ELLICOTT CITY, MD – In his upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 capital budget, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball will request the release of $5 million in State funds that were received in FY 2024 and are currently held in contingency. This funding will support Howard County’s efforts to finalize plans for the new Howard County Library System (HCLS) Central branch in Downtown Columbia, which is called for in the Downtown Columbia Plan.
The existing Central branch was built in 1981 and is approximately 50,000 square feet in size, which is no longer the largest library in the county, particularly as a central branch. The building is also serving a greater population and demand on services, as the Downtown Columbia revitalization continues. Minor renovations to the building were completed in 2016 at a cost of $1.8 million, which supported interior alterations and interim fixes to ensure the continued use of the building. However, no major renovations have been completed in anticipation of the planned replacement of the Central branch. Since January 2024, more than 350 facilities and maintenance tickets have been submitted for the Central branch, more than any other branch in the system. Many of these maintenance tickets have included elevator issues, which continue to persist due to the age of the building systems and contribute to deferred maintenance of the building. As a result, the existing Central branch has exceeded its useful life and is in great need of replacement, or a major renovation.
A new HCLS Central branch is a major component of the Downtown Columbia Plan, passed unanimously by the County Council in 2010. Fifteen years after the passage of the plan, we are committed to realizing this project and replacing the existing Central branch, which is past its useful life and experiencing regular maintenance challenges. With this additional funding, we will ensure that the appropriate resources are available to identify a final site for the library and advance planning to move the project forward.
The $5 million in State funds proposed for FY 2026 will supplement $5 million in existing State funds that were previously approved by the Howard County Council in FY 2024. This budget action comes on the heels of a yearlong process that involved community engagement sessions and preliminary design work conducted by the County’s design consultant for the project, Arcadis.
Arcadis conducted a public survey which was completed by nearly 1,500 people. The survey sought information about the new Central branch location and the preferred timeframe for project implementation. In the survey, five potential locations were presented: the Merriweather District site, two different sites in the Lakefront District, a site at The Mall in Columbia and the existing Central branch site itself. Of these potential sites, the current Central branch site and the Lakefront site were ranked as the top two preferred locations for a new library. Additionally, more than 60 percent of respondents believe a new Central branch is needed within the next five years.
The survey also found that:
- Nearly 70 percent of respondents visit an HCLS branch weekly or monthly;
- Nearly three-quarters of respondents indicated they primarily use the library to borrow books;
- More than 90 percent specified checking out books and materials as the most important service a library can provide;
- The most important interior space for the new Central branch to feature is a children’s reading and activity area; and
- More than half of the respondents indicated that libraries are an important public amenity.
The community survey followed a series of in-person and virtual community engagement sessions, attended by 240 people and held to gather community feedback about how a new Central branch could best benefit Downtown Columbia and all of Howard County.
In December 2024, the County hired the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) to prepare various studies related to the Lakefront site option, one of the five sites that were shared with the community during the engagement sessions and survey. Specifically, MEDCO is studying options for satisfying the parking requirements associated with the use of the Lakefront site, and preparing a revenue study for the project to determine what level of revenue-generating potential of a new Central branch.
A Central branch was called for in the Downtown Columbia Plan, passed unanimously by the Howard County Council in 2010. In Spring 2023, Ball announced plans to fund a new Central branch in Downtown Columbia. Since that announcement, the County has completed the following key milestones in the planning process:
- March 2023: Ball announces plans for Lakefront Library project in Downtown Columbia
- May 2023: $5 million approved by the Council to advance planning efforts to review feasibility and financing options for Central branch locations
- Fall 2023: County hires Arcadis to support community engagement and planning efforts
- February 27, 2024: Arcadis hosts public engagement session
- March 14, 2024: Arcadis hosts public engagement session
- March 16, 2024: Arcadis hosts public engagement session
- March 21, 2024: Arcadis hosts public engagement session
- Spring 2024: County gathers public input on library project through survey
- September 23, 2024: County provides update to Library Board of Trustees on library planning process
- December 2024: County hires MEDCO to complete parking analysis, advance planning efforts, and develop funding options to support the library project.