diff --git a/src/coreclr/md/runtime/metamodel.cpp b/src/coreclr/md/runtime/metamodel.cpp
index 14654f7657b95..7a27c4e85e5ba 100644
--- a/src/coreclr/md/runtime/metamodel.cpp
+++ b/src/coreclr/md/runtime/metamodel.cpp
@@ -717,7 +717,17 @@ CMiniMdBase::InitColsForTable(
                                     // should we write the data into the structure
 {
     const CMiniTableDef *pTemplate;     // Template table definition.
-    CMiniColDef pCols[9];               // The col defs to init.
+    const int MaxCols = 9;
+    typedef uint32_t markword_t;
+    BYTE tempCols[sizeof(markword_t) + MaxCols * sizeof(CMiniColDef)]; // keep aligned
+
+    _ASSERTE(MaxCols >= pTable->m_cCols);
+    //
+    // Mark the array of columns as not allocated (eg, not ALLOCATED_MEMORY_MARKER)
+    // for SetNewColumnDefinition call
+    //
+    memset(tempCols, 0, sizeof(markword_t));
+    CMiniColDef *pCols = BYTEARRAY_TO_COLDES(tempCols + sizeof(markword_t) - 1); // The col defs to init.
     BYTE        iOffset;                // Running size of a record.
     BYTE        iSize;                  // Size of a field.
     HRESULT     hr = S_OK;
@@ -726,10 +736,8 @@ CMiniMdBase::InitColsForTable(
     _ASSERTE(ARRAY_SIZE(pCols) >= pTable->m_cCols);
 
     bExtra = 0;//<TODO>@FUTURE: save in schema header.  until then use 0.</TODO>
-
     iOffset = 0;
-
-        pTemplate = GetTableDefTemplate(ixTbl);
+    pTemplate = GetTableDefTemplate(ixTbl);
 
     PREFIX_ASSUME(pTemplate->m_pColDefs != NULL);