The fate of a plan to radically change the face of downtown Columbia over the next three decades is now in the hands of county officials.

Chicago-based developer General Growth Properties Inc. this week formally submitted to Howard County officials the documents necessary for the company to move forward with its long-awaited 30-year plan to redevelop Town Center with 5,500 residential units, 1.25 million square feet of retail space, nearly 5 million square feet of office space and up to 640 hotel rooms.

Greg Hamm, regional vice president and general manager of Columbia for General Growth, said the plan retains much of the input the company has received from residents over the years.

"This is the community's plan essentially," Hamm said. "They've been part of it from the beginning."

The 82-page plan, which requires the approval of the County Council, calls for the creation of five distinct neighborhoods -- Warfield, The Lakefront, The Crescent, Merriweather and Symphony Overlook -- designed to incorporate a mix of residential, commercial and retail development to make the downtown area more urban and pedestrian-friendly. The neighborhoods would connect more directly with the Columbia mall, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Symphony Woods and Lake Kittamaqundi, with broad pedestrian walkways lined by shops, cafés, fountains and gardens.

"What we do with downtown Columbia is probably the most important decision the council will make in this term," said County Council chairwoman Courtney Watson. "When we finally get (the plan) in the County Council, we'll take as much time as needed to make sure the final product is good for Howard County."

General Growth bought Columbia's original developer, The Rouse Co., in 2004 and acquired all of Rouse's assets, including the mall and Merriweather Post Pavilion. The plan's submission to the county is the latest step in a process that began in October 2005, when county officials held a series of public meetings intended to generate input on the future of downtown Columbia.

Three-phase plan

Each of the three phases in General Growth's downtown redevelopment plan would take roughly 10 years to complete, though some of the work in the second or third stages might begin before the first is fully complete, Hamm said. The first phase would include 483,176 square feet of retail, roughly 1 million square feet of office, 1,640 residential units and 250 hotel rooms.

There is no set schedule on which neighborhood would begin construction first, Hamm said, and it is possible construction might begin in several of them at once.

Building heights vary within the neighborhoods, with the highest proposed heights up to 20 stories, or a maximum of 250 feet.

The plan envisions major changes at Merriweather Post Pavilion, which would serve as the hub of a new arts district that could eventually include a children's theater, enhanced public library and other changes to Symphony Woods that would make the area easier to access.

In addition to a new library, General Growth's plan calls for new fire and police stations and a new Columbia Visitor Center, which would include the Columbia Archives.

An environmental sustainability component anticipates stream and wetland restoration not only in Symphony Woods and the new neighborhoods, but around much of Howard County. Among the goals are increasing wildlife habitat, getting rid of invasive plants, combating erosion and buffering streambeds, and adding up to 15,000 new trees.

A major part of the plan is an attempt to reduce the number of car trips residents take. A new transit center would be created in downtown, along with a shuttle bus that would loop around the entire area, with the goal of residents "parking once" and walking or taking public transportation to wherever else they need to go downtown.

The transit center could help make the case to state and county authorities to expand regional public transit, including adding commuter bus lines, light rail or even a future extension of the Metro Green Line, the plan states.

Parking garages would be multi-level, not flat surfaces, and would be incorporated in a way that would make them less obtrusive, Hamm said.

'Mixed income' housing

On the residential side, the plan lays out the goal of having "mixed income" housing in the community by reserving 20 percent for targeted income populations. The design of 10 percent of the units would make them affordable to people who make 80 to 120 percent of the county's median income, roughly $80,000 to $120,000.

Another 10 percent, or 550 units, would be for people making less than 80 percent of the median income, or less than $80,000. For those residents, General Growth would set up a foundation that would run a subsidy program to help bring the units within the economic reach of those residents. To pay for the program, developers would be charged $4,000 per unit, retailers would pay 5 cents per square foot of leasable space and General Growth would contribute $5 million, the plan states.

The plan also touches on General Growth's opinion regarding the village centers in Columbia, which it does not own. The centers should be considered in tandem with downtown development, according to the plan, creating a balance between retail in the two places.

At least 75 percent of ground floor space in the village centers should be for retail or community use and all plans should be reviewed by the individual village boards with a minimum of three public meetings, the plan states.

In order to gain approval for the development plan, General Growth this week filed several documents with the county: a general plan amendment, zoning regulation amendment, adequate public facilities amendment and reports on design guidelines, traffic and the environment.

The company will submit documents by the end of the year to apply for tax increment financing, a method through which bond sales would pay for the construction of particular projects and be paid back through new taxes paid by the people using the facilities. This financing method, which can only be used for public building, will be sought to fund the construction of parking facilities, Hamm said.

Next up: planners

In the next step in the approval process, the county Department of Planning and Zoning will put out a report on the plan. That report will go to the Planning Board, which will hold public hearings and work sessions, and then make recommendations.

Planning Director Marsha McLaughlin said her department has been preparing for the review for a long time and has two teams in place, one to review the general plan, the other the zoning.

She said her staff will issue a report on the plan in about a month, and the public will have a month to review the comments. Other county agencies, such as Recreation and Parks, will review the plan as well.

"I certainly think on a project like this there will be a back-and-forth, with GGP responding to the citizens' comments," she said.

The Planning Board recommendations will go on to the County Council, which also will hold public hearings and work sessions before making the final decision.

The company hopes to get Planning Board approval in late fall and go before the County Council in the spring of 2009, Hamm said.

Watson, however, said that timetable is "optimistic" and the council would take "as much time as we need."

Staff writer Jennifer Broadwater contributed to this article.

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