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Merritt Properties announced it has bought a 35.6-acre site to build an office park to serve military contractors, joining the army of developers responding to an influx of jobs in and around Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County.

The Woodlawn company plans three Class A buildings and two retail sites totaling 265,900 square feet within two miles of the base. The Aberdeen City Council approved a preliminary site plan for Aberdeen Corporate Park in October.

"The expansion of the Army programs centered on communications, testing, evaluation, research, development and cybersecurity will require additional contractor support and this project will be an outstanding addition to the Aberdeen and Harford County office market," Merritt said in a statement.

The complex, which will be on the south side of Md. 22 less than a mile from the I-95 access ramps, is in a designated Harford County Enterprise Zone. The first 95,200-square-foot office building is scheduled for completion next summer. A second two-story building of similar size is planned, in addition to a 63,500-square-foot office building and two 6,000-square-foot buildings for retail or restaurants.

"Harford County is excited to have Merritt Properties begin a project that will expand office space opportunities for the high-tech companies moving into the county to support the various Aberdeen Proving Ground missions," James Richardson, Harford County's economic development director, said in the statement.

Construction is booming in the Aberdeen area, thanks to more than 20,000 new Army and civilian jobs that are being relocated as part of the Pentagon's base realignment and closure program.

On the base itself, St. John Properties is building the Government and Technology Enterprise project, a 413-acre business community on a 2.5 million-square-foot campus to make room for 5,000 workers relocating next year with the Command, Control, Computer, Communication, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance operations.

Off-base, developments include North Gate Business Park, an 800,000-square-foot complex under construction by Corporate Offices Properties Trust; and Greenway Business Park, a 138,000-square-foot center owned by the Stewart Family Trust.

Merritt noted it has experience building for highly specialized government agencies and military contractors, which will need secure rooms, data centers, network operations centers and tactical gun ranges.

The three office buildings at Aberdeen Corporate Park development are slated for gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The project's sustainable features will include 100 percent of the building's core energy purchased from renewable energy sources.

Greenberg Gibbons breaks ground on $275M complex

Greenberg Gibbons started construction this week on its long-stalled Village South at Waugh Chapel project, a 1.2-million-square-foot complex that will bring Wegmans and Target to west Anne Arundel County.

In an area that 10 years ago was known for little more than bingo and gravel, the $275 million mixed-use development in Gambrills is to include 650,000 square feet of retail, 125,000 square feet of Class A office space and 380 residential units, representing 450,000 square feet of space. The retail space already is 75 pre-leased, with other big-box stores including Dick's Sporting Goods and Petco.

The complex will rise at the intersection of Md. 301 and Waugh Chapel Road, opposite the bustling Village at Waugh Chapel, which sold for $72 million in February. Greenberg Gibbons conceived the second new shopping center soon after it finished building the first one in 2000.

Construction of the new project was made possible by financing commitments from M&T Bank, which followed county approval in May for $16 million in tax increment financing bonds to help pay for roads and other infrastructure.

Army scales back plan for Fort Ritchie

The Army has scaled back its development plans for Fort Ritchie in Washington County under an environmental review ordered by a federal judge.

The new proposal would drop original plans for office buildings on the base's historic parade ground, which would shrink the project by about 25 percent. The Army's development partner, Corporate Office Properties Trust of Columbia, will limit office space to 3,343 workers, down from the 4,500 jobs originally planned, according to the Record of Environmental Consideration released by the Army.

The record was released to meet the orders of Royce C. Lamberth, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who wrote the Army must either produce a supplemental environmental impact statement, a lengthy process that could set the project back years, or convince the court that no supplement is needed.

The public comment period for the new assessment ends Sept. 19.

Praemittias Group signs lease at Arundel Overlook

Praemittias Group, a Denver military contractor, signed for 10,800 square feet of space at 980 Mercantile Drive in Arundel Overlook, landlord St. John Properties announced.

Praemittias intends to move 30 employees into the new space by this fall. The company joins 3Di Technologies — which leased 9,000 square feet at the park last year — as the second military contractor to select Arundel Overlook, based on its proximity to growing Fort Meade.

The 68-acre business community in Anne Arundel County, when completed, will feature about 313,000 square feet of research and development/flex space. Praemittias specializes in unique systems integration, advanced training and specialized staffing with a focus on asymmetric warfare.

Positioned near the intersection of Md. 100 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Arundel Overlook comprises four single-story flex/office buildings totaling about 160,000 square feet. The business community is adjacent to the Arundel Mills shopping mall and is two miles from Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport.

"Our portfolio of properties surrounding Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County and Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County continues to experience an increased velocity of leasing activity from the defense contracting community," said Jerry Wit, St. John's senior vice president for marketing."The BRAC effect is noticeably enlarging and gaining momentum throughout the Baltimore-Washington region as campuses and facilities within the two army bases move closer to completion."

Warner wins $10M contract for Hood College gym

Warner Construction of Frederick has won a contract worth up to $10 million from Hood College in Frederick to design and build a new gymnasium and fitness center, according to a college statement.

College officials hope construction can begin early next year, said Charles Mann, the school's vice president of finance. The project is the second phase of a plan by Hood to upgrade its athletic facilities.

The first phase was completed last year, when new field turf was installed for the school's soccer, field hockey and lacrosse teams, school officials said in the statement.

Commercial real estate news items may be mailed to: Steve Monroe, The Business Gazette, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877; e-mailed to smonroe@gazette.net; or faxed to 301-670-7183.