Howard County’s Route 1 Corridor is ready for a tune-up, and County Executive Calvin Ball wants to help it happen.
Ball announced on Wednesday his support for Zoning Amendment Regulation 221 (ZRA-221), which would allow for the adaptive reuse and redevelopment of existing motel and hotel sites along the corridor.
In 2023, Ball proposed the Route 1 Corridor Plan for Washington Boulevard, which was adopted alongside the County’s General Plan, HoCo by Design. The plan outlined the corridor’s problems, including areas of blight and disinvestment. Due to decades of disuse and neglect, there are many deteriorating and underutilized commercial and industrial properties that do not conform to current zoning regulations. The plan recommended redevelopment and revitalization of these areas. ZRA-221 is the first step in that direction.
The amendment was proposed by Himanshu Amin, who owns three motels along Route 1. It proposes reinvestment, adaptive reuse of the blighted hotel and motel sites, and turning the area into a mix of residential, retail, restaurant, office, and employment-supporting flex space.
“As the owner of the Terrace, Boulevard, and Turf Motels along the Route 1 corridor, we recognize the enormous, untapped potential of lodging that was constructed more than 50 years ago,” Amin said. “We commend the County Executive and partners on the County Council for their transformative vision for the Route 1 corridor…. Your support … [allows us] to reinvest in these sites to create beautiful new homes for families and individuals while also delivering much-need moderate income units for Howard County residents. This legislation has the potential to kick-start a renewal of this historic and economically-significant corridor, benefitting generations to come.”
ZRA-221 adds an amendment to Section 128.0 of the Howard County Zoning Regulations, called Supplementary Zoning District Regulations, to add a new provision called “Adaptive Reuse and Redevelopment of Existing Hotel/Motel Sites in the Route 1 Corridor.” The new provision would allow a limited number of additional uses for land on which the hotels and motels being demolished stand, if the site is brought up to date with current requirements in redevelopment. The ZRA impacts an estimated 16 legacy motel and hotel sites along the Route 1 Corridor.
The Howard County Planning Board unanimously voted to recommend the ZRA for adoption to the County Council in a 5-0 vote during their March 5, 2026 meeting.
Officials from the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning, Howard County Department of Housing and Community Development, a member of the Elkridge Community Alliance, and other community stakeholders all spoke in favor of redeveloping the Route 1 Corridor. Some cited the benefits of attracting investment to the area, others of creating new, affordable, and accessible housing, and others for instilling community pride and preservation of unique, historic elements of the area.
ZRA-221 was pre-filed with the County Council on Thursday, March 26, 2026. It could receive a vote as early as the council’s legislative session on Monday, May 4, 2026.
