The Columbia Dictionary
Columbia, Maryland, is a planned community, intentionally designed with distinct systems for governance, land use, community services, and shared spaces. Over time, those systems produced a shared vocabulary – terms and phrases commonly used in Columbia that are not always self-explanatory. This Columbia Dictionary exists to help residents, prospective homebuyers, businesses, real estate agents, and others better understand the language that describes how Columbia works, both historically and today. As founder James Rouse observed: “The most successful community would be that which contributes the most, by its physical form, its institutions, and its operations, to the growth of people.” (James W. Rouse, “It Can Happen Here,” Conference on The Metropolitan Future, UC Berkeley, 1963)
The original Columbia Dictionary was produced in the early 1990s and, for many years, was given to new residents when they moved to Columbia – a practice that ended more than two decades ago. Until now, the dictionary had never been revised. This updated edition reflects the current realities of life in Columbia while maintaining the spirit of the original: welcoming new residents, fostering a sense of belonging, and helping people better understand the structures, values, and shared responsibilities that shape our community.
The definitions included in this dictionary were developed through a collaborative process led by a volunteer committee that met in late 2025. The committee included local real estate agents, village managers, long-time community advocates and residents, and representatives from the Columbia Association and Howard County government.
The definitions provided in this dictionary are intended for general information and educational purposes only and are not meant to serve as legal definitions.
Architectural Committee (AC)
noun A group of volunteers appointed by a village board that implements the architectural guidelines and is the final appeal body for architectural decisions in the village. Each Columbia village has an Architectural Committee or a committee by another name that serves the same purpose.
Architectural Guidelines
noun Developed by the village architectural committees and village boards, Architectural Guidelines provide homeowners with guidance and recommendations for making exterior changes to their home. Architectural guidelines serve as a village’s prescriptive explanation of how they enforce the covenants. Guidelines vary by village, and each village has a unique process for homeowners to submit proposed exterior changes to their property, which are approved on a case-by-case basis.
Architectural Resource Committee (ARC)
noun A group appointed by Columbia Association (CA)’s Board of Directors comprising village covenant advisors, CA personnel, and an at-large member for reviewing covenant violations in Columbia prior to CA deciding to take potential legal action. The Committee reviews covenant violation cases that have been referred by the villages to CA for further action. Violation cases that are approved by the ARC for referral and accepted by the CA President could face litigation for the violation(s).
Annual Charge, Columbia Association
noun An annual payment that each property owner who is subject to the Columbia Association (CA) covenants is required to pay. It is calculated based on each property’s value. The annual charge provides roughly 60% of CA’s budget and funds open space, sustainability initiatives, programming, and the village community associations. For more information visit https://columbiaassociation.org/annual-charge/. Sometimes referred to as “the Lien,” “the Assessment,” “CA tax,” or “CPRA fee.”
CA Board of Directors
noun The governing body of Columbia Association (CA). Consisting of representatives elected by each village, the CA Board is responsible for providing strategic oversight and ensuring CA’s strategic goals align with resident interests. Sometimes mistakenly viewed as a legislative body for the city of Columbia rather than a board of directors for a non-profit corporation.
Chrysalis
noun An open-air venue located in Symphony Woods that hosts concerts and events. Known for the futuristic, urban art look of the surrounding stage structure that is composed of numerous bright green panels that blend into the surrounding trees. The Chrysalis is owned by Columbia Association and managed by the Inner Arbor Trust (IAT).
Columbia
noun A planned community founded by developer James W. Rouse. Officially announced in November 1964, the community was founded on the four guiding principles: to be a complete city, to respect the land, to provide for the growth of people, and to make a profit. Following the urban planning design of Garden Cities, Columbia is made up of 10 villages, including Town Center, that are made up of neighborhoods, commercial areas, and community centers. As of 2025, there are more than 100,000 residents.
Columbia Association
noun A private, 501(c)4 not-for-profit, community organization with a resident-elected board of directors that operates a variety of community and neighborhood facilities, maintains 3,600 acres of open space, and offers a variety of programs and activities. For more information visit https://columbiaassociation.org/.
Columbia Council
noun Historically, a body consisting of a representative elected by each village community association that advised Columbia Association on resident’s viewpoints. Today, the Council is a pro forma body as the members elected to the Council are appointed to CA’s Board of Directors.
Columbia Parks & Recreation Association (CPRA)
noun 1. A term that was the original official designation of Columbia Association (CA) and is prevalent in village covenant documents. This name was superseded by the name Columbia Association. 2. Term commonly used to refer to the annual charge levied by CA (written as CPRA charge or CPRA assessment).
Common Area
noun Land owned, maintained, and used in common by neighboring property owners in a condominium or townhome community. This land is maintained by the HOA for the community, and homeowners typically pay HOA dues to contribute to the upkeep of common areas.
Community Association
noun A not-for-profit 501(c)4 corporation independent from Columbia Association that serves the homeowners within each village. Each village’s community association is responsible for maintaining and enforcing architectural guidelines, managing Community and Neighborhood Centers, and providing a sense of community to their village. Sometimes referred to as the “village association” or “village office.”
Community Center
noun A Columbia Association (CA)-owned facility located in each village and operated by the village community association. These facilities are utilized as the village association offices and community meeting space. Sometimes referred to as the “village office,” but not to be confused with the village center.
Covenant Advisor
noun Village staff person who processes exterior alteration requests and letters of compliance, investigates covenant violations, staffs Resident Architectural Committee and Architectural Committee meetings, and acts as a resource person for residents, committee members, and the village board.
Covenants, Columbia Association
noun The legal basis for Columbia Association (CA)’s annual charge that gives CA the legal right to place a lien on property for non-payment of the annual charge. The full title of this document is “Deed, Agreement and Declaration of Covenants, Easements, Charges and Liens.”
Covenants, Village
noun The legal documents that are a part of the deed of ownership. They impose a legal obligation on each owner to comply with certain standards for land use, architectural design, and property maintenance. These covenants vary slightly among the 10 Villages and are different from the Columbia Association Covenants.
Cul-de-sac
noun A street with one closed end. Common in Columbia neighborhoods, they are used to help limit traffic in residential areas.
Downtown Columbia
noun The central core of Columbia comprised of six downtown neighborhoods: The Lakefront and Lakefront Core, The Mall, The Merriweather District, Merriweather-Symphony Woods, Symphony Overlook, and Warfield. It is a diverse, mixed-use, livable, physically distinctive, and human-scaled place with a range of housing choices and recreational, civic, cultural, and educational amenities.
Exterior Alteration Application (EAA)
noun The application completed by Columbia homeowners when they wish to make changes to the exterior of their property. Each village has their own EAA. Completed applications are evaluated by a village Resident Architectural Committee (RAC) or Architectural Committee (AC) for consideration at meetings held at least monthly.
Gateway
noun A 1,100-acre area in southeast Columbia. Originally envisioned as the industrial zone for Columbia, due to changes in the American economy, development shifted primarily to warehouses and an office park. Now planned for mixed-use redevelopment over the next several decades.
Howard Community College (HCC)
noun A two-year associate degree community college located in Columbia that offers many credit and non-credit courses to area residents. For more information visit https://www.howardcc.edu/.
Howard County Government
noun The local government that serves Columbia and provides essential services such as police, fire and rescue services, and public administration. As Columbia is not an incorporated city, the Howard County Government is the closest level of government to residents. For more information and a list of its departments visit https://www.howardcountymd.gov/departments-offices.
Howard Hughes Communities (Formerly Howard Hughes Corporation)
noun Subsidiary of publicly traded Howard Hughes Holdings. Successor to The Rouse Company’s position as developer of Columbia. Howard Hughes Communities is the named community developer under the Downtown Columbia Plan and has significant land holdings in the Gateway District.
Howard Research & Development Corporation (HRD)
noun The Master Developer of Columbia Maryland, formed by The Rouse Company and investors. HRD owned the land, planned the city, sold land to home builders, established the Columbia Association (CA) and village covenants, and transferred control of some of those covenants to CA and the villages. Through a series of sales and acquisitions, HRD is today a fully owned subsidiary of Howard Hughes Communities (HHC) that maintains covenant authority over some commercial properties and has a codified role in the county’s New Town zoning law.
Inner Arbor Trust (IAT)
noun A non-profit corporation established to manage and raise capital funds for the management and maintenance of Symphony Woods. In addition to its responsibility to maintain and raise funds for Symphony Woods, IAT provides some programming in Symphony Woods.
Interfaith Center
noun A facility for religious worship. Built as a means of reducing the amount of land allocated to religious institutions and the cost of their operation; religious denominations share space in the same building. Interfaith Centers are jointly owned by the congregations occupying them.
Kimco
noun A real estate investment trust that specializes in shopping center ownership and management. Owns multiple village centers in Columbia as well as other shopping centers in Howard County and around the country.
Lake Elkhorn
noun A man-made lake in the Village of Owen Brown surrounded by a 23-acre park with pathways and picnic areas. Lake Elkhorn is owned and managed by Columbia Association and is named for its location along the Elkhorn Branch stream, a tributary of the Patuxent River system.
Lake Kittamaqundi
(Pronounced “KIT-TA-muh-kun-DEE) noun A man-made lake in Columbia Town Center encircled by a pathway. Its lakeside is the location of the Downtown Columbia Lakefront. Kittamaqundi means “Place of the Great Beaver” and is named for Chief Kittamaqua of the Piscataway-Conoy Tribe, the indigenous people of central and southern Maryland. When The Rouse Company was searching for local terms to name things, they chose this name and said that it meant “meeting place” because it was good for marketing purposes. Sometimes referred to as “Lake Kitt.”
Lakefront
noun Area of land on the west side of Lake Kittamaqundi. This area is managed by Columbia Association and is a popular gathering place for community events.
Lakefront District
noun The section of Downtown Columbia encompassing Lake Kittamaqundi westward to The Mall and from Little Patuxent Parkway to the north to the Merriweather District to the south. Included in this area are the Columbia Lakefront, Whole Foods, and the Merriweather Lakehouse Hotel.
Letter of Compliance (LOC)
noun 1. A document that certifies that all original builder construction was completed according to approved plans. 2. An updated version that verifies that the property is free of covenant violations as of a certain date. Sometimes referred to as a “Certificate of Compliance.” For more information, please visit Buying a Home in Columbia.
Lien
noun A legal term to describe a claim of one person upon the property of another person to secure the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of an obligation. In Columbia, Columbia Association (CA) holds a perpetual lien on all Columbia property that allows CA to collect the Annual Charge.
Merriweather Arts & Cultural Center (MACC)
noun A nonprofit organization that provides free and low-cost arts programming for the community. Founded in 2013 after the passage of the Downtown Columbia Master Plan, MACC acquired Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2017. As the community’s stewards of Merriweather Post Pavilion, MACC fosters creative partnerships, champions arts education, and ensures that the arts remain accessible for all.
Merriweather District
noun A section of Downtown Columbia located east of Broken Land Parkway, south of Little Patuxent Parkway, west of South Entrance Road and south of Symphony Woods. This mixed-use neighborhood with residences, offices, shops, and restaurants is a live-work location as well as an employment center. Colorburst Park is the central gathering location of this neighborhood.
Merriweather Post Pavilion (MPP)
noun An outdoor concert venue named after Marjorie Merriweather Post, designed by architectural firm Gehry, Walsh, and O’Malley, and opened in July 1967. Originally planned to be the summer home of the National Symphony Orchestra, it instead became a concert venue for performances by the biggest names in contemporary music. Following a risk of potential closure in the early 2000s, MPP became the centerpiece of a new vision for Downtown Columbia in 2010 and has since undergone a major renovation under the new ownership of the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center (MACC). Sometimes referred to as “Merriweather.”
Neighborhood Center
noun A Columbia Association-owned facility in many neighborhoods managed by the village’s community association that provides meeting and social space, often adjacent to a neighborhood pool or small commercial facility.
Neighborhood
noun A smaller, defined residential area within a Columbia village. Each village comprises 2 to 4 neighborhoods. Originally, each neighborhood was planned to have a gathering space, a community pool, and an elementary school.
New Town (NT)
noun A unique zoning district that was created to allow Howard Research and Development Corporation the flexibility to easily develop Columbia without the hassle of Euclidean zoning. The New Town zone itself has no restrictions on land use; however, the district is divided into hundreds of “Final Development Plans,” each of which dictate land use and restrictions.
Open Space
noun 1. A land use designation within the New Town zone that restricts development to primarily public facilities, such as parks, schools, libraries, and fire stations. In Columbia, it is land that is intended to be maintained and preserved perpetually for the use and enjoyment of the residents. The county’s New Town zoning regulation requires that 36% of the district is designated as open space. 2. Nearly 3,600 acres of land in Columbia that belongs to Columbia Association (CA) and is used as open space. CA open space includes bike paths, tot lots, basketball courts, tennis courts, ponds, and lakes. CA’s 3,600 acres provides most—but not all—of the land required by the county’s zoning requirement.
Outparcel
noun Refers to an area of land located within Columbia’s boundaries that is not covered under the New Town zoning regulations. Outparcel properties are not subject to the Columbia Association annual charge, and do not have a vote in village elections.
Pathways
noun Columbia Association (CA)-managed footpaths that are separated from vehicular traffic. There are over 114 miles of CA pathways and sidewalks in Columbia that offer safe, scenic transportation and recreation for walking and bike riding.
People Tree
noun 1. A Columbia landmark sculpture located at the Lakefront by Lake Kittamaqundi. Created by sculptor Pierre DuFayet, who named it “Tree of Life,” it was placed on the Lakefront in 1966. The branches are made up of 66 sculpted people, hence the nickname the “People Tree.” 2. Graphic symbol of the new city of Columbia.
Pioneer
noun A term defined by the organization Pioneers of Columbia, Maryland as an adult resident that moved to the community by June 21, 1968. Community members commonly use the term to refer to residents that moved to Columbia during its construction and were the first to occupy newly constructed homes and neighborhoods.
Residential Architectural Committee (RAC)
noun A group of resident volunteers appointed by the village boards to assist the Architectural Committee (AC) by reviewing all exterior alteration applications and making recommendations to the AC.
The Rouse Company
noun A publicly held corporation founded by James Rouse that developed Columbia and managed many of Columbia’s commercial properties. The organization was sold to General Growth Properties (GGP) in 2004, which then included its Columbia properties in its spin-off into Howard Hughes Communities in 2010.
“Rouse Vision”
noun 1. An apocryphal term used to refer to the intentions that Columbia’s founder, James Rouse, purportedly had for the community. Commonly used to refer to many of Rouse’s progressive values, including racial, religious, and socioeconomic integration, that all factored into Columbia’s design. 2. Four goals developed by Rouse and his staff during Columbia’s planning and development: to build a complete city, to respect the land, to provide for the growth of people, and to make a profit.
Symphony Woods
noun 36-acres of open space encircling (but not including) Merriweather Post Pavilion and home to the Chrysalis stage. Symphony Woods is owned by Columbia Association and managed by Inner Arbor Trust.
Tot Lot
noun A playground and/or park, located on Columbia Association (CA) open space, designed for children and families to interact, connect, and play. CA maintains over 170 Tot Lots across Columbia. CA’s official name for these is Play Areas.
Village
noun 1. Term used to define 10 distinct areas within Columbia incorporated into the original Master Plan to provide a sense of local community to residents. Each village was planned to have its own amenities, including a village center, schools, pools, community association, etc. 2. Term commonly used in Columbia to refer to each of the 10 individual incorporated community associations. Each village has its own Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, and Covenants, and each are governed by their own Village Boards.
Village Center
noun The commercial center of the village, which typically includes a grocery store, gas station, restaurants, and other small businesses that serve the village residents. The village’s community association office is sometimes (but not always) located in the village center.
Village Manager
noun Hired by the individual village boards as directed in the village’s Articles of Incorporation, the village manager conducts the day-to-day business of the village association along with other community association staff.
Village Board
noun Governing body of the community association, made up of residents elected by the individual villages. The village board acts as an advocate, liaises with government agencies, hires the village manager, enacts policies, oversees the budget, enforces the village covenants, and builds a sense of community for village residents.
Wilde Lake
noun A man-made lake in the Village of Wilde Lake surrounded by pathways and picnic areas. This lake is named after Frazar Wilde, the chairman of the board of Connecticut General Life Insurance, which helped finance the development of Columbia. The lake flows downstream into Lake Kittamaqundi.
Acknowledgments
We extend our sincere thanks to the members of the Columbia Dictionary 2.0 Committee for generously sharing their time, knowledge, and experience to review and update this resource. Their insights and thoughtful collaboration helped ensure that the dictionary reflects both the history of Columbia and the realities of the community today.
The following individuals served on the Columbia Dictionary 2.0 Committee, 2025:
Columbia Housing Center Staff
Gabriel Albano
Jessamine Duvall
Institutional Partner
Erin Berry, Columbia Maryland Archives
Real Estate Agents
Alicyn DelZoppo, The DelZoppo Group of Northrop Realty
Mike Sloan, The Sloan Team of Northrop Realty
Village Leadership
Renee Dubois, Village of River Hill
Laura Mayton, Village of Hickory Ridge
Beverley Meyers, Village of Kings Contrivance
Community Members
Ilana Bittner, Village of Owen Brown
Michael Golibersuch, Village of Owen Brown
Joan Lancos, Village of Hickory Ridge
Byron Macfarlane, Village of Harper’s Choice
Editor
Carrie Lancos