Once there were none in Howard County. Now, there are five up and running or in the pipeline.
We're referring to "power centers" -- those sprawling shopping plazas with numerous warehouse-type, discount stores that have come to Howard County and the rest of the Baltimore region in a big way.
As a retailing wave, power centers are to the 1990s what enclosed shopping malls were to the 1970s. They have been drawn to Howard, as well as to Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, by attractive demographics that indicate there is a lot of money to be made by the right retailers.
Snowden Square, the Rouse Co.-owned power center on Snowden River Parkway, heralded the era in Howard County two years ago and by all reports is an unqualified success.
Over on Ridge Road in Ellicott City, a big Wal-Mart store has been approved and its site plans are under review. That development could be quickly followed by a power center at the Troy Hill Business Park on Route 100 and another discount center near Freestate Raceway on Route 1. Moreover, a Minneapolis-based development firm would like to build a sprawling power center on 43 acres at U.S. 29 and Route 103. The plan at that site is for eight retail buildings and 2,074 parking spaces.
"How much is too much?" is a valid question to raise.
Although it is not the job of county officials to judge whether the demand exists for these centers, Planning and Zoning Director Joseph Rutter says, "Three can make a go of it. But if you have five at once, all five may fail."
Deteriorating retail centers can mar a community with lasting effects on economics and quality of life. The county's economic development office has a hands-off approach, allowing developers to determine whether demand justifies a project. Sometimes, however, they get it wrong, and shopping centers with vacant storefronts and dilapidated facades are not unheard of, even in Howard.
Still, the county's demographics are potent. According to the 1990 Census, Howard ranked sixth in the nation for the number of households with the highest median income (about $54,000 a year), 17th for the number of households earning $100,000 or more and third in the number of affluent blacks. The list goes on and it is all impressive.
But there are limits to the area's buying power, and Howard may soon reach a saturation point. Ultimately, the market will put all questions to rest.