Light blue signs hanging from the Hickory Ridge Village Center proclaim, “You Belong Here. Space Available.”

In its heyday, Columbia residents could buy groceries, go to the bank and maybe catch up with a friend over a bite at Hickory Ridge Grill in one trip.

But as the years passed, shopping patterns shifted, foot traffic dwindled and empty storefronts multiplied; it more resembles a dead suburban mall now than a vibrant village center. Hickory Ridge Grill closed seven years ago.

Kimco Realty, a New York-based retail real estate company that purchased seven of Columbia’s 10 village centers in 2002, wants to revitalize Hickory Ridge but has faced opposition from the community.

A decade ago, Kimco proposed replacing the village center’s crescent-shaped retail strip with a “village green” bracketed by new retail buildings and putting a mixed-use residential building with a parking garage on what is now a large parking lot.

Years of meetings and hearings ensued with critics calling that proposal too dense, and saying it packed in too much housing and took away open space.

Though it was similar to Kimco’s praised redevelopment of nearby Wilde Lake Village Center, the county zoning board rejected the Hickory Ridge redevelopment plan in 2021. Kimco recently lost a second appeal of that decision in state court.

Kimco spokesperson Jennifer Maisch declined to comment on next steps, including possibly appealing to the Supreme Court of Maryland. It also could come back with another plan after three years.

Alan Schwartz, a Hickory Ridge resident and attorney, has represented his neighbors in opposing Kimco’s plan. He said residents nearby worried Kimco’s proposal would quash neighborhood and pedestrian use of the village center.

Its plans don’t reflect Columbia founder Jim Rouse’s vision for the village centers, he said.

“In order to maintain the integrity of the Rouse plan, people started to stand up,” Schwartz said.

A village center for every village

Village centers were part of Rouse’s original vision for Columbia, the planned community he founded in 1967. Rouse placed them at the center of communities so residents could walk, bike or drive to shop and gather socially.

Located off Freetown Road in Columbia, Hickory Ridge Village Center was built in 1992. It’s anchored by a roughly 67,000-square-foot Giant grocery store, a nearly 30,000-square-foot strip shopping center, an assisted-living facility, a preschool and a gas station.

But the village center has lost its sparkle.

The retail buildings look dated. Potted flowers fill the center’s broken fountain instead of running water. The buildings look as if it’s been a while since they were power-washed.

“It’s looking a little tired; it needs an update,” said Sue Frankel, a Hickory Ridge resident who opposes additional residential units.

She worries about the Giant store’s future, noting that it’s often empty when she shops there.

Despite some vacant storefronts, the Hickory Ridge Village Center has a dry cleaner, an animal hospital, a game store and several dining establishments, including a wine bar and a new Cuban restaurant.

On a recent Tuesday morning, the village center’s courtyard remained empty. Some Giant employees stood outside, taking a smoke break. A few people visited Pro Finish for manicures.

Not everyone is opposed to major changes.

“I hope Kimco keeps fighting it and the County Council comes to their senses,” said Scott Lee, a Hickory Ridge resident. “I hope that we get the redevelopment.”

But Deb Jung, a County Council member and Hickory Ridge resident, doesn’t think so. Kimco had argued Jung should recuse herself from the zoning process because she actively opposed the proposal before sitting on the council.

“I doubt that Kimco will pursue the same project at Hickory Ridge,” Jung said. “It may redesign the original project or look at similar possibilities at another village or shopping center sometime in the future.”

The debate

In fighting Kimco’s proposal, opponents cited county code that states a village center’s residential component needs to “support and enhance, but not overwhelm, other uses in the village center.”

Kimco originally proposed a five-story, 300-unit residential building on the parking lot between the Giant and Cedar Lane. To make its proposal more palatable, the company scaled that back to four stories and 230 units, but that also was rejected by the zoning board.

Kimco has since walked back the residential component, Schwartz said, though it’s still in the redevelopment it appealed.

Another sticking point is what is not included.

Council member Liz Walsh, who voted against the plan in 2021, said the lack of affordable housing units and reductions in green space and accessibility for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians were “fatal” flaws.

However, Council member Christiana Rigby thinks that village centers were “ideal sites for mixed-use revitalization.”

Rigby wrote in the dissenting opinion that revitalizing village centers can help address the county’s severe housing shortage while enhancing residents’ lives with walkable community centers, retail offerings and public transportation access.

Lee called concerns about increased traffic a ”red herring.”

Wilde Lake’s added housing hasn’t increased traffic, noted Lee, who’s lived in Hickory Ridge for nearly 20 years.

Although he still shops for groceries at the Hickory Ridge Giant, Lee fills his prescriptions, enjoys a cup of coffee and more 3 miles down the road at Wilde Lake.

“In general, there’s not a lot of reason to go to Hickory Ridge with its current state,” Lee said. “I think the main problem is that it doesn’t have a lot of businesses that match people’s demands.”

Lee said those speaking out against Kimco’s plans want amenities that aren’t realistic. “The developer is going to make it economically viable,” he said.

“We have seen that at the Wilde Lake location,” Lee said.

The Wilde Lake Starbucks draws huge crowds, from teenagers sipping drinks after school to elected leaders and community insiders swapping information at all hours.

What’s next

The Hickory Ridge Village Board has no opinion on the appellate court’s recent decision, said Laura Mayton, the village manager.

“They do, however, hope that Kimco will address the many overdue maintenance issues that have persisted at the Hickory Ridge Village Center over the past few years,” Mayton said in an email.

The board also hopes Kimco follows through with proposed signage and landscaping improvements and repairs to the fountain.

Steve Hannan, village board chair, wrote in a letter to Kimco that new “signage will make it easier for shoppers to find merchants and hopefully increase foot traffic in the Village Green.”

That would be welcome news to Trish Hsu, a stay-at-home mom who took over The Meadows Original Frozen Custard about two years ago. A majority of her customers are regulars.

“As a business owner, we would like to have more foot traffic,” Hsu said. “The courtyard is quiet.”

Other businesses see opportunity at Hickory Ridge. Ed Reynoso opened Celia’s Cuban Cuisine and Mojito Bar this spring, signing a 10-year lease. He has no plans to go anywhere.

Howard County has a friendly, community atmosphere, he said — a perfect spot for “a nice, little neighborhood restaurant.”