Howard County Executive Calvin Ball broke ground on the first phase of the new Elkridge Community and 50+ Center in Elkridge on Monday. Construction is expected to start in the fall and be finished by summer 2028.
“Anyone who has worked in local government knows that this not how these projects usually go,” Ball said. “A $65.5 million public facility can sit in a planning document for decades before it is realized. But this project didn’t. It moved forward because this community never stopped believing in it. You organized. You advocated. You showed up. Together, we matched that passion with the vision and determination to make it happen. Today is not the finish line. It is the next giant leap in a project that has been needed for decades.”
The first phase will include an approximately 70,000-square-foot facility for “General Recreation Program” spaces, 50+ spaces, and shared spaces. The facility will also include a satellite police station for the Howard County Police Department.
“Moving our satellite office inside this new community center is about more than an upgrade in facilities,” said Acting Police Chief Terrence O. Benn. “When a police officer works out of the same building where residents come to take a class, attend a program, or spend time with their neighbors, something shifts. We stop being a presence people call when something goes wrong and start being a familiar face.”
The General Recreation Program spaces will be overseen by the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks. It will include multiple areas for physical activity, like a 20,000-square-foot gymnasium with an indoor track, four volleyball courts, two basketball courts, four micro basketball courts, and six pickleball/badminton courts.
There will also be a fitness exercise room, a dance studio, and a full-service kitchen and culinary learning space. Despite what the “50+ Center” name implies, there will be a game room coupled with a teen-dedicated room for combined use, a pre-school and early childhood learning center, and a lactation room. The center will also have office space, workstations, and a staff breakroom.
The center is, however, primarily dedicated to those aged 50 and over. The 50+ spaces will be operated by the county’s Department of Community Resources and Services (DCRS) Office on Aging and Independence. They will have their own dedicated entry and will include a Connections Suite, a multipurpose room, classrooms, activity and meeting rooms, and office space, workstations, and a breakroom for staff. Visitors to the 50+ Center will also have access to the gymnasium, fitness exercise room, and kitchen space.
“The Elkridge Community and 50+ Center will be a gathering place for people of all generations,” said Nick Mooneyhan, director of Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks. “It has been designed to bring neighbors together, strengthen community connections, and create spaces where people can celebrate life’s special moments. This new community center will allow us to offer a wide variety of recreational and enrichment programs, special events, fitness opportunities, and summer camps even closer to home for many of our residents.”
This new facility will have a shared lobby, a quiet room, and restrooms that have an adult changing station. The Elkridge Community and 50+ Center will join other County facilities featuring adult changing stations, including Recreation & Parks’ Blandair Regional Park, Centennial Park, Troy Park at Elkridge, Western Regional Park, Harriet Tubman Cultural Center, and North Laurel and Gary J. Arthur community centers, as well as DCRS’s East Columbia 50+ Center.
In October 2022, a new Maryland law went into effect that mandated changing facilities for the personal care needs of adults if a new public building is built or renovated. Adult-size changing tables are not required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, but they increase accessibility in drastic ways for people with disabilities. The tables are motorized, adjustable in height, and provide a safe and hygienic way to meet the needs of adults who use adult diapers and need to change them when out in public.
The first phase of construction will also include three parking lots, two for the community and 50+ center and one for the future playground. The playground and additional site amenities, which are also part of Phase One, will not begin construction until fall 2027, but are also expected to be done by summer 2028.
“I’m absolutely delighted about the groundbreaking ceremony for the Elkridge Community and 50+ Center today,” said Opel Jones, chair of the Howard County Council. “Designed as a dedicated community hub, the Elkridge Community and 50+ Center will cater to future generations and older adults looking to age in place, featuring a broad spectrum of extracurricular options.”
“As the oldest settlement in Howard County, Elkridge has served as a connector since the 1700s,” said Laura Wisely, a member of the Elkridge Community Alliance. “We must not forget that our residents need connection as well. …The Elkridge Community Center and expansion of the 50+ center is welcomed and celebrated. Thank you to the Ball Administration for making today happen. We look forward to connecting with our neighbors very soon.”
