Wilson Brothers Blog

Two brothers working, eating, and playing in and around the Odenton Town Center. Find out more in this post.

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What's Up Magazine has published a tremendous overview of how The Odenton Town Center has transformed over the last three years. Anyone who isn't familiar with the Town Center should find this bright piece to be just the thing to fill them in and bring them up to speed.

For those of us who have been around for a little while, it's a great reminder of just where we've come from and the headway we've made.

[wilsonbros]

Minh's Barber Shop - Grand Opening at Academy Junction

On Thursday, I was on my way to a West County Chamber Board Meeting when I was flagged down by an old friend and Odenton's newest retailer, Minh's Barber Shop, located one door over from the West County Chamber at A.J. Properties' Academy Junction (off Piney Orchard Parkway and Rt. 175).

After my meeting I had an opportunity to catch up with Minh while being one of his first haircuts at his new establishment.

I've been going to Minh at the Columbia Barber Shop (off Snowden River Parkway and Mintstrel Way) since they opened almost 10 years ago.  Since then the Columbia Barber Shop just keeps expanding their chairs to keep up with demand. Now, Minh is ready for prime time. Minh's Barber Shop anticipates following this same successful business model in Odenton, MD and is open for business.

They provide quick and affordable clipper cuts for men at only $9.00 a head.  If you like to be pampered with a shampoo he will hook you up for an extra $5.00, but some men like myself just want a clipper cut and be on our way (after asking for a quick neck massage that is).  What I really like about this business model is that Walk-Ins are always welcome (for those of us on the run) and the wait is never very long at all (especially in their comfy leather chairs watching the flat screen TV).

As a Board Member for the West County Chamber of Commerce, I would like to be the first to welcome Minh to Odenton and look forward to many more quality hair cuts to come.  Come on Odenton and Fort Meade residents, let's support Minh by stopping by during his Grand Opening this weekend.  Don't forget to tell him the Wilson Bros. sent you and to remind him to give you an extra long neck massage.

[wilsonbros]

Odenton Town Center - When's That Going to Happen?

Shaun and I have displayed the West County Chamber's Odenton Town Center Exhibit at several community events over the last year or so, including DISA conferences and Church Grand Openings. It makes me smile every time I hear someone say, "The Odenton Town Center, huh? When's that going to happen?"

All I have to do is start going through all the major construction going on right now to see their faces change and realize they haven't been to Odenton in a while. One great example of what's happening inside the Odenton Town Center is The Village at Odenton Station.

Opposite the busiest MARC Rail Station on the Penn Line with 3,000 riders per day, you can't help but notice Dolben's The Village at Odenton Station project. The Village at Odenton Station is Anne Arundel County’s first transit-oriented, mixed-use development. The development consists of 57,000 square feet of retail beneath 235 luxury apartment homes, and is adjacent to the Odenton MARC Rail Station, with direct access to Fort Meade via shuttle bus.  This mixed use, transit oriented project is less than 2 miles from Fort Meade, with 109,000 vehicles entering the gates daily and 56,000 employees.

With over 10,000 residential units throughout the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions, The Dolben Company prides itself in putting together only the highest quality team to develop and manage their communities.  Just look at the level of detail they have put into The Village at Odenton Station and you will see just how meticulous they are.  Dolben is providing an old fashioned, pedestrian-friendly village architecture, designed to Bronze Natural Green Building Standards, and providing open spaces featuring a piazza, clock tower, and hiker/biker trail.  They even went to great lengths to go to the tile mill to have their exterior tiles customized to match the exact color they wanted.

Metropolitan Management’s Trish Palumbo, the retail broker for the Village at Odenton Station, personally met us at her site and is very excited about this project.  She told us that the 57k SF of retail that she represents will deliver by April 2012 and that the 235 luxury apartments, which are ahead of schedule, are projected to deliver by the end of 2012.

She has also indicated that she currently has significant interest and letters of intent out on several retail spaces including several quality restaurants, a coffee shop (Shaun and I have our fingers crossed for a Starbucks), a dry cleaner, pharmacy, smaller restaurants, retail, and medical services.  With over 600 on-site parking spaces, the retail component will also have full access to the train station's parking spaces after hours.

The leasing of the 235 luxury apartments is also keeping pace and the project is projected to be fully occupied by the end of 2012. 

Check out the The Village at Odenton Station Virtual Tour

[wilsonbros]

Carroll Independent Fuel Co. - New Tenant and Developer in Odenton

Back in July 2011 we blogged about Odenton residents that were excited about the recent demolition of Odenton Town Center’s most prominent eyesore — the old Chinese restaurant on the nearly 2 acre lot at Rt 175 and Charter Oaks Blvd. 

Last week I decided to follow up with the land owner, Frank Dimick, to see how his leasing prospects were coming.  He has Inked a deal that will result in a very timely development of the property. 

Here's what Mr. Dimick told us:

As of today the new tenant and developer is Carroll Independent Fuel Company. They operate a large number of locations in Maryland. It is a family owned business and has been in operation for more than a hundred years. The main offices are located at 2700 Loch Raven Rd, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.

They are going to be trying to pick up from where the earlier tenant, Eastern Petroleum, dropped the ball. This is a very solid company that with the County’s cooperation has the ability to really perform in a very timely manner and enhance that corner with an attractive Gas, C-Store, Restaurant and Car Wash.

Since we were unable to reach Carroll Independent Fuel Company's President for clarification, it  is still unclear if they will use the original Eastern Petroleum concepts or if they will need to get new renderings approved by the Odenton Town Center Oversight Committee.

We were, however, able to find one of their concepts online.

[wilsonbros]

The Columbia Bank Coming to Odenton Town Center Summer 2013

The Columbia Bank has officially signed a lease with The Halle Companies to move into the Seven Oaks Shopping Center in the first quarter of 2013.

The new bank will be on a pad site near the front entrance of the center and is a build to suit as The Columbia Bank continues to expand in the county. Above is a rendering of their typical building, which we think will fit in great with the Odenton Town Center Master Plan's requirements. (More renderings here.)

We think that it'll be a great addition to the shopping center which is starting to become more and more upscale with the addition of the "Class A" Seven Oaks Office Building which features wood finished walls and granite floors in the lobby.

If you haven't peaked in the window at the lobby of the office building, you should. The Halle Companies — for whom Kevin is the broker on the building — has put a lot of resources into the lobby, and even had the wood in the lobby resurfaced when owner Cookie Halle wasn't happy with the quality of the original finish.

For those not familiar with The Halle Companies, you may be interested to know that they are the owners of the 230 foot Martha Ann that was docked at the Annapolis Yacht Club this spring, as well as a few other superyachts. As a result, Cookie is a bit of an aficionado with what I'll term a higher standard when it comes to wood.

[wilsonbros]

Denny's May Come To Odenton Town Center

The Odenton Town Plan Oversight Committee agreed tonight to allow Denny’s to explore building a new restaurant at 1410 Annapolis Road.

The restaurant is across 175 from the new Village at Odenton Station project and within walking distance of the new Town Center Commons townhouses near Town Center Boulevard and the MARC Station for those who want to grab a cup of coffee on the way to work.

The developers know that they will have to make major changes to the facade of the building to line up with the Town Center Master Plan, but tonight’s meeting was to make sure that the Oversight Committee would allow the building at that site. (For a good feel of what the Master Plan requires for facades, drive by Royal Farms, which the Oversight Committee feels is a successful implementation of the requirements.)

One hurdle they have to clear is that the Master Plan calls for higher density down through the 175 corridor and the Oversight Committee is unwilling to budge on the Town Center Plan’s mandate for at least a two story building. (Current site plans call for a single story building.)

Another hurdle is that the Master Plan calls for no parking spaces to abut urban grid streets, which Dare Street is, but the Oversight Committee will help make recommendations to help Denny’s plan progress.

The Town Center Master Plan also calls for patio seating which Denny’s has already acknowledged and agreed to provide.

The density for the restaurant would be quite impressive with capacity at over 160 people in the 4,000 square foot restaurant and patio.

[wilsonbros]

Where Did All Of The Concrete Come From?

On the weekend before last, Kevin and I were invited to take part in the grand opening of Nichols-Bethel Methodist Church's new wing that we told you about earlier this year.

Stationed among the League of Women Voters, the Girl Scouts, dentists, gyms and other businesses and clubs from the community, we were asked to set up the Odenton Town Center display.

We had a great time talking with all kinds of people from the community, many of whom were unfamiliar with the full 1,600-acre scope of the Odenton Town Center. Some were from out of town, others had lived in the community for more than 40 years. Everyone was excited about what Odenton Town Center is starting to become.

The Concrete at Odenton Gateway

One of the more interesting questions, which was asked by a few people, is what the story is with the Odenton Gateway project on the east side of the Town Center near the roundabout on 175 and all of the concrete that was removed during the clearing of the site.

Kevin and I hadn't heard about the source of the seemingly endless supply of concrete, but one of the attendees who happened to be passing by when the question was asked piped up with an answer that captured my imagination.

"You know the street down there that comes off of the roundabout, Sappington Station Road?" the man asked. "Well, the concrete that was removed from the property is the leftovers from Sappington Station. It all used to be a part of the train station and when they shut down the station they just covered it with dirt and seeded it with grass."

Source From The Source (or Where The Developer Believes It Came From)

Yesterday we were able to catch up with Steve Horne from Elm Street Development, the developers of Odenton Gateway. While the story of Sappington Station was a fun story to retell, we wanted to ask Steve if there was any truth to it before presenting it on Wilson Bros. Blog.

When we asked him where the truckload after truckload of concrete that had been coming off of the site came from, he told us that the answer to that question will vary depending on who you talk to.

Elm Street's best understanding is that the concrete is from the widening of Annapolis Road (MD 175). When the road was widened, the old two lane highway was torn up and this is where the stuff was dumped and buried.

When all was said and done, the company had removed an incredible 4,000-5,000 yards, which was 5 feet deep in some places. (To understand just how much this is, you should know that a cement truck in the US usually carries about 9-11 yards of concrete.)

While Sappington Station could possibly be part of the source of the concrete, I'm going to guess that Sappington Station didn't produce THIS much concrete.

One thing that Steve let us know Elm Street is proud of, and rightfully so, is that all of that concrete is being recycled.

[wilsonbros]

Odenton residents are excited about the recent demolition of Odenton Town Center's most prominent eyesore — the old Chinese restaurant on the nearly 2 acre lot at Rt 175 and Charter Oaks Blvd.

For years now, the talk has been that Eastern Petroleum Corp had bought this lot and was building a BP station there.  When the dirt at this lot started moving, Kevin and I went by to talk to the guys from Excalibur Excavating who were clearing the land to find out what's up.

Turns out that some time ago Eastern Petroleum put the land under contract with plans to install the gas station.  (The Odenton Town Center Oversight Committee had even officially approved it.)  However, tough economic times must have gotten to the company because Frank Dimick, the owner who was leasing the land to EP Corp, told us that the deal fell through.  His understanding is that EP Corp sold their assets and closed up shop.  (WB Blog's e-mails to EP Corp's website contact information bounce as undeliverable and phone calls have gone unanswered.)

Seven Oaks residents and Odenton Brokers alike are thrilled with Mr. Dimick's efforts to clean up the lot now that EP Corp is no longer buying it.  Hopefully it won't be long before he finds the "respectable tenant" he's looking for to do a land lease.  With a relatively new Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robins on one side of Charter Oaks and something else new accross the street on this lot, there will be a noticeably beautiful evolution in the attractiveness of the area.

For now the lot will be cleared and the broken up asphalt that was once the parking lot will be pushed to create a barrier around the lot, hopefully keeping residents safe and discouraging use for undesirable activities.

The crumbling building will no longer be an eyesore for Seven Oaks residents who are visiting the adjacent Club House to hang out with friends or go for a dip in the pool.

The Odenton Town Center continues to become more beautiful, more modern, more walkable, and flat out more enjoyable.

[wilsonbros]

Odenton's Best Foursquare Deals

The location-based social media platform Foursquare recently reached its 10,000,000 user.  The idea of the website is to create a game where you compete against friends to check in at the most number of places the most frequently and earn points along the way.

(As of the writing of this post, I have 151 points and Kevin has 129.)

Over the last couple of years Foursquare has evolved into a platform that can be used by businesses and brands to engage with their customers.  Brands like Wilson Bros Blog can give you location-based tips on what to do in an area.  (Try the "chef's special" flavor of buffalo wings at Jim's Hideaway.)

Businesses can engage with customers by offering coupons to Foursquare members who check in at their venue.  Here are the top three deals in the Odenton Town Center right now:

RadioShack:  Check in at RadioShack for 10% off qualifying purchases.  Check in enough times to ear a spot as Mayor of this store and get 20% off!

7-Eleven:  Every 88th check-in who participates in their CheckIntoSpace.com contest receives a free movie ticket.

APlus at Sunoco: Grab a Gatorade or G2 32 oz and save 2 cents on every gallon at the pump (up to 20 gallons).

What do you have to do to get these rewards?  Just sign up for Foursquare and start checking-in when you go all of the places you already go!

PS - Don't worry, this isn't a real-time tracking program; no one knows where you are unless you purposely share the information.

[wilsonbros]

West County Chamber Annual Meeting and Business Awards with Featured Speaker Sen. Ben Cardin

Last week's West County Chamber Annual Meeting and Business Awards was a great success with record attendance. Senator Ben Cardin (D- MD) discussed Congressional challenges  with those in attendance, including facts on the national budget debate and BRAC related infrastructure needs.

Also featured at this crowded luncheon was an update of all the new development in the works within the Odenton Town Center as well as Chamber and Business Awards presented to numerous deserving Chamber members.

The recipients included:   

Military Affairs Supporter Award: Matt Hauser, GEICO Local Office

Small Business Advocate Award: James King, Kaufmann's Restaurant  

Chamber Ambassador of the Year:  Fred Hopkins, Annapolis Drywall, Inc.

Education & Community Outreach Award: Art Muegge, Wheels Skating Center

Chamber Business Leader of the Year: Paul Centenari, Atlas Container Corporation  

Chamber Volunteer of the Year: Shaun Wilson, Wilson Bros. Blog/Capitol CREAG

Please offer your congratulations to these well deserving leaders when you see them around town!

  Visit the West County Chamber picture gallery at:  Richard Chomitz Photography

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"It's Happening Here!" Isn't Just a Chamber Slogan, It's a Reality!

If you’ve been to the Odenton Town Center lately you will see numerous projects under construction and even near completion. These projects include a diversity of mixed-use development such as: Seven Oaks Office Building (68k SF of Class A Office - base building complete), The Village at Odenton Station (57k SF Retail and 235 apartments - under construction), Town Center Commons (240 townhouses under construction), Flats 170 at Academy Yard (372 apartments - design phase), and the Odenton Health and Technology Campus (64k SF medical building).

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AAHS and John Hopkins Medical Center - Odenton Gateway Fall 2012

Today, the West County Chamber highlighted Odenton Gateway as one of the newest Odenton Town Center projects under construction.  Anne Arundel Health System (AAHS) and Johns Hopkins Medicine have partnered on the development of a new 60,000 square foot medical center.  The building will be on property known as Odenton Gateway, located at the corner of route 175 and Sappington Station Drive, across from the Odenton Shopping Center.  Odenton Gateway is a mixed-use project that will also include 254 apartments. 

According to Ronald R. Peterson, president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, "This is about two health systems collaborating to provide comprehensive outpatient health care services to an underserved population. Patients coming to this new facility will be able to avail themselves of a full spectrum of radiology and medical laboratory services, as well as ophthalmology, orthopedic, neurology, cardiology, internal medicine, oncology, rehabilitation, gastroenterology and pediatric services.”

The AAHS has decided to break the mold from its typical hospitals with these types of satellite medical centers that are conveniently located to where their current and future patients live, work and play.

[wilsonbros]

DISA Touts Telework in Ft. Meade Move

DISA Touts Telework in Ft. Meade Move

This summer, more than 4,700 workers at the Defense Information Systems Agency will be relocating from Northern Virginia to the agency's new location in Ft. Meade, Md. But thanks to telework, many of them will not have to up and move their families in exchange for a shorter commute.

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By CLAIRE LOUDER Published 05/17/11

Recent calls suggest that many in Anne Arundel County believe developers are allowed to build regardless of impact on roads, sewer and water capacity, and schools. As nothing is further from the truth, an explanation of our County's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (Article 17, Title 5), and the difference between that and Comprehensive Zoning, seems in order....

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Anne Arundel County hopes to submit an application to the Maryland Department of the Environment for a new sewer line in Odenton this week. Real estate developers have been anxiously awaiting construction of the sewer so they can build.

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The Defense Department is spending more than $35 billion to move 123,000 employees and change the makeup of more than 8,000 bases across the country under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiative. The impact on military personnel, their families, their communities and the agencies that work with DoD is just beginning to be understood. In our special week-long report, BRAC Impact: A Federal News Radio and WTOP In Depth Series, we will explore the effect moving hundreds of thousands of workers across DoD will have on the military and the contractors that support them.

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Developers and business owners met at the West County Area Library to discuss ways of incorporating green elements into their projects.