(1/27/2010) In an effort to unload surplus land around BWI Airport, the state is completing a plan to mark 275 acres for possible auction, Maryland Aviation Administration officials said Tuesday.

(1/15/2010) Bethesda developer Moore & Associates amended the old investment adage to buy low, sell high and then buy low again when it bought back the three-building Station Square office complex in Silver Spring last month.

(1/11/2010) Allen & O'Hara Development Co., a subsidiary of Education Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE:EDR), one of the nation's largest developers, owners and managers of university housing properties, has been hired by East Baltimore Development Inc. to design, develop and manage a new state of the art 20-story, high-rise apartment and graduate student housing complex at the corner of Ashland Avenue and North Wolfe Street in Baltimore.

(12/31/2009) Corporate Office Properties Trust wants to build an 88-acre, $1 billion development in White Marsh that would bring more than 1,200 new homes and 1.2 million square feet of office space to the area.

(12/21/2009) Enterprise Zones in Baltimore City and Allegany and Prince George's counties have been approved for expansion and renewal by the Governor's office.

(12/4/2009) The Maryland Transportation Department has awarded exclusive negotiating rights to Patriot Realty for a mixed-use development near the Laurel MARC station.

(12/2/2009) Convenience store chain 7-Eleven said it will open 50 stores annually in the Baltimore- Washington area during the next three years as part of an aggressive expansion in some of its best-performing markets.

(12/1/2009) Mitre Corp. celebrated the opening of its newest office in Anne Arundel County, becoming one of the largest defense contractors to expand in the area as part of the Pentagon’s military realignment plan.

(11/23/2009) For a decade, a 50-foot-deep berth at Seagirt Marine Terminal has been on top of the wish list for Baltimore's port. Good things - including 2,700 permanent jobs - must come to those who wait because it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas has finally arrived in South Baltimore.

(11/16/2009) A developer is planning Howard County's third urban-style mixed-use development along the MARC rail commuter line near Elkridge, a site long expected to be used for a Coca-Cola bottling plant.

The 122-acre project, called Oxford Square, would include up to 1,400 apartments and condominiums, 1 million square feet of commercial space, retail stores, a hotel and possibly six acres for a school, mimicking similar proposals at the Savage and Laurel Park train stations farther south.

The transit station projects have all been promoted as examples of Smart Growth - absorbing new residences and commercial development in areas already served by mass transit, roads, utilities and schools. They also fit with Howard's long-standing plans for redeveloping the U.S. 1 corridor.

(11/3/2009) A company that is planning a mixed-use development near Baltimore- Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport has floated the location as a possible venue for a slots casino if a nearby site at Arundel Mills mall falls through.

Linthicum Heights-based Heffner & Weber has offered to sell a parcel of more than 50 acres of undeveloped land near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and the airport to a slots developer, presumably Baltimore-based Cordish Cos., which is seeking a state license and county zoning for its project at the mall. The site is part of the proposed "Aerotropolis," a transit-oriented development that could include housing and entertainment.

(10/7/2009) The degree to which new retail development has slowed across the country is quite remarkable. The level of retail property under construction in nearly every market across the country is well below historical averages and CoStar is forecasting that the amount of new retail space completed this year will set a record low. One area where this decrease in new supply is clearly visible is the plunge in the number of large retail projects being built.

(10/5/2009) Baltimore County will buy industrial land in Sparrows Point from the state at a bargain price and lease the property to a local union for a training school.

Recent reconfiguring of highways and access ramps along the Baltimore Beltway and Interstate 95 corridor left the State Highway Administration with nearly 12 acres of industrial land and no use for it. With the International Union of Operating Engineers, the county has found a tenant ready to take over the property and build on it.

(10/5/2009) Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith and County officials formally broke ground and began construction on the Jacksonville Recreation and Senior Center located at 3605 Sweet Air Road in Phoenix. Cost of the complex's design and construction is $4,455,979. The total structure size is 14,400 sq. ft. on 31.9 acres. Expected opening date is August 2010.

(9/29/2009) While retailers are likely to face another tough holiday season, it may be much more difficult for them to extract any concessions from their landlords to help ease the ride, a top restructuring expert said on Tuesday.

(8/27/2009) The Maryland Board of Public Works approved on Wednesday a transfer to the federal government of state-owned land in Northwest Baltimore where U.S. officials plan to build an office building to house some Social Security Administration operations.

(8/25/2009) The $610 million in federal money allocated to Maryland transportation projects, which began trickling into the state's economy this spring, is now flowing steadily — resurfacing roads, upgrading transit facilities and boosting demand for contractors from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore.

(8/14/2009) The train station is the nucleus. Around it, high-rise buildings with a mix of apartments, offices and shops form a bustling urban center. People use public transportation more and their cars less. They stroll on wide sidewalks past storefronts, greenery and public art. This is the vision for the area around New Carrollton Station, circa 2030, outlined in a new transit district development plan and zoning overlay that received preliminary approval July 30 from the Prince George's County Planning Board.

(8/6/2009) An area around a Laurel MARC station has been designated a "smart site" by the governor's office, a designation city and state officials hope will expedite the process of developing the plot and revitalize economic health in the downtown district.

(8/5/2009) The General Motors transmission plant in White Marsh is one of several plants that will get part of a $2.4 billion pool of money from the federal government to go towards building batteries and electric drive projects for electric cars, the White House said Wednesday.

(7/16/2009) Four years after a deal that never got on track, state agencies are again moving forward to develop the area around the Laurel train station. The Maryland Transportation Authority and Maryland Department of Transportation announced in June they are accepting conceptual proposals for a transit-oriented development project at the Laurel Maryland Area Regional Commuter train station, located on Main Street, east of Route 1.

(6/4/2009) Development Opportunity! The Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) and Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) have issued an RFP to seek conceptual proposals from qualified and experienced developers for a transit-oriented development (TOD) project at the Laurel MARC Station on the Camden Line in the City of Laurel, Prince George’s County, Maryland. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will convey approximately 4.35 acres at the site to the selected offeror by sale or ground lease. Proposals should identify mixed-use, market-driven development opportunities that support increased use of transit and provide an advantageous revenue stream to MTA.

(5/12/2009) Mayor Sheila Dixon signed a bill Tuesday to extend a protective zoning district around the Port of Baltimore, a move port advocates say will help foster growth in maritime-related industry. Industrialists, developers and city officials had worked for more than a year on a compromise on the issue. The district helps maintain a separation between port and residential or commercial land uses. The law extends the life of the district, called the Maritime Industrial Zoning Overlay District, another decade through 2024.

(5/10/2009) After several years of delay, Maryland's latest attempt to foster urban-style, mixed-use development at state mass transit rail stations is moving forward in Savage, where a $175 million combination of apartments, offices, shops and restaurants is envisioned for what is now a 13-acre parking lot.

(5/5/2009) One exciting ripple effect of President Barack Obama's commitment to high-speed rail, which he demonstrated with an $8 billion pledge in federal stimulus money, is the promise of economic development in the areas surrounding transit hubs. The promise is real and has been demonstrated around the world in countries where high-speed rail is established. High-speed rail draws people from all walks of life. Business travelers and tourists for sure, and pretty much everyone else: According to a recent survey conducted by HNTB, the average person needing to make trips from 100 to 500 miles would choose high-speed rail over air and passenger car if travel time and fares were about equal.

(4/16/2009) The Maryland Transit Administration said Thursday it would spend $20 million in improvements to the Baltimore Metro Subway with funds from the federal stimulus package. The work will include overhauling train wheel assemblies and installing a new public address system at the city rail stations, the MTA said in a news release.

(4/15/2009) The Maryland Port Administration put its Seagirt Marine Terminal on the market for lease Wednesday, saying it’s the only way to pay for dredging and other improvements. The agency released a request for qualifications from potential bidders, who would be required to invest in a new 50-foot berth and new cranes at the 200-acre terminal.

(4/11/2009) President Barack Obama turned to Maryland for another high-level appointment Friday as the White House announced that he intends to name Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari to the No. 2 position in the U.S. Department of Transportation. In choosing Porcari, Obama has selected one of the few state transportation secretaries whose portfolio includes all the major modes of travel - highways, aviation, mass transit, maritime commerce and rail freight. If he clears the required background checks and is confirmed by the Senate, Porcari would serve as deputy to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Illinois congressman and a Republican.

(3/31/2009) The number of completed historic structure commercial rehabilitation projects in Maryland dropped from 75 projects totaling $303.9 million in private investment in 2001 to 20 projects totaling $32.8 million in investment in 2005, due in part to the State's cutbacks on a tax credit incentive for redeveloping older buildings, according to a new report commissioned by the Abell Foundation.

(3/26/2009) BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport has landed a $15 million grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year. The money, which will come through the Federal Aviation Administration, will be used to upgrade pavements on the aircraft ramp and taxi lane between concourses C and D at the at airport, according to a statement from Gov. Martin O’Malley’s office.

(3/9/2009) Despite job losses and falling gasoline prices, record numbers of Americans rode subways, buses and commuter rail last year, boosting public transportation ridership to its highest level in 52 years, according to a survey to be released today by the American Public Transportation Association. Advocates say the ridership figures show growing support for public transportation. They hope to use that support to push for federal funding beyond the $8.4 billion in stimulus money set aside for transit. More investment in transit not only helps the economy, advocacy groups say, but also helps the environment and fosters energy independence.

(2/26/2009) The MARC commuter rail system will receive $10.3 million of President Barack Obama's recently passed economic stimulus funds to launch a series of station improvements this spring. U.S. Rep. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-2nd District, will announce the MARC projects tomorrow at a news conference at the MARC station at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

(2/25/2009) The Baltimore City Board of Estimates approved a $4.5 million deal Wednesday to sell a block of land in downtown Baltimore to a team of developers planning to build a pair of Hyatt hotels. A development team led by Mark Sapperstein, Benjamin Greenwald and Joseph Haskins plan to construct a 450,000-square-foot complex anchored by a Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites with a combined 300 hotel rooms.

(2/19/2009) Metro and Maryland transportation officials said yesterday that they would use their share of the $787 billion stimulus package to pay for bridge maintenance, new buses and other large rehabilitation projects. Officials said the projects would create jobs while rebuilding the region's infrastructure.

In September 2009, Governor O’Malley signed Executive Order 01.01.2009.12, Locating Facilities To Stimulate Transit-Oriented Development, which formalized a State policy to prioritize purchase and lease of new State office and laboratory space within designated TODs.