ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball yesterday announced next steps to advance the $68 million project to create a premier New Cultural Center (NCC), a countywide arts and culture center in Downtown Columbia. Originally called for in the 2010 Downtown Columbia Plan, the New Cultural Center is expected to break ground in early 2025.
“The New Cultural Center will be an exciting epicenter for dynamic visual and performing arts, not only for Downtown Columbia but throughout our county and region,” said Ball. “Building upon the legacy of Toby’s Dinner Theatre, this new public amenity will bring together arts, culture, education, and recreation opportunities for residents of all incomes and ages. Furthermore, the inclusion of critical workforce housing in this project will add to Downtown Columbia’s appeal as a place where people of all incomes can live, work, play, grow, and thrive.”
The NCC is one of five public facilities envisioned in the 2010 Downtown Columbia Plan, which seeks to create a premiere Downtown destination in Howard County. Through partnership with the nonprofit Columbia Center for the Theatrical Arts (CCTA), the Howard County Arts Council, and the Howard County Housing Commission, this major project will spur economic development through the performing and visual arts, while providing much-needed workforce housing in Downtown Columbia. The housing portion of the NCC, called Artists Flats, will contain 174 residential units across several mixed-income price points that will help serve Downtown Columbia’s growing and diverse workforce.
The NCC will be located on the current site of Toby’s Dinner Theater, which will be demolished as part of the redevelopment of the site. Construction of the NCC includes plans for a new, 340-seat dinner theater to support the existing Toby’s Dinner Theatre operation, which will be transferred to the nonprofit CCTA to run shows and provide community programs. The dinner theater component of the project is expected to be completed by Spring 2026. This marks an exciting new era of opportunity and expansion for Toby’s, which is a beloved community institution that regularly sells out shows to broad audiences. In addition to the dinner theater, the NCC will include a 200-seat Children’s Theatre programmed by CCTA and a 200-seat Blackbox Theater programmed by the Howard County Arts Council. These two theaters are expected to be complete by the Spring of 2028.
“Realizing how essential the arts are to a vibrant and inclusive community, visionary developer James Rouse invited Toby Orenstein to the new city of Columbia, Maryland to represent theatrical arts and she has done so strongly and proudly for over 50 years. Finally, after a lot of passionate hard work, Toby’s school, The Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, will now have a permanent home alongside a brand-new state-of-the-art Toby’s Dinner Theatre located in The New Cultural Center,” said Mark Minnick, Associate Producer of Toby’s Dinner Theater. “We are grateful and extremely excited to continue offering the best in education and live performance with the strong support of Howard County.”
Beyond the three performing arts venues, the project will include a 1,600 square foot public arts gallery curated by the Howard County Arts Council, an 800 square foot dance studio programmed by CCTA, and nearly 7,000 square feet of classroom space for arts education also programmed by CCTA. The synergy of these building uses creates opportunities for intergenerational arts programming and education, with a focus on ensuring access to the arts for young people of all incomes. All building components are anticipated to be complete by Spring of 2028.
“The Merriweather District is a major arts and cultural hub in Howard County and the region. We look forward to being part of the New Cultural Center and contributing to the vibrancy of Columbia’s art scene,” said Coleen West, Executive Director, Howard County Arts Council. “Our new gallery and community black box theatre will provide much-needed creative space for artists to present new work and for residents and visitors to readily enjoy and engage in the arts.”
The NCC is a mixed-use project that will also bring 174 new residential units to Downtown Columbia across several mixed-income price points. Mixed-income housing will be developed by the Howard County Housing Commission, which is responsible for facilitating the construction of 744 mixed-income housing units in Downtown Columbia under the 2016 Downtown Columbia Development Rights and Responsibilities Agreement (DRRA). Funding for this housing project was supported in part by the nonprofit Columbia Downtown Housing Corporation, which works to provide a full-spectrum and diverse mix of housing, ensuring that low-, moderate- and middle-income families have an opportunity to live in Downtown Columbia. The realization of this important progress will help meet a critical need for workforce housing in Howard County, underscoring County Executive Ball’s commitment to expanding housing affordability.
“We are extremely excited and pleased to begin construction on the first mixed-income residential development in Downtown Columbia, offering homes for people with a wide range of incomes, including educators, health care workers, and other valued members of the community,” Peter Engel, the Executive Director of the Howard County Housing Commission said. “Artists Flats will help to ensure that Downtown Columbia has a balanced mix of housing opportunities to truly serve Howard County. This will be a truly unique building in an amazing location.”
“We are proud to support the development of the New Cultural Center and help fund 87 units of affordable housing in Artist Flats for Downtown Columbia. This project reflects our commitment to partnerships that create inclusive and vibrant communities,” said Mary Ka Kanahan, President of Columbia Downtown Housing Corporation. “By investing $3.5 million in this project, we are helping to provide 87 units of affordable housing alongside a space where residents can come together to celebrate the rich cultural diversity of our community.”
