'Bold Vision' For Elkridge Unveiled At Community Meeting

ELKRIDGE, MD — Leaders are eyeing what they call a "bold vision" for Elkridge that includes a state-of-the-art Community Center, major transportation improvements and a plan for the site of a future High School 14.

“From our Elkridge Civic District to expanded recreational opportunities to stronger transportation networks, we are shaping the future of Elkridge together,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball at a public meeting. “These investments reflect the voices, priorities and aspirations of our community. Elkridge is a place where history and progress walk side by side. Together, we are honoring our past, investing in our present and creating a future filled with growth, opportunity and connection.”

Ball announced he plans to include funding for a park, co-located with the Community Center, that may include tennis courts with blended lines for pickleball, a playground and walking paths in his fiscal year 2027 budget. In the last two fiscal years, Ball has invested more than $36 million toward the land acquisition, design and construction of the new Elkridge Community and 50+ Center.

The new 67,000-square-foot facility will feature a gymnasium, multi-purpose spaces, a designated teen area and a dedicated 50+ center. There will be a dedicated 16,000 square feet of space for older adults, increasing the current space of 9,000 square feet. A future phase of the project will include a 23,000 square foot addition with a pool.

The Elkridge Branch Library will be renovated and expanded by 9,000 square feet, making the new library approximately 45,000 square feet in size. In a partnership with BGE, there will be five much-needed electric vehicle charging spaces behind the library. With the addition of these new charging spaces, Elkridge Library will be the final Howard County Public Library Systems branch to have EV spaces. Site work for the entire Elkridge Community and 50+ Center project will begin this February, with a grand opening anticipated in spring of 2028.

The county also has determined that Troy Park is the best and most viable location for a future school site in Elkridge. By purchasing the property on Old Washington Road for the community center, more undeveloped program open space parcels at Troy Park are now able to be utilized for the school.

The conversion process requires the county to place a program open space easement on an equivalent 48 acres to move forward with transferring the land to the Howard County Public School System. Ball shared at the meeting that the land conversion obligation can be met through the recent acquisitions of Camp Ilchester, land for the Elkridge Community and 50+ center, and the Lawyers Hill parcel. The Department of Recreation and Parks has begun the conversion process with Maryland Department of Natural Resources Program Open Space Division, leaders said.

In last year’s Howard County Public School System’s long-range capital plan, the school system anticipated work on High School #14 beginning in approximately 10 years. The county will be responsible for identifying and purchasing land in the near term that can be dedicated as a future high school site. After receiving agreement from the Board of Education and school system, the land can be transferred from Howard County to the Board of Education, which will then have the ability to put High School 14 back into their long-range master plan.

The county has invested in several modern upgrades to Rockburn Park, including six new, lighted pickleball courts, an inclusive playground and an accessible ADA pathway. Additionally, two storm water management bio-retention facilities were added to help manage storm water runoff. Free public Wi-Fi is now available at the park.

When the county first broke ground on Troy Park in 2014, it included plans for an indoor sports facility and/or fieldhouse. More than a decade later, Ball announced that plans for an Indoor Sports Complex will move forward. Currently, site acquisition plans are being developed to create a state-of-the-art sports facility that will include a premiere indoor track, which will have the capacity to host graduation ceremonies and regional tournaments. The sports complex will include basketball, badminton and pickleball courts.

On Oct. 22, the Howard County Department of Recreations and Parks will host a community meeting to gain public input on possible ways to develop and preserve the nearly nine-acre parcel in Lawyers Hill that was purchased by the county in 2024.

The Department of Recreation and Parks is currently designing the new Elkridge Community Garden Plots. Located on Old Montgomery Road, this garden will have 100 new plots, 25 of which will be ADA accessible with raised beds. The groundbreaking is scheduled for this winter, after which residents will be able to sign up for a plot.

The Montgomery Road sidewalk projects were one of the largest continuous sidewalk construction projects in county history. At 3,200 linear feet, these sidewalks provide safer pedestrian walking conditions to school, work and amenities. Phase 3 of the Montgomery Road project would add a link between Old Washington and Route One. This section of roadway is owned by the state, and the county has requested necessary approvals to proceed with this infrastructure. This project is expected to require land acquisition from at least seven properties, which will commence in 2026 upon receiving approvals from the state.

Other pedestrian improvements completed in 2025 include the Roosevelt Boulevard Sidewalk Project, a new crosswalk on Old Washington Road at Augustine Avenue, a new sidewalk along a portion of US1 and a traffic calming measure at Hanover Road and Furnace Avenue. Preliminary data from Hanover Road shows a reduction of nearly 9 mph in average vehicle speed since installing the traffic calming measures, which include speed humps and enhanced signage.

Earlier this year, Howard County earned its first bike and pedestrian priority area state designation for the Elkridge Civic District on Route One. This designation recognizes Elkridge as a priority target for safe, accessible and connected transportation improvements.

Safety improvements also are currently underway to Dr. Patel Drive and Rowanberry Drive at Route One. In the past year, two pedestrians were hit and killed while crossing at Dr. Patel Drive. The safety measures are being constructed by the state and include new traffic signals, pedestrian-activated crossings and high-visibility continental crosswalks.

The Elkridge Main Street sidewalk project has been fully funded. This will upgrade sidewalks along Main Street and add a new crosswalk at Main Street and Old Washington Road. The project is currently in the land acquisition process, with six properties acquired and four properties remaining to be acquired.

At the intersection of Maryland Route 103 and Route One, the county is working with the state on access permits and addressing transportation partner comments. For this project, utility relocations are underway and land acquisition has recently been completed. This project is anticipated to start construction in spring 2026 pending final state approvals.

Traffic calming plans are being advanced for Loudon Avenue. Lastly, since the launch of HoCo RapidRide in March, the microtransit service has provided more than 7,000 rides so far. This major service, the first of its kind in Howard County, represents a significant step forward in addressing transportation gaps, reducing congestion and improving accessibility.

The Roving Radish Mobile Market is available to serve students and their families at Deep Run and Ducketts Lane Elementary Schools. The Roving Radish is an award-winning meal service that uses local and regional produce to provide health, fresh meals. At both locations the Howard County Public School System provides $50 gift cards for families to purchase fresh produce from the Mobile Market, making healthy food more accessible to those who need it most. In this year alone, the county has provided food support to more than 710 families through this innovative partnership.

Ball also announced a new partnership with the Community Action Council of Howard County to bring a community refrigerator to Elkridge. This will be Howard County’s first community refrigerator, offering free food to those in need 24-7, and will be located at the Rachell L. Gray Community Foundation Food Pantry on Meadowridge Road.