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The seemingly insatiable demand for large-scale warehouse/industrial buildings has breathed life into another, typically overlooked asset class that is drawing the widespread attention of both end-users and investors alike. Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS), also known as Outdoor Storage Land (OSL), has emerged as a significant complementary necessity among logistics companies…

Never underestimate the power of a playground. In September, developers, designers, builders, philanthropists and community members gathered in West Baltimore to celebrate the completion of the Excel Academy Family Center and the adjacent Poppleton Family Center Playground. A Neighborhood Zones project of United Way of Central Maryland, the center offers…

Americans’ growing interest in spending more of their days – including their workdays – outdoors is spurring property owners to invest in outdoor amenities. Gradually, those investments are also showing that some of the simplest amenities – like a walking trail – can be highly valued and highly impactful. “One…

State officials are studying revised climate plans that would require 50% cuts in carbon emissions from commercial buildings by 2030 and levy a $100 per ton carbon emissions fee on properties that fail to achieve that reduction. On Sept. 18, the Maryland Department of Environment released a revised draft pathway…

Retail e-commerce sales are expected to grow by nearly 14% this year to eclipse the $900 billion mark, a trend that was consistently edging up over the past five years but dramatically accelerated over the past 18 months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With shopping patterns now permanently…

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated rather than caused many of the retail trends currently prevalent in the United States and worldwide economy. But what constitutes “the new normal” when it comes to shopping online, visiting restaurants and developing the next phase of retail centers? The coming surge of new drive-thru retail…

Women comprise approximately 37% of the commercial real estate workforce and their roles are rapidly changing, with increased opportunities in the development, construction and project management functions. Kate Nolan Bryden, Senior Vice President, MRP Industrial; Gail Chrzan, Senior Vice President, Blue and Obrecht Realty and Danielle Schline, VP, Market Officer,…

After 18 months of astronomical price increases for construction materials, market watchers are tracking some supply chain developments that could moderate costs. But widespread relief from high prices, sudden price changes plus slow and erratic delivery times is not imminent nor certain. “The story lingers, the pandemic lingers, the inflation…

As the state’s year-end deadline approaches for developing a framework to decarbonize buildings, various professionals are trying to determine how the resulting legislation could impact commercial real estate companies. For months, the state’s climate consultant, Energy and Environmental Economics (E3), has conducted an in-depth analysis of building decarbonization scenarios to…

Property owners see new opportunities in outdoor amenities Go-go bands, yoga classes, poets and splash pads aren’t standard elements in a strategic plan for a real estate development. Yet on a former dirt parking lot in Downtown Columbia, they are attracting the public to a new mixed-use development and helping…