The Business Monthly: Some Odenton History is Gone, But Bright Future Beckons
January 01, 2012
“Bittersweet.”
That’s the word that Jay Winer used to call that long- (too long, in the eyes of many observers) awaited early December day when demolition began on the northern building of Odenton’s long dormant Nevamar plant.
You see, the Winer family owned Nevamar, at one time the largest employer in Anne Arundel County, from 1941 until 1971, when it was sold to Exxon.
That means Winer, 64, has spent most of his life in and around the plant — he remembers many a ride around the manufacturing floor on a forklift as a youngster. He also worked there, watched its sale and has a role in repurposing the property.
So when the crew from Berg Demolition Corp. arrived that day, ready, willing and able to make room for a key component of the Odenton Town Center — a 369-unit luxury apartment complex to be called The Flats at Academy Yards — it was time to take care of business.
The project will “transform the way Odenton looks, more so, if not more, than the Halle project at the Town Center core,” Winer said. “It will become a different place, no doubt about it.”
Handling With Care
Ever the local historian at heart, Winer is quick to say that he’s appreciative of the efforts of George Carras, principal of Bethesda-based real estate developer and land owner Stonebridge Carras LLC, who is also sensitive to the Nevamar plant’s significance in Odenton’s rich history.
“It’s amazing how many people that we run into, including contractors, public service workers, etc., that had a relative who worked there,” said Carras.
The beginning of the demolition marked a great day for Stonebridge Carras as well, which bought the (now) demolished “Formica” building for just more than $5 million in 2008.
The company also bought what he called the “other pieces of the puzzle” — the old yellow Ametek building, also in 2008, for more than $2.5 million; and the original Nevamar buildings (which includes many additions) at the southern end of Route 170 for $3.45 million in 2006.
“When we [completed the purchases of] the buildings, we were able to control our surroundings,” Carras said of the property, which encompasses 55 acres that supported close to 1 million square feet of space.
As for the new project, this first phase will encompass 369 apartments and be called Flats170. The venture, with Bozzuto Development Co., of Greenbelt, will rise on 18 of the 55 acres.
“We thought that the north side of the site was the best place to start because of the lot size, and because the brownfields issues were a little bit more manageable,” Carras said, noting that the properties are enrolled in the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Voluntary Cleanup Program.
Stonebridge Carras opted to refer to the whole 55-acre site as Academy Yard, since it was the site of a maintenance yard at the Academy Junction station on the old Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis (or WB&A) Electric Railroad.
Is This Odenton?
The development will surely make a bold statement from an architectural standpoint about the new Odenton, with its upscale residences and special amenities, said Jeff Kayce, vice president of Bozzuto Development, which is developing The Flats for the Stonebridge Carras.
“We’ve tried to draw from the most progressive designs that we can,” said Kayce, noting that Bozzuto has analyzed various hotel and restaurant designs to get ideas on what to offer the market, such as the project’s more than 100-foot-long linear pool within a central courtyard that will intersect the clubhouse.
“We drew the inspiration from Delano South Beach [hotel] in Miami,” he said. “It’s intended to be very resort-like.”
Bozzuto is also going to integrate the interior and exterior spaces of Flats 170 to keep the vibe consistent throughout. Other design touches will include a resort-inspired lobby, and a club room with a lounge and a billiard table that can be rented for gatherings; also on the amenity checklist for The Flats is a fitness center, a yoga room, a kid’s room and a cyber café.
Kayce added that The Flats will be similar to another Bozzuto project, The Fitzgerald, in the Mount Vernon section of Baltimore City. That offering includes a theater that opens to a lounge.
As for what transpires concerning the other 37 acres of the Nevamar property, Carras is adopting a wait-and-see approach.
“We’ll add other components to the [mixed-use] project as the market dictates,” he said, “though I can say that we would like to position this project in a way that we can add more residential and some quality retail.
“It’s been a long, complicated process; and we’re excited to be ready to start the first phase,” Carras said, noting that could begin “as early as this month.”
Marquee Site
The Nevamar property is second in size in Odenton Town Center only to the Halle property (which is about 170 acres and will be intersected by Town Center Boulevard). While the Halle property sits back off the adjacent roads, the Nevamar parallels Route 170.
“That makes it one of the gateway entrances” to Odenton Town Center, Winer said, as it’s nestled along what is also known as Telegraph Road, between routes 32 and 175.
While the beginning of the project represents a big change for Winer, he’s pleased to see the progress.
“I can’t say enough about George and Ellen Miller [Carras’s partner in Stonebridge Carras] because they’ve been up front and interested from the very beginning,” he said. “They gave me some input on the names for the project that they were thinking about because they’re concerned about the property’s heritage,” noting that the beloved mural that’s prominent in the lobby of the southernmost Nevamar building will be preserved and relocated, hopefully somewhere within the town center.
“They are paying homage to Odenton’s past and making the transition to the future. That’s really important,” said Winer, who commented on the heart of the matter concerning the town center development.
“This project makes a huge statement about how Odenton has been perceived in some quarters,” he said, “as opposed to what it’s going to be.”