Courthouse Plaza Shopping Center

In full

It currently anchors a Safeway grocery store on Parcel A, with two standalone restaurant buildings on Parcel B, and is characterized by a large surface parking lot with limited greenery. The site is the subject of a proposed phased mixed-useMixed-useA building or project that combines homes with shops, offices, or other uses. redevelopment by Combined Courthouse LLC C/O Combined Columbia Glade, LLC-20049. The process began with pre-application briefings to the Planning CommissionPlanning CommissionThe appointed body that reviews land-use applications and plans first and sends a recommendation to City Council, which makes the final decision. (February 9, 2026) and City Council (February 24, 2026), during which no formal application had yet been submitted.

By June 22, 2026, the project had advanced to the post-submission phase, with a formal land use application filed and one resubmission already made. The applicant is requesting a rezoningRezoningChanging which zoning district a property sits in, which changes what can be built there. Goes to the Planning Commission for a recommendation, then to City Council for the vote. from CR/CG commercial zoningZoningThe city rules that say what can be built where: uses, height, density, setbacks, and parking, by district. with proffersProfferA written promise an applicant volunteers with a rezoning, such as a cash contribution, a road improvement, or a use limit. Once accepted it binds the land. to PDM (Planned Development Mixed UseMixed-useA building or project that combines homes with shops, offices, or other uses.) with a transition overlay district and commitments. Phase 1 includes facade updates, new and widened sidewalks, 741 parking spaces, and special exceptionsSpecial exceptionA council-approved departure from a specific zoning rule, such as parking counts or height, for one property. for reduced sidewalk widths and a reduced parking ratio (from 1.5 to 1.25 spaces per residential unit); Phase 2 would add 315 residential units and a new north-south street but would require a separate future amendment to the master development plan.

The small area planSmall area planA detailed plan for one neighborhood or corridor that fills in the comprehensive plan's broad goals with block-level guidance. for the site recommends a six-story height limit, a grocery store anchor, new publicly accessible open space, above-grade structured and underground parking, and retail frontage oriented toward new streets and open space. A public hearingPublic hearingThe formal, legally advertised part of a meeting where anyone can speak on an item before the body votes. before the Planning CommissionPlanning CommissionThe appointed body that reviews land-use applications and plans first and sends a recommendation to City Council, which makes the final decision. was scheduled for October 26, 2026.

Separately, Katherine Johnson Middle School students presented sustainability-focused redevelopment concepts for the site to the Planning CommissionPlanning CommissionThe appointed body that reviews land-use applications and plans first and sends a recommendation to City Council, which makes the final decision. (circa March–May 2026) and to City Council on June 2, 2026, with no Council action taken on those presentations.