Columbia developer General Growth Properties Inc. this week submitted a request to Howard County officials that, if approved, would allow the company to move forward with its plan to redevelop downtown Columbia over the next 30 years.

Some aspects of the 30-year master plan include:

* 5,500 new residential units, five million square feet of new office space, 1.25 million square feet of new retail space, new cultural amenities and an improved transportation system;

* Five distinct neighborhoods in Town Center, including Warfield, The Lakefront, The Crescent, Merriweather and Symphony Overlook;

* Walkways connecting the Columbia mall, Symphony Woods and Lake Kittamaqundi;

* Better pedestrian connections from downtown to the villages of Wilde Lake and Oakland Mills;

* A transit center intended to encourage walking, biking and the use of buses, and the creation of a nonprofit Transportation Management Association to oversee a new transit system downtown;

* A Tax Increment Financing plan to fund portions of the infrastructure downtown, including public parking garages;

* A new arts and culture area in the vicinity of Symphony Woods and Merriweather Post Pavilion, and the creation of a new Downtown Cultural Commission;

* A community housing fund to provide a variety of housing options; and

* An "umbrella" community organization to implement service and community functions.

Source: General Growth Properties Inc.

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