Back to Portfolio Crescent Neighborhood Master Plan

Howard Hughes Corp

Location Columbia, Maryland

Following the 2005 Columbia Town Center Charrette and the 2010 adoption of the Downtown Columbia Plan, Design Collective prepared multiple neighborhood-specific master plans and design guidelines for Downtown Columbia’s continuing revitalization and transformation. For the Crescent Neighborhood, Design Collective prepared several detailed master plan options; achieved Final Development Plan (FDP) approval; and composed a full set of design guidelines including urban design, architecture, streetscape, open space, signage, and sustainability criteria.

These efforts have led to the construction of the neighborhood’s first new mixed-use commercial buildings including the built Merriweather One, an eight-story signature commercial building, designed by Design Collective, with Class A office space, and ground-level amenities and a restaurant fronting a public plaza and shared-use path. Merriweather One is sited in Area 1 of Crescent which surrounds Merriweather Post Pavilion and Symphony Woods. An additional office building is currently under construction adjacent to Merriweather One; a tiered terrace with integrated, innovative stormwater facilities and boardwalk provides outdoor amenity space for both buildings. In total, Area 1 will consist of 2 office buildings at approximately 335,000 gsf of office, a 1,200-car garage, a hotel, and a small retail pavilion. To the east and south of Area 1, additional mixed-use development is planned, including a new signature Cultural Arts Center.

Additionally, Design Collective prepared streetscape and open space construction documents and construction administration for the first 3 full blocks of Warfield.　 Design elements include a new public promenade with play sculptures, environmental art, outdoor seating and dining, lighting, pedestrian crosswalks, and bike facilities/sharrows.　 The streetscape additionally includes an innovative stormwater management approach that links green roofs, on-site bio-retention, internal private courtyards, and street tree planters that collect and filter stormwater from the site and adjacent streets.

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