Baltimore, MD (November 1, 2007) – Today, Mayor Sheila Dixon, Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) President M.J. “Jay” Brodie and other dignitaries joined officials of Waste Management of Maryland (WM) for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the company’s grand opening of its regional office and maintenance facility in Baltimore City at 3545 Fairfield Road.
To accommodate its expanding business, WM relocated from Howard County to the 11-acre site in South Baltimore and invested more than $8 million in acquisition and development costs for its new 23,650 square foot facility.
“Waste Management could have chosen any number of other locations, but it selected Baltimore’s Fairfield Business Park,” said Mayor Dixon. “This facility is a great example of what can happen when the city and the private sector work together to make Baltimore a more desirable place to do business.”
“This location is central to our existing customer base and positions us to improve our service and grow our business in Baltimore City and the metro area,” said John Blevins, District Manager for Waste Management.
Waste Management, which is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America and the nation’s largest recycler, currently employs 140 office staff, maintenance and repair technicians and drivers at its Baltimore operation.
“We are proud to be instrumental in another City success story. This project reinvents a brownfields property to fit the needs of business and community and improve the environment,” stated Doug Schmidt of Chesapeake Real Estate Group, the developer of the facility. “The site was a gravel lot used to store iron ore pellets for more than 30 years. Now the property has improved sustainability with a modern storm water system and over two acres of green space to treat storm run-off before it enters the Bay.”
“I’m very pleased that Waste Management is bringing its new facility to Baltimore City,” said BDC President M.J. “Jay” Brodie, whose agency helped the company with the permitting process. “A variety of businesses are finding that Fairfield is the area that well suits their needs.”
The Baltimore Development Corporation focuses on retaining and attracting new businesses to the Fairfield peninsula and facilitating redevelopment of vacant or underutilized land. Fairfield’s entire 1,300 acres is zoned heavy industrial with deep water port access, extensive CSX rail service, easy access to interstate highways and a 15 minute drive to the airport.
In 2004, an urban renewal ordinance was passed by the Baltimore City Council to assist in creating a business environment that enhances area property values, protects neighboring businesses and communities, promotes environmentally-responsible industrial business development and provides employment opportunities for City residents. Approximately $11 million in public infrastructure has been invested in Fairfield, with an additional $10 million in infrastructure planned over the next five years.
