News
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Senate committee extends timeline for building decarbonization, orders studies of barriers and rate impacts
March 9, 2022A Maryland Senate committee has approved a scaled-back version of Senate Bill 528 that extends the first deadline in the timeline for decarbonization of existing buildings to 2035 and removes the requirement for all-electric new construction beginning in 2024. The Senate bill also requires three studies to advise the…
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Senate bill would rapidly end fossil-fuel use in buildings
February 23, 2022The Maryland Senate is moving legislation that mandates an abrupt end to fossil fuel use on a schedule that will present immense financial and logistical challenges for owners and occupants of commercial, industrial and multifamily real estate. NAIOP has consistently advocated for technically sound, cost-effective and orderly climate mitigation policies.
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CRE grew in 2021 despite office sector woes
February 23, 2022Despite all the economic turmoil in 2021, the commercial real estate sector grew and continued to be a major driver of the American economy. Direct expenditures in new CRE developments climbed from $201.4 billion in 2020 to $239.7 billion in 2021, according to the NAIOP Research report…
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Demand for cold storage facilities heats up
February 23, 2022Refrigerated warehouses and cold storage facilities were once considered unattractive investments for several, salient reasons: exceedingly high construction costs, enormous power demands (and the expensive, complex infrastructure to satisfy them) and relatively low demand among end-users. The facilities are still complex and costly, but demand for them shot up quickly…
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Luring employees back remains a work in progress
February 23, 2022Landlords and companies alike are still struggling to pinpoint the perfect draw to lure employees back into traditional work environments, while careful to not present any indication of force. Because the great work-from-home experiment has worked so well for so many people and industries, certain employees are considering this arrangement…
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The Cost of Electrifying Maryland’s Buildings is Eye-Wateringly High
February 11, 2022Achieving net zero emissions in building heating and hot water is perhaps the greatest challenge of all the sector transitions necessary to meet Maryland’s greenhouse gas reduction targets. To reach net zero by following a high electrification strategy requires that a large majority of existing buildings convert from fossil fuel…
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A recent ruling by the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) is fueling predictions that the state is about to experience a surge of investment in manufacturing and logistics facilities. In December, the PSC awarded additional Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credits (ORECs) to U.S. Wind and Orsted – the…
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Multiple trends make 2022 a great time to have physical retail space
February 9, 2022Despite all the apocalyptic talk about the demise of brick-and-mortar retail and the fact that 13% of all retail purchases now happen online, 2022 is a great time to have a physical retail location. In a recent Placer.ai webinar, retail experts backed up that opinion by pointing to shipping problems…
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If You Ask Me…
February 9, 2022What is the construction headline that you expect will be written at the end of 2022? Marty Copsey President/COO & Principal MacKenzie Contracting The medical sector leads an extremely active 2022 …
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Legislation At A Glance The Maryland General Assembly is considering nearly a dozen climate related bills that affect commercial construction and existing buildings. The House and Senate have introduced slightly different proposals that mandate an all-electric building code for new construction and a building emissions standard for existing buildings. The…