Odenton Town Center: Dreams to Reality!
Claire Louder, Executive Director
West Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce
www.waaccc.org
The funding of Odenton Town Center Boulevard in the County’s 2008 Budget represents the first significant public investment in infrastructure since the County Council adopted the Odenton Town Center Master Plan in 2004. But few people are aware of the range of projects already close to development within the Odenton Town Center. Odenton Town Center is not just a dream on paper – it’s close to becoming a reality thanks to the ongoing efforts of a number of local developers.
One of the West Anne Arundel County Chamber’s primary focuses is ensuring that development of the Odenton Town Center moves forward in time to take advantage of the exponential BRAC growth facing our area.
Expected to break ground this fall is Anne Arundel County’s first transit-oriented development, The Village at Odenton Station. This mixed-use development proposed and planned by A.J. Properties is now being developed by Dolben Company which includes 60,000 square feet of retail space, 10,000 square feet of office space, and 230 residential units. Adjacent to the MARC Station, it offers an ideal opportunity for individuals who wish to walk to mass transit (Odenton Station is the busiest station on the Penn Line). Another A.J. Properties-planned project nearby is Town Center Commons, which adjoins the MARC Station, will offer a hotel and condominiums.
Perhaps the most high-profile project in the pipeline is Odenton Square, another transit-oriented project at the MARC Station. It is a public-private partnership between the State of Maryland, the Maryland Transit Administration, Anne Arundel County and a group of developers including Osprey Property Company, Reliable Contracting, and the Bozzuto Group. This project as proposed includes two parking garages for MARC Transit users within a mixed-use development including townhouses, apartments and condominiums, retail space, and possibly a hotel. The developers expect to sign a Memorandum of Agreement by the end of the year.
Outside the Town Center Core, the industrial zone is experiencing a construction boom, with NAI/KLNB’s Telegraph Commerce Center; which is leasing now, Boats Unlimited is already open, and EZ Storage construction is well under way. The Nevamar site, purchased by Stonebridge Carris, is undergoing environmental clean-up in preparation for future use, and is the first site in Anne Arundel County to take advantage of Brownfield’s Tax Credits.
On Route 175, the 48,000 square foot Odenton Health and Technology Campus, developed by A.J. Properties and offering medical and high technology office space, is in the final stages of approval. Nearby, the Bonaventure Townhomes and Catholic Charities Senior Residential Fixed Income development are also moving forward with their permit applications. To the west, along Route 32 at Town Center Boulevard, Halle Corporation is in the final stages of approval for two office towers and an underground parking garage, totaling another 300,000 square feet.
North Odenton, directly across Route 175 from Ft. Meade, has three planned projects, including the Meade Center office, retail, and residential complex, 50 townhouses to be constructed at Berger Street, and a 2,000 square foot BP gas station/convenience store at Charter Oaks Boulevard. These developments will provide a face lift to an area many consider in need of improvement.
All of these projects are within 5-7 minutes of Ft. Meade, and 15 minutes from BWI Airport, with easy access to mass transit. Not only do they provide opportunities for environmentally-friendly commuter living, but many of the townhouses and apartments being constructed offer affordable housing options in a region that is experiencing skyrocketing housing costs. Though the Odenton Town Center has been planned for decades, the expected growth at Fort Meade is serving as a catalyst to finally bring these plans to completion.
