Columbia developer breaks ground on 9-story complex downtown

It has been more than a decade since a new commercial office building was built in downtown Columbia, a drought some say contributed to a vapid atmosphere downtown.

David Costello knows the story, and the environment, all too well because his company, Costello Construction, was the last to build an office structure more than 12 years ago.

"It's starting to become more vibrant, but it was dead. It was dead for 10 years," said Costello, whose offices are located on the downtown lakefront. "I sit at my office and look out and won't see anybody for three or four hours at a time."

On Tuesday, Costello and his business partner, Kingdon Gould Jr., a 90-year-old developer and former U.S. ambassador, took a step toward reviving the area by breaking ground on Little Patuxent Square -- a nine-story, $75 million mixed-use commercial building to be built on a vacant lot between the lakefront and the Columbia Mall.

Costello said the project is a true mixed-use. It will house 160 condominium units and 160,000 square feet of office and retail. He said 120,000 square feet of the project has been pre-leased to a Maryland-based technology company, but did not disclose the name.

The project also will house 740 below-ground parking spaces. It is expected to be complete in July2016.

Development of the site has been a long time coming and has caused anxiety among residents. A former owner proposed building a 22-story building on the site, but eventually abandoned the plan, which was opposed, after encountering financial troubles during the recession.

The property sat idle until Costello bought it in 2012 and began working on the current project. He said the ground-breaking signifies a new beginning for downtown.

"It means more to me, frankly, as a member of the community than it does as a business person. And I mean that sincerely," Costello said. "I love the fact that it means more people. It means we are bringing people, bringing jobs, bringing commerce. As a guy who sits in a desk 100 yards away, I want to see people."

Gould said he like the idea of developing in Columbia and that he thought it was ideal for this kind of project.

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Columbia developer breaks ground on 9-story complex downtown