Downtown Columbia to Be Enriched by New Cultural Center and Affordable Housing in Howard County’s $68M Project

Howard County is gearing up to create a new community cornerstone. Executive Calvin Ball announced advances in developing a $68 million New Cultural Center (NCC) in Downtown Columbia, a venture hailed as a future hub for the arts, education, and living. According to a recent announcement by

Howard County

, this center, first envisioned in the 2010 Downtown Columbia Plan, is expected to break ground in 2025. Its aim is to blend culture, community, and affordable housing under one expansive roof.

Engulfing the legacy of Toby’s Dinner Theatre, the NCC project destined to serve the county and surrounding region will include a rebuilt 340-seat theater managed by the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts (CCTA), a 200-seat Children’s Theatre, and a 200-seat Blackbox Theater programmed by the Howard County Arts Council. Construction is anticipated to be fully complete by Spring 2028, Calvin Ball told

Howard County’s press release

.

The site is set to offer a medley of artistic attractions, including a public art gallery, a dance studio, and classrooms dedicated to arts education, designed to foster a diverse and intergenerational arts community. This news comes bundled with confirmation of workforce housing developments on the site, amounting to 174 residential units known as ‘Artists Flats,’ intended to cater to a mix of income brackets. This aspect is closely tied to Ball’s expansion strategies for housing affordability in the area.

In conjunction with the cultural overtures of the NCC, the Artists Flats aim to balance the housing spectrum for downtown residents, with the Howard County Housing Commission taking charge of the mixed-income development; this collaborative effort bears the fruit of notable investments like the $3.5 million from the Columbia Downtown Housing Corporation, which goes toward securing the affordability of 87 units, Mary Ka Kanahan, the corporation’s President, warmly noted in a statement.

The NCC is a testament to Howard County’s commitment to fostering a collaborative environment where the arts serve as a linchpin for economic vitality and inclusive societal growth—as expounded by Calvin Ball and echoed by community partners like CCTA and the Howard County Arts Council. As the project’s plan shapes reality, it is primed to augment Columbia’s landscape by adding a slice of culture and a tangible sense of community.

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