The Nation's Largest Provider of Wireless Infrastructure willOccupy 31,000 Square Feet of New Office Space in the Merriweather District
The Howard Hughes Corporation® (NYSE: HHC) announced today that Crown Castle, the nation's largest provider of shared communications infrastructure will expand its Maryland presence to the new Merriweather District in Downtown Columbia. The corporate office will relocate to One Merriweather, a new office building in the 391-acre core of Columbia, MD, being revitalized by The Howard Hughes Corporation.
“We are excited to move our Baltimore-Washington headquarters to One Merriweather as the new Merriweather District continues to grow into a centrally located and vibrant destination between two of our largest markets,” said Lewis Kessler, Vice President and Northeast General Manager, Crown Castle.
Crown Castle’s move to Downtown Columbia is the latest announcement surrounding The Howard Hughes Corporation’s redevelopment of Columbia’s town center into a burgeoning business district and walkable urban core. The dynamic transformation of the Merriweather District is emblematic of the many creatively-driven projects across the company’s portfolio, including Hughes Landing® in the Houston, Texas community of The Woodlands® and Downtown Summerlin® in Las Vegas, Nevada, where development has accelerated to meet market demand for live-work-play environments.
"It is wonderful to see successful and innovative companies like Crown Castle choose to bring their employees to the Merriweather District and be one of the first to enjoy the new urban concepts coming to Downtown Columbia," said John DeWolf, Regional President, Columbia, The Howard Hughes Corporation. “One Merriweather is truly benchmarking excellence for office development offerings - not just in Columbia but across the United States.”
Crown Castle is scheduled to move in as early as June of this year, and will occupy approximately 31,000 square feet on all of the fourth floor and a portion of the thirdfloor of the eight-story, 200,000-square-foot signature office building.
The Merriweather District’s One Merriweather is located on the corner of Little Patuxent and Broken Land Parkways, and features LEED Silvercertification, almost 10,000square feet of retail space on the ground floor, and provides a uniquely customizable space situated in an environment of natural beauty. The building’s lead tenant is MedStar Health.The Wecker Hospitality Group’s innovative restaurant, Cured, and modern speakeasy, 18th&21st, will open on the ground floor in May.
The Merriweather District’s revitalization will include 2,300 residences, a 250-room hotel, over 1.5 million square feet of office space, and 314,000 square feet of street-level retail with a central park. Environmental enhancements, such as reforestation and stream restorationare already underway. Once complete, it is set to become a prime example of Columbia founder James Rouse’s vision of “A City in a Garden.”
At full build-out, the Downtown Columbia revitalization will include 14 million square feet of mixed-use development comprised of 4.3 million square feet of commercial office space, 1.25 million square feet of street retail, 6,244 residential units and 640 hotel rooms.
About Crown Castle
Crown Castle owns, operates and leases more than 40,000 cell towers and approximately 60,000 route miles of fiber supporting small cells and fiber solutions across every major US market. This nationwide portfolio of communications infrastructure connects cities and communities to essential data, technology and wireless service – bringing information, ideas and innovations to the people and businesses that need them. For more information on Crown Castle, please visit www.crowncastle.com.
About The Howard Hughes Corporation®
The Howard Hughes Corporation owns, manages and develops commercial, residential and mixed-use real estate throughout the U.S. Its award-winning assets include the country’s preeminent portfolio of master planned communities, as well as operating properties and development opportunities including: The Seaport District NYC in New York; Columbia, Maryland; The Woodlands®, The Woodlands Hills, and Bridgeland® in the Greater Houston, Texas area; Summerlin®, Las Vegas; and Ward Village® in Honolulu, Hawai?i. The Howard Hughes Corporation’s portfolio is strategically positioned to meet and accelerate development based on market demand, resulting in one of the strongest real estate platforms in the country. Dedicated to innovative placemaking, the company is recognized for its ongoing commitment to design excellence and to the cultural life of its communities. The Howard Hughes Corporation is traded on the New York Stock Exchange as HHC. For additional information visit www.howardhughes.com.
About Downtown Columbia
A development of The Howard Hughes Corporation®, Downtown Columbia is located at the center of Columbia, MD, one of the first master planned communities in the U.S. founded by legendary developer James W. Rouse in 1967. Conveniently located between Washington, DC and Baltimore, Columbia is comprised of 14,000 acres including ten completed residential villages and a deep pipeline of commercial development opportunities within its Downtown. At full buildout, the redevelopment of Downtown Columbia willinclude three new and reconfigured neighborhoods – Merriweather District, Lakefront District and Central District featuring more than 14 million square feet of residential, office, hotel, retail, cultural, and public uses including public parks, trails and more.
The underdeveloped core of Columbia became the subject of an extensive five-year process that culminated with the passage by the Howard County government of the Downtown Columbia Plan in 2010, a guide to creating a vital area in which residents can live, shop, work, entertain, exercise, and enjoy cultural opportunities in an enriched natural setting. More information is available at www.howardhughes.com/properties/downtown-columbia.
