The Wheaton Revitalization Project, whose construction was overseen by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), has been recognized with the “Best Sustainable Award” in the 19th Annual Awards of Excellence of the DC/MD Chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. The award recognizes the project for exemplifying environmentally responsible design.
The Commercial Real Estate Development Association was known as National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP) prior to 2009. At that time, reflecting changes in membership, the association dropped the words behind its name and simply became known as NAIOP to better reflect its membership composition.
NAIOP is the leading organization for developers, owners and investors of office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate. NAIOP comprises more than 19,000 members and provides strong advocacy, education and business opportunities through its North American network.
The Awards of Excellence program was held virtually on Sept. 13. All awards were based on a system of nominations and peer selection.
The Best Sustainable Award category highlighted outstanding new construction or renovation projects that incorporate sustainable solutions resulting in an environmentally efficient and economically successful property.
“We take great pride in our innovative efforts to combat climate change,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Receiving the Best Sustainable Award is a testament to the emphasis the County places on preserving the environment and working toward our aggressive climate action goals.”
The Wheaton Revitalization Project, which included a 14-story office building in downtown Wheaton that became the new headquarters of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and several Montgomery County departments, also was recognized recently with a Merit Award from Engineering News-Record (ENR) MidAtlantic. In that competition, it was selected in the category of “Government Public Building.”
The office building was dedicated in October 2020. It is now home to the County’s Department of Permitting Services, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Recreation, Office of Community Use of Public Facilities and Mid-County Regional Services Office.
“This project is getting a lot of attention,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “This is a great way to celebrate the Wheaton Revitalization Project’s one-year anniversary.”
The project broke ground in June 2017 and was completed in September 2020. The County envisioned that the project would spur economic development in the Wheaton Central Business District and provide a centralized location for government services within a short walk to the Wheaton Metro Station.
MCDOT led the development and construction of the new Wheaton Revitalization Project—one of the largest projects ever built by the County. Construction took 39 months and cost about $179 million. It was completed on time and within budget.
“I am very proud that MCDOT has played a pivotal role in creating this smart-growth, environmentally friendly development,” said MCDOT Director Conklin. “This project has set a new sustainable design standard for public facilities in Montgomery County. The office building is the first government-owned office building in Maryland to achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).”
LEED is the highest certification available by USGBC. LEED projects earn points across nine basic areas that address key aspects of green buildings including water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, location and transportation and energy and atmosphere.
In addition to the 308,000-square-foot office building, the Wheaton Revitalization Project includes ground-floor retail and plaza spaces, a new town square adjacent to the building that will host public events and a four-level below-grade public parking structure.
For the complete list of awards in the NAIOP Awards of Excellence, click here.
