Ground Broken for Leggett’s First “Smart Growth Initiative” Construction Project

With the turn of a shovel, County Executive Ike Leggett (center in photo) saw the first of his Smart Growth Initiative (SGI) construction projects -- that will eventually revitalize an old industrial area by creating an urban village near the Shady Grove Metro – take a major step toward becoming a reality.

The $36.7 million Equipment and Maintenance Operations Center (EMOC) project is a collection of 13 buildings that will serve the Department of Transportation’s divisions of Transit Services and Highway Services and the Department of General Services, plus provide a Day Labor Center.

The facilities include administrative buildings; bus parking for 200 buses; bus service lanes; bus wash facility; fare collection area; bus service maintenance bays; parts room; heavy equipment storage shed; soil/gravel storage area; Highway Services bays; compressed natural gas fast-fill, gasoline and diesel fueling stations; and employee and visitor parking.

EMOC’s environmentally-sensitive design increases the size of existing facilities within a smaller footprint by using multi-story buildings. Many acres of green space provide for stream buffer protection and forest conservation. The overall project is designed to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by incorporating innovative features. A pilot project, which is the first in the State of Maryland, will reclaim, treat and reuse rainwater for toilet flushing and bus washing, reducing water use by 80 percent. Seventy-five percent of the building roofs, more than four acres, will have green roofs to decrease stormwater runoff.

Leggett’s SGI is a cost-neutral strategy that will provide substantial economic opportunities for future growth while implementing the goals of the Shady Grove Sector Plan.

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CATEGORIES: County Executive , Environmental
POSTED AT: Friday, July 15, 2011 | 4:40:00 PM |