Developer seeing green with Eldersburg project

A recent article in the Baltimore Biz Journal details some of the Green Aspects of Mainstreet Eldersburg.... I'm really looking forward to this development in the hope it will bring much needed restaurants and stores to the areas....

Now only if we can get a Best Buy....

Read the Article HERE

"Retail developer Black Oak Associates Inc. will develop a "green" shopping center in Carroll County.

Groundbreaking on the $20 million retail center will begin this summer and will be completed by fall 2008."

Power of the Sun

Interesting Article on how solar power has taken off on the West Coast.

" Soaring energy costs, environmental consciousness and financial incentives have combined to make solar panels part of the California housing landscape. "

"It comes down to personal responsibility," he said. "If I can go electricity-neutral on my house, that's that much less coal we have to burn."

Californians Bask In Solar Energy

I wish our state governments would show such forward thinking.

Main Street Eldersburg

A Proposed Development by Black Oak Associates called Main Street Eldersburg is to be located across from the old London Fog factory, behind Walmart.

“Main Street Eldersburg is a proposed lifestyle center in the fast-growing town of Eldersburg, MD. A sustainable multi-tenant retail development featuring the latest “green building” technologies, the project will utilize sustainable design and construction technologies to lessen the impact on the environment, save money for tenants, and create a healthy place to work and shop. The 83,000 square foot center will integrate attractive architecture with scalable energy-efficient systems. It is anticipated that the project will achieve LEED Silver certification, an award indicating a high level of environmental responsibility specified by the federal government.”

The LEED certification is a good sign as the building industry slowly embraces environmental friendly practices. Hope to see more “green” projects in the future.

What is LEED??

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

More information on LEED can be found here: www.USGBC.org

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Black Oak Associates also owns the Carrolltown Center Mall which according to their website, is slated for redevelopment in the 2007/2008 timeframe. This can’t come soon enough as this center is in dire need of a visit with the wrecking ball. I’ll talk more about this center in detail on a later post…