ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball yesterday joined Erickson Senior Living to break ground on Phase 1 of the company’s new Oxford Hills development in Clarksville. A multi-phase project, the development’s master plan includes approximately 1,100 residences exclusively for seniors, complete with both independent living and continuing care units that allow residents to age comfortably within the community. Photos from the event can be found on Howard County Government’s Flickr website.
In 2019, we kicked off our Age-Friendly Howard County initiative, an initiative that is now driving infrastructure improvements and social participation programs to create a more inclusive and accessible community for all residents. As we continue to strive to make Howard County the best place to live, work, play, grow, thrive, and grow older for all, I would like to thank Erickson Senior Living for choosing to reinvest its resources locally, bringing economic development, housing, jobs and amenities to our great county. I look forward to seeing so many of our residents call Oxford Hills home.
Located at 12170 Clarksville Pike, Oxford Hills is Erickson Senior Living’s 26th community. Once complete, this full-service community will feature more than two million square feet of finished space and offer residents access to multiple dining venues, a pool and fitness center, a salon, game rooms, theater, and additional multifunctional spaces. The property will also feature a five-acre intergenerational park open to both residents and the public, with a dog park, versatile ball courts, a terraced outdoor gather space, and a shaded pavilion. Additionally, this project will also enhance Clarksville’s connectivity with its public multimodal pathways and sidewalk improvements along both sides of MD 108/Clarksville Pike in the vicinity of the property.
“We are excited to celebrate the start of Oxford Hills—a community we’ve long envisioned and are thrilled to bring to Howard County and the surrounding area,” said Gregg Colon, Chief Operating Officer, Erickson Senior Living. “We are deeply grateful for the support of local leaders, community partners, and everyone who believed in this vision. Together, we are building a community that will give seniors and their families something they have asked for: a place to live, grow, and thrive right here in Howard County.”
Planning for Oxford Hills began in 2017 and the first zoning petition was submitted to Howard County in November of 2018. The Board went on to painstakingly review this case over the course of 20 hearings and two whole years before they issued their final decision. In March of 2022, Erickson emerged with an approved concept plan and the requisite zoning, allowing the company to proceed to the administrative process for development approval. For the last four years, Erickson has worked through the site development process and with neighboring property owners to secure the necessary approvals to proceed to construction.
When complete in late 2028, Phase 1 of the project will deliver the first 172 independent living units across nearly 400,000 total square feet of finished space.
“I am grateful to Erickson for persevering through the decade-long approval process to bring this significant investment to Howard County,” said David Yungmann, Howard County Councilmember for District 5. “We spend so much effort focused on the process that we tend to forget how a community like this enhances the lives of its residents and their families.”
Moreover, construction of Oxford Hills will create roughly 300 construction jobs and 350 total full-time staff positions once the community is complete; Phase 1 alone is expected to support more than 100 full-time positions.
Erickson Senior Living is headquartered in Catonsville and is the second largest independent living provider in the United States with communities in 11 states.
“We look forward to Oxford Hills delivering exceptional service to our local seniors and helping them become part of the vibrant River Hill and Clarksville community,” said Chao Wu, Maryland State Delegate for District 9A.
Age-Friendly Howard County
This new development builds on the County’s “Age-Friendly Howard County” initiative, aimed at creating a supportive community that fosters safety, respect, and connection for residents and visitors of every age and ability. Between 2000 and 2025, Howard County’s 65+ population grew from seven to eighteen percent or by more than 42,000 total people. By 2040, the county’s 65+ population is expected to rise to 24 percent.
Just last month, Ball announced that the AARP Network of Age Friendly States and Communities had formally approved the County’s Age-Friendly Action Plan 2025-2029. Building on the foundation established by the County’s first Age-Friendly cycle, the Age-Friendly Howard County ACTION PLAN 2025-2029 outlines nearly 50 recommendations designed to improve quality of life for residents of all ages. The recommendations are organized across three key Pillars of Livability – Health and Wellbeing, Living and Mobility, and Community and Inclusion – that reflect the County’s priorities and the voice of the community.
Notable achievements under the Action Plan include:
- Launch of the Trualta Platform in October 2020. This web-based platform provides 24/7 educational and emotional support to family caregivers through the Family Caregiver Support Program completely free of charge. Since its launch, OAI has served more than 400 neighbors and earned a National Association of Counties award in 2024.
- Launch of the Ageism Awareness Campaign in October 2022 to promote positive perception of older adults. Winner of the USAging Innovation Award in 2024, the campaign includes training, community discussions, and the distribution of promotional materials.
- Unveiled Tables for Connection in March 2024. Located in County parks, these solar-powered, wheelchair accessible tables serve as Wi-Fi hotspots, charging stations, and quick resource hubs and are designed to increase social connectedness using age-friendly technology.
- Hosted the County’s first Virtual 50+ Employment Expo in May 2024. The event was attended by more than 600 50+ job seekers and 15 local employers; the second Expo in May 2025 featured more than 500 50+ job seekers and 15 local employers.
- Opened the first Age-Friendly Outdoor Fitness Lot in June 2024, providing residents with state-of-the-art exercise equipment for cardio and strength training to boost fitness, meet other health-minded people, and enjoy the benefit of being outdoors.
- Launched the Fall Prevention Initiative in July 2024 to address the high incidence of falls among older adults in Howard County, by bringing fall prevention resources directly to residents in 62+ communities through a collaborative effort between the County’s Department of Fire and Rescue Services, OAI, and Enterprise Residential Services.
- Expanded the Community Living Program in October 2024 thanks to a $1.25 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Since its inception in 2019, this program has provided home modification services to more than 1,100 older adults and their caregivers. This grant allowed the program to offer more expensive home modifications, such as stair glides, tub cuts, comfort height toilets, and ramps.
- In February 2026, OAI partnered with Enterprise Properties and the Howard County Police Department’s Animal Control Division to launch a new initiative aimed at helping low-income older residents care for and remain safely housed with their pets by providing free pet food and low-cost vaccination opportunities.
The County’s Department of Community Resources and Services’ Office on Aging and Independence (OAI) is currently planning the next generation of the County’s next age-friendly implementation through its 2026-2030 Action Plan, ensuring alignment across transportation, housing, social participation, and communication domains. In preparation, just last year, the OAI hosted seven Community Listening Sessions to gather community feedback on how to make Howard County safer, healthier, and more livable. The most urgent priorities raised by community members during these sessions were: housing, transportation, inclusion, longevity, and resiliency. This feedback will be used to guide the development of the 2026–2030 Action Plan’s key “Pillars of Livability” and overarching goals.
Creating Multi-Generational Living Arrangements
Additionally, Oxford Hills also supports the County’s HoCo By Design General Plan, adopted in 2023, which included policy direction to establish greater flexibility in housing. This included missing middle and other small housing types, like accessory dwelling units (ADUs), that may be appropriate for seniors to downsize to, as well as cottage cluster communities featuring smaller building footprints that share a common green. Just last month, Ball signed into law Council Bill 3-2026, expanding opportunities for the construction of ADUs, smaller, independent homes located on the same property as a primary residence, in Howard County. These units will allow seniors to remain in our community through multi-generational living arrangements.
There is also currently a proposal awaiting Planning Board consideration that would create a path to build senior-focused cottage clusters. The concept of these communities is to limit the size and design of the buildings to create smaller, age-restricted units that are constructed to share a common green space that encourages social engagement, care, and safety for all.