ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced the adoption of a bold and forward-looking vision for the Columbia Gateway Business Park, marking a milestone in Howard County’s path toward purposeful growth. Council Bill 66 was passed by the County Council on October 6, 2025, in a 4-1 vote and signed into law by Ball today. The Gateway Master Plan represents more than a year of intensive planning, community engagement, and expert collaboration. This transformational plan reflects Howard County’s response to sustained demand for housing, jobs, and commercial opportunities—and embodies the County’s commitment to shaping growth with intention.
This plan is about shaping the future we want for our county. Instead of reacting to growth, we are leading. Gateway as an Innovation District will create a place where innovation thrives, businesses grow, and residents can live, work, and play. It’s about opportunity and ensuring that our county remains not only the best place to start and grow a business but also to live and build a future.
Howard County remains focused on shaping its future through strategic reinvestment in areas with untapped potential. The 1,100-acre Gateway Business Park—already a vital job center—is being reimagined as a next-generation Innovation District, where collaboration, creativity, and connected living converge to support a thriving, inclusive community.
The Gateway Master Plan is a proactive vision supported by market demand for up to:
- 5,700-8,400 new housing units available to a mix of incomes
- 4,700-8,100 new jobs
- 1-1.8 million sq. ft. of new commercial office and innovation/flex office space
- 312,000 sq. ft of new retail and restaurants
Innovation Districts are major economic drivers in cities and regions throughout the world. But to be successful, they require vibrant, mixed-use, urban-like settings that facilitate social interaction and idea exchange. Building on Baltimore’s federal Tech Hub designation and the vision set forth in the master plan, Gateway is well-positioned to become the Region’s next Innovation District.
This visionary blueprint unlocks the untapped potential of an existing strategically located employment district that will catalyze business and housing investment. With 40% of the County’s land preserved for parks, agriculture, and open space—and just 2% remaining undeveloped, strategic redevelopment is essential.
The Gateway Master Plan redefines what a business district can be. By reimagining a decades old business and industrial park, the plan embraces a new era of dynamic, mixed-use development designed to foster innovation, attract talent, and create a vibrant environment where people and ideas naturally connect. Key features for the long-term vision include:
- An Innovation Hub—ideally located near the existing Maryland Innovation Center (MIC) offering research labs, coworking space, and places for partnership between businesses, universities, and startups.
- Nodes – Strategic locations, at future key intersections or around existing and future assets, intended for higher intensity mixed use redevelopment where retail and public gathering spaces will be concentrated
- The Woonerf—a pedestrian-oriented space designed for people, bicycles, and slow-moving cars, with an emphasis on bringing people together.
- Open Space—an interconnected framework of varying typologies including a linear park, urban plazas, neighborhood parks, pocket parks, and connection to the 3.1-mile CSX rail trail.
- A mix of flexible office space, residential housing, and public amenities attractive to global companies and local entrepreneurs.
- Multi-modal transportation, sustainability strategies, and public infrastructure that supports smart, resilient, and connected growth.
- A range of housing options to meet the needs of current and future residents, including aggressive inclusionary housing goals that meet the growing need for affordable, attainable homes.
"The Howard County Housing Affordability Coalition (HAC) is gratified that the final Gateway Master Plan requires 20 percent of all new residential development to be affordable," remarked HAC Coordinator Jackie Eng. "The 20 percent level," she continued, "aligns with the housing targets established in the HoCo By Design General Plan and recommended in the Housing Opportunities Master Plan. We recognize that this percentage sets a high bar. We are confident, however, that with Gateway's Innovation District purpose, and county and community leadership commitment, creative solutions will be found to meet the breadth of this exciting, redeveloped community's housing needs.”
From cybersecurity and defense contractors to scientific research, and technology corporations, Gateway is already home to many of the industries that will define the future economy. The Gateway Master Plan enhances this base by providing the space, infrastructure, and environment needed to attract more innovation-focused companies while also supporting a robust pipeline of local talent and workforce housing.
“The Innovation District is a unique economic development strategy intended to catalyze Gateway’s redevelopment,” said Jennifer Jones, CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. “We are envisioning a future that leverages our strategic location, existing market strengths and dynamic technological evolutions where cutting-edge businesses and employees want to work and call home.”
From the beginning, Howard County committed to transparency and public involvement in shaping the plan. Following the adoption of the County’s General Plan, HoCo By Design, in 2023, launched the planning process with a consultant team led by HOK, global experts in architecture and planning, along with Stilletto, a strategic market research firm that specializes in the creation and management of Innovation Districts, and Partners for Economic Solutions, a leading economics consultancy.
Together with the Department of Planning and Zoning, property owners, advisory committee members, and various Gateway stakeholders, helped structure a vision rooted in strategic redevelopment, innovation, and livability. Community input included:
- 3 public meetings with 400 participants
- 49 stakeholder meetings and focus groups
- 5 advisory committee meetings
- Over 420 public comments, emails, and submissions
Property owner Mickey Abrams of Abrams Development observes, “Gateway Innovation District represents a landmark opportunity to strengthen and fortify Howard County’s competitive position within the region. As there is a strong demand for housing close to employment opportunities, the Gateway Master Plan presents a critical and creative redevelopment opportunity that can help meet this demand while supporting one of our key employment centers.”
To inform the process, Howard County Executive Ball established the Gateway Master Plan Advisory Committee in March 2024. The committee includes Gateway property and business owners, business leaders, economic development experts, and advocates in housing, planning, and sustainability. Their role ensures the master plan is equitable, achievable, sustainable, and grounded in the community’s values.
“Vibrant communities like Columbia require evolution to meet the changing needs of those who live, work and visit here,” shared Columbia Association President/CEO and Gateway Advisory Committee member, Shawn MacInnes. “The promise and potential of the Gateway project allow us to ask important questions about what the future holds and how we best meet those opportunities and challenges. We are proud of our foundational role in this community and appreciate the recognition that our voice - as a primary landowner, resident advocate, service provider to enhance quality of life across Columbia and thought leader - is valued in this process. Columbia Association (CA) looks forward to a continued partnership with all stakeholders in the Gateway space to make our collective vision a reality.”
The Gateway Master Plan outlines a bold 30-year roadmap to balance economic opportunity, housing affordability, environmental stewardship, and vibrant placemaking—while ensuring the County’s unique sense of place remains protected.
“This is Howard County’s first major redevelopment initiative since the launch of the Merriweather District in 2019,” states Lynda Eisenberg, Director of DPZ. “It is a strategic plan that ensures a community that works for everyone—walkable, sustainable, and inclusive. The Gateway Master Plan opens the door to mixed-income, multigenerational housing, homeownership opportunities, and spaces where all generations can live and connect.”
For more information about the Gateway Master Plan, including the full Master Plan, visit https://www.howardcountymd.gov/gateway.