September 2, 2026
‘Don’t Stand Still’: 4 Takeaways From Bisnow’s Howard County State Of The Market Event
Howard County’s prime location, diverse business base, above-average consumer demographics and deep labor pool make it a magnet for companies weighing where to grow. But those advantages alone won’t keep the county ahead, a panel of elected and appointed officials, developers and business leaders agreed at a recent Bisnow State of the Market event at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Columbia.
The discussion highlighted several factors shaping Howard County’s commercial real estate landscape and the considerations influencing its future. Here are four takeaways from the conversation.
Howard County can’t coast on its advantages, Ball warns.
“Howard County must continually re-write and reinvent itself to remain a national model of success,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.
In his opening remarks, Ball described Howard County’s strength as “built on the collaboration of the private and public sectors.” But he also cautioned that “communities do not thrive by simply standing still.” Instead, he said, “stakeholders need to continually work together to explore and implement programs and initiatives to remain competitive.”
Merriweather District wins by filling the “spaces in-between the spaces”
Gabriel Chung, Senior Vice President of Development, Howard Hughes Communities, credited Merriweather District’s staying power to the company’s focus on what he calls “the spaces in-between the spaces.” He explained that a commercial office or retail building “extends well beyond the four walls,” and that well-programmed outdoor spaces “serve as amenities which capture the attention and imagination of businesspeople and the surrounding community.”
Chung added that Howard Hughes invests considerable resources to curate those public spaces – with an emphasis on outdoor plazas – through event programming that targets different audiences but with a shared goal: “activating the spaces with energy, people and events which promote togetherness and a sense of community.” That ongoing programming, he said, “pulls everything together” and positions Merriweather District as the central gathering place for Howard County and Columbia.
That same willingness to respond to changing needs extends beyond Merriweather District. He also credited Howard County officials for rezoning retail land for industrial use at Columbia Gateway. “The retail designation was not working and we wanted to react to what the market was telling us,” Chung said. “It is extremely important to be adaptable due to ever-changing market conditions.”
Office demand is coming back because people crave human interaction
Remote work is here to stay but, according to Jim Lighthizer, Principal, Managing Partner, Chesapeake Real Estate Group, the office sector will eventually recover “because people, by their nature, are social creatures and crave human interaction.” He credited Howard County officials for helping advance several new industrial developments that are either underway or have been recently delivered, but said “more work needs to be done to stand up to community activists who frequently don’t have any basis for their claims, other than they don’t want a change in their traffic.”
“The general public respects commercial real estate and economic development when the economy is not going well, but when unemployment is low the voices of NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) many times out-shout the desires of those who recognize the employment and tax revenue benefits of our industry,” Lighthizer said. “We hear it from our neighbors,” he added with a laugh. “Political leadership can help our business community by standing behind good pro-business policy.”
Flex/R&D space at Maple Lawn is nearly full, and more is on the way
Bill Jautze, Vice President, Leasing, St. John Properties, said the company has developed and manages more than 500,000 square feet of flex/R&D space in Howard County, nearly all of it leased, including all five buildings at the mixed-use Maple Lawn community. Two additional 35,000-square-foot buildings are under construction and Jautze expects both to be leased by the time they’re delivered this fall.
Jautze said that Ciena Corporation’s decision to lease more than 28,000 square feet at Maple Lawn and relocate its corporate headquarters there was driven by the community’s “walkable amenities, high-quality business environment and strategic advantage when looking to attract and retain talent.” As raw land becomes harder to assemble and entitle, he added St. John Properties is increasingly turning its attention to redevelopment opportunities.
Source:
https://www.citybiz.co/?p=897994&preview=1&_ppp=2729a0fe24
