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In light of this spring’s passage of the Climate Solutions Now Act, Maryland developers may want to conduct an additional type of planning as they plan new commercial construction projects. The final version of the bill did not include an all-electric building code. Instead, it directed the Department of Labor…

Although climate-related legislation occupied a large part of the legislative agenda in 2022, the General Assembly took up a number of other initiatives of interest to commercial real estate.  Over the next several editions, NAIOP 360 will focus on legislation related to taxes and fees, building codes, forest conservation, water…

The 2022 Maryland General Assembly Session will be remembered for Senate Bill 528 – The Climate Solutions Now Act, a sprawling, 100-page climate bill which establishes an emissions and energy standard for existing buildings. The headline requirements for buildings are a 20% reduction in direct building emissions…

“Achieving normalcy” should not be the primary goal of employers as they strive to create equitable return-to-work arrangements, satisfy work-from-home demands, and optimize productivity and workplace culture. That was a core message of experts participating in a recent webinar sponsored by iOffice + SpaceIQ. The healthcare crisis has shifted the…

New terminology is added to the commercial real estate vernacular on a near-daily basis. At the NAIOP Maryland March Madness event, we asked several participants to provide their definition of the “future-proof office” concept. Here are their answers, with the actual definition below.   “Many companies were caught flat-footed when…

The Climate Solutions Now Act – setting some of the most aggressive greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals in the country – has passed the Maryland General Assembly. Now, the difficult, detailed work begins of figuring out how to implement it. The Climate Solutions Now Act (SB 528) requires the state…

The continued softness of the downtown commercial office market, aging office stock, success of the hybrid and work-from-home models, and the critical need for additional multifamily housing are collectively driving the sustained conversion of office buildings into apartment communities. A high-profile example of this trend in Downtown Baltimore is the…

By David McClatchy, MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services I have found that, in some cases, things are not always what they seem to be on the surface which, in the world of commercial real estate, often translates to an amazing opportunity. That situation perfectly describes a five-acre tract…

After two years of shopping largely online, consumers’ renewed desire to visit brick and mortar stores, touch and feel products, and obtain immediate gratification has increased optimism among retail landlords, according to experts participating in a recent webinar sponsored by Placer.ai. To leverage this phenomenon, however, retailers will need to…

The debate over proposals to transition Maryland buildings to electric heat and hot water systems has saddled state legislators and industry leaders with a daunting question: How do you build an electric grid capable of delivering much more power while also converting to renewable sources of electricity?…