Office Complex

The Army is scheduled to award a contract next month for the construction of a giant office complex at Aberdeen Proving Ground, one of the largest development contracts in Harford County, officials said. The office complex will house a military operation being moved into the county from New Jersey as part of the military base realignment, officials said. "It will be the first major step in the shift of about 10,000 jobs from Fort Monmouth to APG," said James C. Richardson, Harford County's economic development director.

The board of the NAACP is expected to vote this weekend on a proposal to relocate the civil rights organization's headquarters from Northwest Baltimore to the nation's capital. Those close to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People say the 64-member board is expected to approve the proposal to move to a new office and retail complex rising on the east bank of the Anacostia River. While the much-anticipated decision would solidify the organization's intent to relocate, it would be far from the final step in a plan that has been decades in the making.

In his first year, Howard County Executive James N. Robey raised taxes, jumped into a growing controversy over schools and proposed building a large government office complex -- actions seemingly fraught with political danger.And even though he's a Democrat who replaced two-term Republican Charles I. Ecker, Robey fired no holdover appointees and rearranged no departments, proving that politics are a little different in Howard County.Despite those moves, and a few strong dissents, most observers praise the former police chief's performance.

In Howard County government's boldest move since the early 1970s, County Executive James N. Robey wants to buy 25 acres in Ellicott City to build a second county office complex during the next decade.The campus would include three or four buildings for agencies such as planning and zoning, permits, finance and public works. That would make room for an expansion of the County Council's quarters and allow offices operating in Columbia and elsewhere to return to the county seat.Howard's population has more than tripled in three decades, and Robey said it is time to plan for the future instead of trying to get by with offices scattered across the county.

Westminster's mayor and Common Council voted last night to place a three-month moratorium on accepting plans to develop two locations on Main Street that are deemed keys to downtown revitalization.Plans for development of the 1934 post office building and the Farmers Supply Co. will have to wait until at least mid-September while a report by Westminster city planners on revitalization of the downtown corridor is completed."As we look at all the sites together, it is important to have the remaining sites be developed in the way we'd like to see happen," said Councilman Gregory Pecoraro.

In Howard County government's boldest move since the early 1970s, County Executive James N. Robey wants to buy 25 acres in Ellicott City to build a second county office complex during the next decade.The campus would include three or four buildings for agencies such as planning and zoning, permits, finance and public works. That would make room for an expansion of the County Council's quarters and allow offices operating in Columbia and elsewhere to return to the county seat.Howard's population has more than tripled in three decades, and Robey said it's time to plan for the future instead of trying to get by with offices scattered across the county.

The city is considering building a multimillion dollar office complex near City Hall to consolidate various agencies currently leasing space throughout downtown.A city development group led by Housing Commissioner Daniel P. Henson III recommended to Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke on Tuesday that a cost-benefit analysis be completed to study the issue."The basic assumption is that if we had more city-owned office space, ultimately we could save money for the city, because the government's cost of money is cheaper than the private sector," Henson said.

In yesterday's story about the Johns Hopkins University's proposal to turn Memorial Stadium into an office complex, the number of Orioles World Series titles was misstated. The team has played in six World Series and won three of them.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 6/12/98

Howard County could have another Main Street if the plans of a Baltimore developer for a parcel of land on Route 108 are approved.Christopher Kurz has filed a request with the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning to rezone 20.5 acres of the old University of Maryland Horse Research Center to construct four office buildings with shops and restaurants on their first floors.The plan entails building the office complex around a "Main Street" that would bisect the parcel and offer parallel parking, gazebos and park benches -- somewhat like Main Street in Ellicott City, four miles away.

Baltimore's long-range strategy for the Inner Harbor changed course abruptly this week as prospective developers of several key parcels disclosed decisions that leave the Market Place area in flux.Alex. Brown & Sons executives politely rejected the city's offer of an exclusive 60-day period to study the Pier 4 Power Plant as a headquarters site, but said they would still like a chance to negotiate for the property without preventing others from doing the same.The investment company's refusal to accept exclusive negotiating rights was an indication that its chief executive officer, who expressed interest in the waterfront landmark several months ago, may be cooling to the idea of converting it to offices.

A planned $1.5 billion redevelopment of Midtown Baltimore's State Center complex came under harsh criticism Thursday from legislative analysts who told lawmakers that the current public-private deal "is not in the best interest of the state." In two afternoon briefings, for the Senate and House of Delegates budget committees, nonpartisan analysts questioned the viability of the State Center expansion, arguing that it is based on excessively rosy assumptions of commercial and housing demand in the city.

Maryland's treasurer warned Friday that a planned $1.4 billion development anchored by the state office complex in Midtown Baltimore may count toward the state's debt limit, raising questions about the state's ability to afford the huge undertaking. State officials also announced separately Friday a new lead developer to replace Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, which has struggled with mounting debt, and reiterated a goal to break ground on the State Center in 2010. The development has become a politically charged topic in Annapolis, where lawmakers are seeking more information about the state's financial obligations, while Baltimore politicians and community members say the project would revitalize the area.

The Maryland Transit Administration will hold a series of public meetings this week and next to explain its proposed changes to more than a dozen bus routes this August. The MTA is proposing two new "Quick Bus" routes - the No. 43 and the No. 48 - along the path of the existing No. 3 and No. 8 routes. The Quick Bus routes would make fewer stops than the current buses on those routes. With the addition, the No. 3 and No. 8 buses would not arrive as frequently, but many riders' trips would take less time.

The Army is scheduled to award a contract next month for the construction of a giant office complex at Aberdeen Proving Ground, one of the largest development contracts in Harford County, officials said. The office complex will house a military operation being moved into the county from New Jersey as part of the military base realignment, officials said. "It will be the first major step in the shift of about 10,000 jobs from Fort Monmouth to APG," said James C. Richardson, Harford County's economic development director.

The board of the NAACP is expected to vote this weekend on a proposal to relocate the civil rights organization's headquarters from Northwest Baltimore to the nation's capital. Those close to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People say the 64-member board is expected to approve the proposal to move to a new office and retail complex rising on the east bank of the Anacostia River. While the much-anticipated decision would solidify the organization's intent to relocate, it would be far from the final step in a plan that has been decades in the making.

A Glen Burnie dentist found dead in his office had been beaten so badly that police had difficulty identifying him, Anne Arundel County police said yesterday. The body of Dr. Albert Woonho Ro, 51, was discovered Tuesday night at his dental practice at 1414 Crain Highway. According to police, Ro's wife called police from outside the dental office about 10 p.m. She told officers that she could not get in touch with her husband -- his car was on the parking lot, but he was not answering his office phone.

In proposing a redevelopment of the state office complex on Howard Street, the Ehrlich administration has correctly sized up the problem and potential of the 25-acre site. Its mass creates a visual and physical barrier, blocking access to nearby neighborhoods and isolating 3,500 state workers on an island of concrete and asphalt. With the announcement last week that the state has selected a development team for the site, the process to break down the barriers, real and perceived, can begin.

The state of Maryland is taking preliminary steps to transform its old, plain and sprawling downtown Baltimore office complex into the foundation for a brand new entertainment, retail and residential hub. In September, Maryland's Department of Transportation will begin looking for developers who can tear down the 25-acre network of state offices and build in its place a new government workplace, but one integrated with places to live, dine and shop....

Executive Center II Location: North Ridge Road, near the juncture of U.S. 40 and U.S. 29 Developer: Executive Center Inc. Leasing agent: C.B. Richard Ellis Inc. Description: Three-story, 50,000-square-foot office complex. Retail services will comprise half of the first floor, with commercial offices on the balance of the first floor and the second and third floors. Construction began in November. Completion is planned for October.

MDG Corporate Centre. Location: 8850 100 Columbia Parkway. Developer: MDG Cos. Description: Four-story, 53,118-square-foot office complex in the Columbia Office Research Park.