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Encroaching development threatens a pair of Frederick County Civil War battlefield sites, according to a preservation group's annual survey.
In its report on the nation's top 10 endangered sites, "History Under Siege," the Civil War Preservation Trust of Washington, D.C., singled out the possibility that the sanctity of the Monocacy National Battlefield near Frederick might be spoiled by the 350-foot smokestack of a proposed trash incinerator. The $527 million waste-to-energy plant would sit directly across the Monocacy River, marring views from most of the battlefield.
"In town after town, the irreplaceable battlefields that define those communities are being marred forever," said trust president James Lighthizer, former Maryland transportation secretary and Anne Arundel County executive, in a statement. "As we approach the Sesquicentennial of the bloodiest conflict in our nation's history, we need to be more aware than ever of the importance of preserving these sacred places for generations to come."
The 1864 Monocacy clash has been deemed the "battle that saved Washington," because it is where Union forces stopped Confederate troops on their way to the capital. Frederick County officials are weighing approval of the trash plant, which would burn up to 1,500 tons daily.
The trust also has warned about the impact of plans to expand Interstate 270 near the National Park battlefield site and construction of new transmission lines by Allegheny Power.
The other Frederick County battlefield on the trust's list — South Mountain — is where 5,900 troops died when Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was rebuffed during his first invasion of the North in 1862. In December, Dominion Power bought a 135-acre site nearby, where it proposes to build a $55 million natural gas compression station.
The trust urged opposition to the project when Dominion files an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
In the meantime, efforts are brewing at the state level to block the Monocacy trash plant. Sens. Alexander X. Mooney (R-Dist. 3) of Urbana and Brian E. Frosh (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda sponsored a bill that would bar construction of any incinerator facilities within one mile of a National Park.
Howard seeks proposals for mixed-use project
Howard County is looking for a developer to build a mixed-use project on a former public school site on prime land in Clarksville.
A request for proposals has been issued for the Gateway school's 7.8-acre site and the county has hired Manekin LLC and Jones Lang LaSalle to help with the sale and redevelopment of the site. County officials have estimated its value at about $8 million.
The property, off Route 32 at the intersection of Clarksville Pike and Great Star Drive, is zoned for mixed-use development.
The site "represents one of the last remaining opportunities in Howard County for a site of this size and zoning with access to public sewer and water," the request said.
Requests for qualifications are due April 9 and the announcement of the winning bid is planned for September.
University triples doctors' office space in Baltimore
The University of Maryland School of Medicine signed a lease to triple the size of its office space for its University Physicians unit in the marquee 250 W. Pratt St. building in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, according to Cushman & Wakefield, which represented the owner.
The lease renewal expands the medical space from 11,531 to 36,891 square feet. The 368,194-square-foot building sits across from Camden Yards and offers commanding views of the Orioles baseball stadium.
Behringer Harvard of Addison, Texas, acquired the 24-story property for $51.8 million in 2004, according to CoStar, the Bethesda real estate information service.
Waterfront office building wins LEED precertification
The U.S. Green Building Council has granted its silver environmental precertification to the Thames Street Wharf, which is under construction on Baltimore's eastern waterfront.
The council cited the project under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
The 277,000-square-foot building will be the new home of Morgan Stanley when it is completed in the first quarter of 2010, according to Colliers Pinkard, which is handling leasing. The financial giant will take 139,000 square feet, with an additional 130,000 square feet available.
Thames Street Wharf is the first building to rise as part of the Harbor Point development, a massive complex planned on the site of an old Allied Signal chemical plant between the Inner Harbor and Fells Point. Plans for the 27-acre project include 841,000 square feet of office space, 701,000 square feet of residential space, 183,000 square feet of hotel space and 2,900 parking spaces.
Thames Street Wharf is being developed by H&S Properties Development Corp. with development and property management services provided by Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse.
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.
