New Report Highlights Progress Made In Downtown Columbia Redevelopment Efforts

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A report highlighting the work done to redevelop downtown Columbia and looking ahead to the next five years has been released.

Howard County's 2023 Downtown Columbia Redevelopment Monitoring Report was first released in 2018. It's required to be updated every five years to ensure projects are falling in line with the Downtown Columbia Plan, which has a goal to revitalize downtown Columbia by creating a diverse, mixed-use, physically distinctive and human-scaled place with a rich variety of housing choices, business opportunities and recreational, civic, cultural and educational amenities.

“When envisioning Columbia, James Rouse hoped to create a place that fostered growth, where residents could live and work, and that respected the land - a city in a garden,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “Through our Downtown Columbia Plan, we aim to fulfill Rouse’s goals, while moving them forward into a new era. With his inspiration and the modern principles of a city, we hope to create an ecosystem brimming with fresh possibilities and a bright future.”

A few highlights from the report include:

• As of June 2023, 52 affordable units (26 very low income units and 26 middle income units) have been built in downtown Columbia. These equate to 3.5 percent of the total 1,671 units built so far and are the first affordable units to be occupied in downtown Columbia. Approximately $9 million has been contributed to the CDHC to support affordable housing in downtown Columbia.
• In 2021, construction was completed on the first major renovation in MPP’s history at a cost of approximately $60 million.
• Since 2018, the Columbia Association has made significant investments to upgrade the sound and electric capacity of the Lakefront Stage area.
• In 2020, HHH completed construction of Vivian C. “Millie” Bailey Park at Columbia Lakefront and opened a performance stage in Color Burst Park. The northbound US 29 off-ramp into the Merriweather District (the "jughandle") is under construction and scheduled for completion in 2024.
• Since 2018, there have been additional gathering spaces constructed throughout downtown Columbia. Most notable is Color Burst Park in the Merriweather District (Crescent Neighborhood), which is programmed with several community gathering events and includes an ice skating rink in the winter.
• Improvements and additions to the walking and biking network include the east-west Twin Rivers pathway alongside Twin Rivers Road, Pathways along Merriweather Drive and Symphony Woods Road, and connections to the Lake Kittamaqundi Loop pathway.