Seven years have passed since Amazon turned down Howard County’s pitch to revitalize Columbia Gateway.

County officials accepted long ago that the online retail giant was not coming to save the 1,100-acre business park situated on a prime stretch of land flanking Interstate 95. The company opted to build its coveted East Coast campus in Arlington, Virginia.

The decision was a bummer for Maryland, but it didn’t hamper local leaders’ imaginations.

County planners and consultants stood in front of a crowded room Tuesday night and once again asked the community to peer 30 years into Gateway’s future. They presented new renderings of seven-story buildings surrounded by sleek urban plazas, multifamily housing and retail and dining spaces, along with a streetscape designed in the Dutch “woonerf” style — or “street for living” — that prioritizes pedestrians along a new central spine.

This is the county’s preferred master plan, and it includes design elements from three options floated to the public in September.

And it’s a radical departure from the business park’s decades-old, car-oriented design featuring low-rise and single-story buildings surrounded by parking lots off tree-lined boulevards.

County officials hope it will appeal to companies from a variety of industries, such as cybersecurity; military, defense and government contracting; scientific research; software development; medical laboratories and imaging; precision instrument manufacturing; and distribution, transportation and logistics.

“Gateway is uniquely positioned to be the region’s nerve center for cutting-edge research, pioneering ideas, and entrepreneurial ventures for a global market,” Howard County executive Calvin Ball said Wednesday in a news release. He described the county’s plan as going beyond the constraints of a traditional business park to position Gateway as a “workplace for the future.”

Still in the very early stages, the plan could be consequential for Columbia, where untouched land is hard to come by and density is surging.

Despite its ideal location near major transportation arteries, about 14% of Columbia Gateway’s office, industrial and flex space stood empty in 2024, county officials said. The coronavirus pandemic hobbled much of the nation’s commercial real estate sector, but Gateway’s vacancy rate was higher than those reported in most surrounding jurisdictions.

Authorities believe the business park, which is next to impossible to reach on foot or by bicycle, is ripe for redevelopment and have talked for years about turning it into an innovation district. HoCo By Design, the general plan adopted by the county in 2023, envisions Gateway as a major hub for employment, entertainment and innovation.

Housing also is a major component of the proposal.

Columbia leaders and advocates have raised concerns in recent years that commercial development has not addressed the need for affordable housing. The presentation mentions consideration for a new zoning district for mixed-income neighborhoods and homeownership opportunities. County officials would need to coordinate with the school system to evaluate whether another new school is needed to meet the capacity demands that come with more housing.

More than 40 people attended the presentation, a mix of residents, employees of businesses in Gateway and landowners.

“Imagine the value of the land if we were connected to the MARC train, bus rapid transit and a bike superhighway,” one man said aloud to the room.

Another woman told county officials that she hoped small businesses would be prioritized over chains for Gateway’s proposed retail and restaurant spaces.

Some jotted their feedback onto slips of paper and stuck them to poster boards displaying the renderings in the rear of the room.

“I would like some small boutique clothing stores and places where one can buy a nice gift for office staff,” one person wrote on a pink Post-it.

The redevelopment project remains a long way from being realized.

The proposal must garner approvals from the planning board and from Howard County Council. Even after those approvals are met, county leaders likely need to consider tax incentives, grants and subsidies, public-private partnerships or other financing tools to entice developers.

The county also must rally support for the plan from many of the 140 property owners and businesses in Columbia Gateway, particularly those who would be affected by the redevelopment.

Planning and zoning staff members are collecting feedback on the plan from the public through an online survey through Feb. 2.

Baltimore Banner reporter Abby Zimmardi contributed to this article.