Howard Hughes Corp. to Infuse $325M Into Maryland Redevelopment

Rendering of the planned medical office building in Downtown Columbia’s Lakefront District. Image courtesy of Studio Red Architects

The Howard Hughes Corp. plans to invest $325 million in Downtown Columbia’s Lakefront District, as part of the larger 391-acre redevelopment of the central area of Columbia, Md. Slated to come online in phases in the next several years, the neighborhood’s new development will include medical office space, as well as residential and retail components.

The first project to benefit from HHC’s investment is an 86,000-square-foot medical office building. The four-story facility is set to rise at 10277 Little Patuxent Parkway in the southern part of the district, adjacent to a Whole Foods Market. Completion is expected in early 2024.

Designed by Studio Red Architects to achieve both LEED Platinum and Fitwel certifications, the property will feature 20,000-square-foot floorplates and abundant parking. Amenities are slated to include a lobby lounge and boardwalk-style public terrace, as well as space for exercise classes and other health and fitness activities.

READ ALSO: Howard Hughes Corp. Buys $600M Master-Planned Community

Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland, a division of The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics, has already leased approximately 20 percent of the upcoming building. When HHC’s project will be completed, the health-care provider will relocate its Columbia office from 10710 Charter Drive, some 2 miles west of the new address.

The development site is less than 2 miles north of Columbia’s city center, along the south shore of Lake Kittamaqundi, across from The Mall in Columbia. The location is steps away from three other medical office buildings at 10840, 11055 and 11085 Little Patuxent Parkway.

According to CommercialEdge, HHC’s medical facility will be the first addition to Columbia’s medical office supply in the past 7 years. The master-planned community’s current stock comprises 11 medical office buildings that were completed between 1974 and 2015.

The vision behind the Lakefront District

HHC’s vision for Lakefront District comprises various residential, retail and entertainment venues. Some of the district’s newest components, slated for a 2022 opening, feature The Collective, a dining and entertainment concept, and The 3rd, a non-profit venture supporting women-of-color entrepreneurs.

Rendering of residential buildings in Downtown Columbia’s Lakefront North neighborhood. Image courtesy of Handel Architects

In the north end of the neighborhood, plans call for three residential buildings totaling 675 units, complemented by street retail and enhanced green spaces that will replace a current parking lot.

In addition, Wincopin Circle will be extended and reconfigured as a pedestrian-oriented street. The project’s first phase will require an investment of more than $280 million over the next several years. When completed, the Lakefront District will include up to 2 million square feet of new development.

Recently, HHC also announced a $10 million investment in the renovation of Central District’s Corporate Row office campus, a seven-building, 1 million-square-foot property located on Little Patuxent Parkway, as well.

A new Downtown Columbia underway

Situated within the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., corridor, Columbia’s urban core is being rejuvenated by HHC in accordance with the Downtown Columbia Plan, a 30-year program for the revitalization and redevelopment of the master-planned community dating from 1967. The plan was approved by the Howard County Council in 2010 and subsequently amended in 2016.

At full buildout, the redevelopment of Downtown Columbia will include more than 14 million square feet of mixed-use construction across three reconfigured neighborhoods: Merriweather District, Lakefront District and Central District. Plans call for 4.3 million square feet of commercial office space, 1.3 million square feet of street retail, more than 6,200 apartments and 640 hotel rooms.