It’s a Beautiful Day in the (Merriweather) Neighborhood

Lorax is thrilled to announce the LEED for Neighborhood Development Certification for Merriweather Area 3, in Columbia, Maryland!

This incredible accomplishment is the first LEED ND v4 Certification in Maryland, and only the fifth in the entire United States. Merriweather has joined a small, but very elite group of communities designed with sustainability and the community in mind.

The groundbreaking Ceremony on April 30^th was an exciting event, with speeches by Governor Larry Hogan and Howard County Executive, Allan H. Kittleman. There were also inspiring words from Amit Yoran, Chairman and CEO of Tenable, the anchor tenant for 6100 Merriweather Drive, and Anuja Sonalker, Founder and CEO of STEER Tech. At the groundbreaking, STEER Tech announced a partnership with Howard Hughes to bring their fully-autonomous parking technology to the Merriweather District. Kimberly Lewis, Senior VP of Market Transformation for the US Green Building Council, spoke about the incredible sustainability commitment made by Howard Hughes and the design team, and presented the LEED Plaque to John E. DeWolf III, President of The Howard Hughes Corporation Columbia.

What It Means

Merriweather District Area 3 has been awarded a LEED ND Plan v4 Certification. ND Plan is offered for projects that are currently in design and in the early stages of construction. The rating system targets and rewards good principals of neighborhood design to encourage walkability, pedestrian access, access to public transit, proximity to jobs, and more. The Merriweather District has been designed as a place where people can work, live, and play and find everything they need, right at their fingertips.

Area 3 is designed to provide a variety of community amenities, and to work with the other areas of the Merriweather Crescent to provide just about everything its residents could need. This certification includes two mixed-use residential buildings with significant ground floor retail, along with an office tower, parking garage, and several other freestanding retail buildings. Long term plans include another office building and additional community resources.

In design, the unusual site for Area 3 provided some unique challenges for the design team. The site is bounded by wetlands and streams on two sides, which created some natural boundaries. Not only are the wetlands being left undisturbed, but there has been extensive work to restore and expand the wetland and buffer areas. This helps manage floodwater, provide habitat for local species, and improve local water quality, all while providing educational opportunities for locals to observe.

Area 3 has over one mile of sidewalks to provide easy and safe pedestrian access to every building within the Merriweather District. Over 60% of blocks are shaded with trees, and the whole site is beautifully landscaped with native and adaptive species. Every building within Area 3 will also be LEED Certified, in addition to the LEED ND Certification, showcasing Howard Hughes’ commitment to sustainability.