Elkhorn Crossing, Columbia, MD

Abstract

The general context analysis of Owen Brown Village Center will analyze the current arrangement and ownership of the buildings on the site, as well as traffic and pedestrian uses around the site. This analysis will also make general suggestions for how to increase the value of the property for the developer. A site tour of Owen Brown Village Center revealed that the village center is not walkable in its present state because of its expansive parking lot. The site suffers from a poor location within Columbia. Village centers east of U.S. Route 29, including Owen Brown Village Center, have struggling to compete with big box stores northeast of the site along Dobbin Road and Snowden River Parkway.1 One way to remedy this struggle is to increase residential options in the vicinity. Another is to convert to the property into a live-work community with a retail component.