Hillis-Carnes Supports Commerce Center Drive Redevelopment in Columbia, Maryland

Hillis-Carnes joined Sterling Logistics Properties, ARCO Design/Build, and other project partners at an event celebrating the redevelopment of a former movie theater property in Columbia, Maryland. Hillis-Carnes team members David Berry, Shepard Winckler, Ryan Burke, and Ben Jones attended the event and represented the firm’s multidisciplinary involvement in the project.

The approximately 11.59-acre property, located adjacent to the Snowden Square Shopping Center property near Commerce Center Drive and Robert Fulton Drive in Columbia, is being redeveloped into a 189,239 SF Class A logistics warehouse with associated parking, loading areas, stormwater management facilities, and supporting site infrastructure. The project represents the adaptive reuse of a prominent commercial property into a modern industrial facility in one of Howard County’s premier business corridors, with convenient access to I-95 and the greater Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.

Hillis-Carnes has supported the redevelopment through environmental consulting, geotechnical engineering, and construction materials testing and inspection services. Our geotechnical team completed subsurface investigations and developed recommendations for site preparation, foundations, slabs, pavements, and stormwater management facilities. As construction moves forward, our Construction Materials Testing team is providing observation, testing, and inspection services to help verify that project materials and construction activities meet the applicable plans and specifications.

Our Environmental team also played a key role in advancing the property through the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Voluntary Cleanup Program. Through environmental assessment, regulatory documentation, and coordination with MDE, Hillis-Carnes helped obtain a No Further Requirements Determination for the site. This successful regulatory closure facilitated redevelopment and established the project’s eligibility for significant Maryland Brownfields Tax Credits.

Hillis-Carnes was honored to be recognized at the event for our contributions to this redevelopment. We are proud to support Sterling Logistics Properties, ARCO Design/Build, and the broader project team as a former commercial property is transformed into a productive new facility for the Columbia community.

(Photo L to R: Ben Jones, David Berry, Ryan Burke, and Shepard Winckler)