Long Reach Village Center’s redevelopment has taken some steps forward, but still awaits an official go-ahead.
The most recent attempts to revamp the Columbia center started in 2020, after Howard County Executive Calvin Ball dubbed his vision for the center Long Reach Rising, seeing it as “a premier hub for the arts, STEM, and entrepreneurism,” according to a 2023 news release.
Developers met with the Design Advisory Panel on Aug. 13 to present a concept plan and discuss the latest on the redevelopment efforts for the Tamar Drive center.
It would build on the 2012 Long Reach Village Center Community Plan and the ReImagine Long Reach Village Center Plan completed in 2016, the release said. The Long Reach Village Center is the only Columbia center owned by the county; it has owned the center since 2014.
The vision and framework for the Long Reach Village Center is focused on reducing vacancy, improving facades, and stabilizing the property, according to county spokesperson Safa Hira.
“Village Centers are the heart of Columbia’s master planned neighborhoods,” Hira said. “They are essential spaces for communities to meet, shop, play and connect. The redevelopment of the Long Reach Village Center will revitalize the area and spur new economic activity by creating jobs and bringing activity to this community hub.”
Where does the project stand?
The mixed-use development project proposes 255 multifamily units, 50 town homes and 165 senior housing units.
The development site will also have amenities such as a sports complex, an art center, 12 volleyball courts and a Columbia Association center. It will also include retail, a grocery space and a combination surface, structured and underground parking spaces.
These are all preliminary figures and can change as the project moves into the site development plan phase, according to Project Manager Heather Snyder.
At the core of this development are the concepts of connectivity, sustainability, pedestrian-friendly and public space, and how they “come together,” project architect Patrick McGowan said at the August meeting.
The project will also establish pedestrian-only streets in certain regions.
At the meeting, panel members highlighted concerns with projected traffic that would be generated within and around the complex.
Vice Chair Ethan Marchant expressed concern about the confusing layout and the traffic that would result from its development. He questioned whether the “morphed block structure” would support the flow of cars. Marchant sees the proposed plans as creating “a little city” instead of a village center.
“You’re talking about a lot of cars here compared to what’s there now and so I’m not sure if this is proposing street improvements,” Marchant said during the meeting.
McGowan assured that this was something architects were trying to address. They are working with a traffic consultant to investigate, he said.
“It’s early on, but we are doing our analysis and due diligence,” he said.
Traffic impact studies have not yet been submitted. Preliminary traffic studies have been completed to help shape the concept plan, Snyder said, and a more “thorough and comprehensive” study will be conducted as part of the upcoming development review process.
Kellie Hollenbeck, chair of the advisory panel, worried about the density of the plan and potential congestion. She questioned if everything that is being packed into the development space and requested by the community was needed or if it would result in a vacant property. Although a “gorgeous” plan, she does not see the vision.
“It might be suffering from trying to accomplish too much,” she said. “I think there is a nice nod to trying to be pedestrian-centric, but it’s also not fully developed in a way I think really celebrates that.”
The next step is for the developer, Columbia Concepts, to submit a preliminary development plan to the county Department of Planning and Zoning. Before that can happen, the advisory panel requires the developers to come back with a more comprehensive concept plan, a more thorough circulation plan for traffic and with an “understanding of James Rouse’s vision of village centers,” Marchant said.
“We remain committed to keeping the community and stakeholders informed as the project progresses through each stage,” Snyder said.
Construction is expected to be completed by January 2034,according to the project website; it will be a phased development.
History of Long Reach Village
The once-thriving village center opened in 1974 with an arts and crafts theme chosen by the village residents.
The growth of newer commercial centers nearby and changing market conditions led to a “disinvestment and high vacancy rates” at the center; the anchor Safeway grocery store closed in 2012.
In 2014 and 2015, under the Urban Renewal Law, the county purchased parts of the village center — including office space, ground floor retail space and the space previously occupied by Safeway — for $7.5 million.
Efforts to revamp the community hub have experienced delays — in 2019 Orchard Development Corp., a private development firm approved by the County Council, announced that it would no longer pursue redeveloping the village center due to site acquisition challenges, Hira said.
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