Hull || Project/Resources || Portfolio

Chesapeake Commerce Center, Former GM Baltimore Assembly Plant
Baltimore, Maryland

Chesapeake Commerce Center, Baltimore, Maryland Client: Duke Realty Corporation

Building upon a corporate strategy to develop commercial real estate properties near key U.S. ports, Duke Realty Corporation acquired the former General Motors Baltimore Assembly Plant in Baltimore, Maryland in January 2006 and is working with Hull to make way for new commercial and industrial development.  Now known as the Chesapeake Commerce Center, the site formerly housed GM automobile assembly operations from 1936 to 2005.

Duke plans to build 2.8 million square feet of warehouse, distribution and office space in 16 buildings at the site, which is located adjacent to the Seagirt and Dundalk marine terminals at the Port of Baltimore.

The first of two commercial warehouses on-site was completed in January 2008; at 342,000 square feet, the facility is a state-of-the-art, cross-loaded distribution center with 32-foot clearances.  A second 117,600-square-foot office and distribution center is also complete; Duke secured Johns Hopkins as a tenant for this building and brought 200 jobs to the site in March 2008.­

Major environmental activities at the Chesapeake Commerce Center are now substantially complete.  Final environmental work at the 182-acre site is being finished in conjunction with active construction activities.  Hull has secured approved remedial action plans from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) for each of the active site areas and is implementing approved activities site-wide.  Final certificates of completion will be secured from MDE once all work is complete.

Prior to the property purchase, Duke and Hull developed an intricate remedial strategy and cost estimate to address all environmental issues.  Due diligence activities on the property were completed in less than 120 days before closing.   As part of the project’s overall development, an integrated approach to address site-wide RCRA corrective action and Maryland’s Voluntary Cleanup Program requirements was negotiated with U.S. EPA and MDE.  In addition, all community outreach activities were coordinated and conducted in conjunction with RCRA corrective action requirements as administered by U.S. EPA Region 3 and MDE.  This project represents the first time a brownfield was assessed and redeveloped through both programs concurrently in U.S. EPA Region 3 – essentially becoming a model for an informal “One Cleanup Program.”

Beyond the regulatory requirements of the redevelopment project, Duke took its environmental commitment one step further.  By dismantling the buildings and structures on-site, Duke chose a waste reduction method which resulted in recycling 96 percent of all non-hazardous building materials.  Former pits, trenches, and basements were filled with material that was processed by an on-site concrete crusher.  In addition, the obsolete plant floor machinery was recycled.

"As a partner in both the cleanup and redevelopment of this former industrial site, EPA commends Duke Realty for its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability," said U.S. EPA Region 3 Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh. "By incorporating recycling into their project, they were able to conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse emissions, and increase their energy savings."

The volume of materials from the deconstruction of the recycled materials is estimated to be approximately 98,000 tons, which is equivalent to the energy savings of removing nearly 1,000 cars from the roadways for one year.

Duke plans to invest more than $140 million in the Chesapeake Commerce Center and the project is expected to create thousands of new jobs over the next 10 years.

To find out how Huill can help, please contact Hull 's Brownfields Market Leader, Brad White at (513) 459-9677.