Other Corridor Initiatives

Columbia Pike Initiative

To proactively stem the tide of minimal investment and/or disinvestment in the Columbia Pike Corridor, the County Board announced the creation of the Columbia Pike Initiative in 1998. The goal of this initiative is to build a safer, cleaner, more competitive and vibrant Columbia Pike community. Through the course of numerous meetings with the community in 2000 and 2001, a long-range vision and plan was established that focused on economic development, land use and zoning, urban design, transportation and public infrastructure initiatives, as well as existing and future open space and recreational needs. The development of the resulting two-volume Columbia Pike Initiative - A Revitalization Plan, adopted in March 2002, was a cooperative effort between County staff, the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO); and area residents, business, and property owners.

Columbia Pike Special Revitalization District Form Based Code

Following the adoption of this plan, the community participated in an intensive charrette in the fall of 2002 that produced specific design recommendations which became the basis of the Columbia Pike Special Revitalization District Form Based Code, adopted in February 2003. The Form Based Code represents a cutting-edge, revitalization and redevelopment tool. It is a legal document that regulates land development by setting careful and clear controls on building form—with broad parameters on building use—to shape clear public space (good streets, neighborhoods and parks) with a healthy mix of uses. With proper urban form, a greater integration of building uses is both natural and comfortable. The Code uses simple and clear graphic prescriptions and parameters for height, sitting, and building elements to address the basic necessities for forming good public space.

Columbia Pike Street Space Planning Task Force Report

When the Form Based Code was adopted, there were still unresolved questions regarding the width, design, and use of street space along Columbia Pike. At that time, the County Board established the Columbia Pike Street Space Planning Task Force to consider these issues and develop recommendations for the length of the Pike. The Task Force included representatives from civic associations near the Pike, as well as representatives from various County advisory groups and commissions. The Task Force met for nearly a year, and in February 2004, the County Board accepted the Columbia Pike Street Space Planning Task Force Report. The Board subsequently adopted various Master Transportation Plan amendments recommended in the report, including the street cross sections. The ultimate goal is to remake the corridor into a Main Street geared to pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders, as well as motorists. County staff continues to work with community members on the CPIT group (Columbia Pike Implementation Team) on transportation-related issues. CPIT emerged from the Street Space Planning Task Force and meets on a quarterly basis.

Columbia Pike Initiative Revitalization Plan Update

In the fall of 2004, County staff began work on the Columbia Pike Initiative – A Revitalization Plan, Update 2005. This document, which is now available both on this web site and in hardcopy, provides a refined and updated set of goals and implementation strategies. It represents the most current overall framework for the revitalization of Columbia Pike and reconciles the vision for the Pike expressed in earlier planning documents with the specific design recommendations articulated in the Form Based Code. In addition, it provides updates on policy and implementation initiatives recommended in the original plan.

Columbia Pike Land Use and Housing Study

As a follow-up recommendation in the Columbia Pike Initiative – A Revitalization Plan, Update 2005, staff has initiated the second phase of planning along the Pike to study the residential areas that were not included in the first phase of the plan, which focused on the commercial nodes. The Columbia Pike Initiative Plan (2005) described this effort (referred to this as the Housing Initiative) as one that would seek to enhance the quality of life along the corridor by improving existing housing and by expanding housing options as expressed through an update to the revitalization plan that emphasizes implementation and development strategies, to refine the vision for the residential areas, preserve affordable housing and to achieve the established policies for the commercial nodes and the future streetcar.