Crescent Neighborhood Master Plan

Following the 2005 Columbia Town Center Charrette and the 2010 adoption of the Downtown Columbia Plan, Design Collective prepared multiple neighborhood-specific master plans and design guidelines for Downtown Columbia’s continuing revitalization and transformation. For the Crescent Neighborhood, Design Collective prepared several detailed master plan options; achieved Final Development Plan (FDP) approval; and composed a full set of design guidelines including urban design, architecture, streetscape, open space, signage, and sustainability criteria.

These efforts have led to the construction of the neighborhood’s first new mixed-use commercial buildings including the built Merriweather One, an eight-story signature commercial building, designed by Design Collective, with Class A office space, and ground-level amenities and a restaurant fronting a public plaza and shared-use path. Merriweather One is sited in Area 1 of Crescent which surrounds Merriweather Post Pavilion and Symphony Woods. An additional office building is currently under construction adjacent to Merriweather One; a tiered terrace with integrated, innovative stormwater facilities and boardwalk provides outdoor amenity space for both buildings. In total, Area 1 will consist of 2 office buildings at approximately 335,000 gsf of office, a 1,200-car garage, a hotel, and a small retail pavilion. To the east and south of Area 1, additional mixed-use development is planned, including a new signature Cultural Arts Center.

Additionally, Design Collective prepared streetscape and open space construction documents and construction administration for the first 3 full blocks of Warfield.　 Design elements include a new public promenade with play sculptures, environmental art, outdoor seating and dining, lighting, pedestrian crosswalks, and bike facilities/sharrows.　 The streetscape additionally includes an innovative stormwater management approach that links green roofs, on-site bio-retention, internal private courtyards, and street tree planters that collect and filter stormwater from the site and adjacent streets.