Look, Columbia Gateway, a 30-year-old corporate office park, needs some new life, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman admitted Tuesday.

“It was the way things were going when we did it, but times have changed,” Kittleman said during a news conference at Universities Space Research Association. “Every single business owner I’ve met and talked to said we need to redevelop Gateway to make it the master economic engine that it can be. There’s so much potential right here.”

The idea is to apply the innovation district model, making it a place where big companies, institutions and startups are located. The idea has mostly been applied in cities (like Baltimore and Philly) as this generation’s answer to the office park. Even with Columbia’s unique history as a planned community, it’s a sign of the times to see such a development look to adopt the model.

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