Columbia Flier Building

Request For Proposals (RFP)

The County has issued a RFP for the disposition and redevelopment of the former Columbia Flier Building. You can view the RFP here.

The County has issued Amendment 1 of the RFP.  You can view Amendment one here (issued January 7, 2021). 

The County has issued Amendment 2 of the RFP.  You can view Amendment two here (issued February 2, 2021).

Questions & Answers Matrix

The Questions and Answers matrix is a periodically updated document that provides answers to questions received throughout the Request for Proposal process. You can view the matrix here (updated January 28, 2021).

Virtual Community Informational Meeting

A Community Informational Meeting was held virtually on Thursday, July 23, 2020, at 7 p.m.  to discuss the redevelopment of the former Columbia Flier Building site. At the meeting, County officials presented information about the history and condition of the building, along with an overview of the RFP timeline and process. For those who were unable to attend the meeting, the presentation and recording are provided below. 

County Executive Ball On the Future of the Columbia Flier Building

Presentation

Watch the recording from July 23, 2020

Community Input

Following the Community Informational meeting, the County collected community input to help inform the RFP through an online survey available through midnight August 6th, 2020. The results of the survey can be found below.

Community Input Survey Responses

Summary of Survey Responses

Brief History

Designed by Columbia resident and architect Bob Moon, the Columbia Flier Building has been a striking building along the streetscape of Little Patuxent Parkway since its construction in 1978. For 33 years the building was home to the Columbia Flier which ceased its operations there in 2011. The property was purchased in 2014 by Howard County due in part to its close proximity to Downtown Columbia. The building is situated near an array of corporate office headquarters, high-end merchants, entertainment venues, educational facilities, and mixed-use high-density residential units. 

The Flier Building was selected as a location for the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, which was to be operated by the Howard County Economic Development Authority. In 2015, the newly branded Innovation Center was instead located in the Columbia Gateway Park (a designated "Innovation District") due in part to the estimated $7.2 million price tag required to renovate the Flier Building.