtown Columbia is unfolding before our eyes,” Howard County Executive Ulman said of the groundbreaking on Tuesday morning off Little Patuxent Parkway.

The development is part of the Downtown Columbia Plan, which called for improvements including additional office space and housing that the County Council approved in 2010.

“It is exciting to see the plans we laid out coming to life,” said Howard County Councilwoman Mary Kay Sigaty, whose district includes Downtown Columbia. “Little Patuxent Square and other projects have been designed with the community in mind, and will add to the quality of life in Columbia.”

Construction is anticipated to be complete by 2016.

“This project is going to set a new standard for quality development in Columbia,” Council Vice Chair Courtney Watson said, “and we are all going to work to make sure that the vision we laid out together as a community stays on track.”

Photo Credit: Howard County Government