Changes along the Route 1 corridor in Howard County will be incremental the next two dozen years, but officials want to plan now for the growth.
“We can either wait and react, or plan it to look and operate the way we collectively want it to be, and still handle the future growth,” said Harriet Levine, state project manager, speaking at the second meeting of the Route 1 Corridor Improvement.
Zoning changes are allowing for more residential and commercial development during the next five to 10 years, said Mina Hilsenrath, county chief of environmental and community planning.
Additional growth along the Route 1 corridor includes:
» About half of the 358 acres zoned for residential, retail and office space are under construction.
» Another 3,500 units and 1 million square feet of commercial are under review. These projects will be built in phases so roads, sewer and schools can be constructed to accommodate the growth.
Meanwhile, traffic will see a 150 percent growth by 2030, officials said. Interstates 95 and 295 are expected to be over capacity, which will mean more traffic along Route 1.
State officials and consultants are working to create a vision that balances a pedestrian-friendly design with one that can handle the increased development, Levine said.
Officials could have started earlier in securing state and federal funding for the revitalization, said Steve Lafferty, deputy director of the Department of Planning and Zoning.
“If we had gotten the money 18 months ago, we could be ahead of the development in place now,” he said.
