'A good start underway,' Howard Hughes officials say of Columbia's downtown redevelopment

A 350-unit multi-family development and the first of two office towers in Columbia's new Merriweather District are expected to break ground in the mid-2017, the developer said Wednesday.Howard Hughes Corp. officials said those buildings along with a new parking structure funded with a tax increment financing package just passed by the Howard County Council will be a big component of the 5 million-square-foot district to be located in downtown Columbia."We've got a good start underway with 1.3&he