Howard Hughes’ Fitchitt: CareFirst’s big lease in Downtown Columbia was years in the making

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield’s move into a large Columbia satellite office in 2024 will end a years-long dance by developer Howard Hughes Corp. to persuade the Baltimore-based health insurer to expand its suburban presence. And for that, you can thank Covid-19. CareFirst said Tuesday it would grow in the Howard County market with the first of its new satellite offices. The insurer will occupy two floors of the new 12-story 6100 Merriweather, a Class A trophy tower that is anchored by tech giant Tenable. CareFirst will also stretch its offices into parts of the first and second floors.