Downtown Columbia burgeoning as employment hub

In the four years since the approval of the Downtown Columbia Plan a master guiding document aimed at revitalizing the heart of Howard County's core city Columbia Town Center's progress toward becoming a true urban destination has been marked by the addition of high-profile restaurants and retailers, the renovation and expansion of city landmarks and the construction of a new, modern apartment building.

This week, its progress will be marked by what some say is the biggest boon so far: the opening of the county's first Whole Foods Market, which occurred Wednesday inside the community's iconic, Frank Gehry-designed lakefront building.

But, according to county officials, the revitalization is not just about adding mouth-watering restaurants, high-end retail and arguably the nation's most coveted grocer. It's also about putting in the work and making downtown a thriving employment center.

"There has to be more than just some great retail and cool apartments," said Mark Thompson, the county's director of downtown redevelopment. "For the Downtown Columbia Plan to be successful, the employment piece needs to be there. And it needs to be there in a big way."

And although it hasn't been as obvious, downtown's growth as a destination for employers has grown in lock step with its other, higher-profile amenities. According to Thompson, in spring 2012 the vacancy rate for the 19 office buildings in downtown was 21 percent. In just two years, that number has dropped to 14 percent. If you exclude the American City Building a nine-story lakefront structure with high vacancies that owner Howard Hughes Corp. is in the midst of evaluating Thompson said that number drops to 8 percent.

It's a trend that he and others, such as County Executive Ken Ulman, say shows progress in the revitalization of the downtown's employment base.

"Town Center, like any downtown, can only thrive when it has balance," Ulman said. "There has been a lot of demand for retail in downtown, and the residential is coming along. ... but the important third leg of the stool has to be the office product."

Ulman said one tangible sign of progress was the July groundbreaking of Little Patuxent Square, a nine-story, mixed-use building in the lakefront neighborhood that will house 160,000 square feet of office space, in addition to residential and retail. The structure, built by Costello Construction, was the first new commercial building in downtown in more than a decade.

"Costello's project was important because it's a sign that the demand is there," Ulman said. "It's a really important validation of the economy."

Renovations and relocations

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Downtown Columbia burgeoning as employment hub