Elizabeth Skalski, The Examiner
2007-08-03 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

Eldersburg, Md. -

Eldersburg is going green with a new environmentally friendly shopping center and main street.

Main Street Eldersburg, an 83,000-square-foot center, will be built on a vacant 12-acre parcel.

Plants will cover the green roof, and big skylights will let in lots of sunshine. Construction materials will include high-efficiency insulation, air conditioning and heat ventilation, and waste generated from construction will be recycled.

And the avenue, with wide walkways, will be created with materials containing recycled

materials.

“Main Street Eldersburg is probably the first retail facility of its kind in the mid-Atlantic,” said Mike Trenery, vice president of development for Owings Mills-based Black Oak Associates.

“This is a new trend that is gaining steam, and it’s a trend that maybe should be picked up,” Trenery said. “It saves resources and helps the environment in the long run.”

The parcel sits in a designated growth corridor and therefore qualifies for a state green-building tax credit, Trenery said.

The project also received a silver “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” award from the U.S. Green Building Council, which means it meets about half of the council’s 30 standards.

Larry Twele, Carroll’s economic development director, said the center would bring in new business and increase tax revenues.

Black Oak said plans for the center created attractive tax incentives for quicker project approvals.

Planners say they hope the open-air center becomes a gathering space including retail stores, restaurants and a spa.

FAST FACTS

Groundbreaking: August

Expected completion: fall 2008

Cost: $17 million

eskalski@baltimoreexaminer.com