DPZ: $65 Million Downtown Building Proposal Will Undergo Shortened Approval Process

A proposed $65 million, 9-story building planned for Downtown Columbia will be subject to a shortened county approval process because its approval has been grandfathered-in, according to the director of Howard County’s Department of Planning and Zoning.

Developers Costello Construction said it plans to start construction on the building in the next few months, which would likely be impossible if the proposal went through the 16-step process in place for development in Downtown Columbia.

The building is planned to include 160 apartments, 130,000 square feet of office space and 12,000 square feet of retail space.

The chair of the Town Center Community Association, Linda Wengel, questioned that pace. She contended the developers should be subject to the full 16-step downtown development process.

But Marsha McLaughlin, the director of DPZ, said the 1.5-acre site at the corner of Wincopin Circle and Little Patuxent Pkwy had approved plans before the downtown plan was put in place.

“There was only one property in all of downtown that had approved plans that had not been constructed,” said McLaughlin, referring to the site now owned by Costello.

In 2005, Florida developers planned to build a 22-story apartment building on the site. The plan was later approved by the planning board, but met with community backlash and lawsuits over the size of the building.

The developers later went bankrupt due to the economic downturn, according to McLaughlin.

Deputy County Solicitor Paul Johnson wrote a decision regarding the 22-story building, saying, “the county believes that any development of the 1.46-acre parcel would be subject to the downtown revitalization process for downtown Columbia,” according to a 2011 Baltimore Sun report.

Costello then bought the site for $3.5 million in 2012. Costello’s plan for a 9-story building was designed to address many of the concerns about the 22-story building, most of which revolved around its size.

David Costello, owner of Costello Construction, said the building will help the lakefront grow. He said having to go through the full 16-step development process would “make things very complicated.”

McLaughlin said she spoke with Costello and in the interest of transparency, he agreed to a shortened process. She said the developers would meet with the Town Center board, which they did with a preliminary proposal, then bring the plan in front of the design advisory panel for architectural recommendations and then go in front of the planning board for approval. Costello would also have to apply for a new building permit, according to McLaughlin.

“Under the old rules we always take site plans to the planning board,” said McLaughlin. “We feel it’s an appropriate modification so there’s an opportunity for the public to review and make comments.”

She said the final development plan for the area allows office and retail as a basic land use.

Wengel said in an email this plan ignores the zoning process set up under the downtown zoning amendment.

“I cannot believe that the traffic study conducted for the original building which was residential would suffice for a building that has significant commercial space as well as the same number of residences,” wrote Wengel. “I cannot believe that the county will ignore the idea of a total neighborhood concept plan where buildings would relate to one another both in bulk and placement. That is what our years of constructing the Downtown Plan tried to achieve and our board is very disappointed.”

She said the Town Center board has not taken a stand on the Costello building itself, only the process.

“This is a new project we have not seen in any detail at all,” wrote Lee Richardson, vice chair of the Town Center board, in an email. He added that traffic from retail businesses and the 160 apartments may overwhelm the area. “The design advisory panel and planning board will need to resolve many issues before the new building permit can launch construction.”

Costello Construction did not immediately respond for a request for comment on Monday. David Costello said last week detailed drawings of the building are not currently available because the design is in flux.