Wheaton Revitalization Project, Whose Construction Was Overseen by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Wins Recognition from Engineering News-Record

For Immediate Release: Thursday, August 19, 2021

Wheaton Revitalization Project, whose construction was overseen by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), has been recognized with a Merit Award for Government Public Buildings by the Engineering News-Record (ENR) MidAtlantic.

The ENR “Regional Best Projects 2021 Awards” program honored outstanding construction projects and the companies that designed and built them. The projects considered had to be completed between May 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021. The program recognizes projects in 18 categories. The Wheaton Revitalization Project was entered in the category of “Government/Public Buildings.”

“The Wheaton Redevelopment Project is critical to our efforts to revitalize and create jobs in the Mid-county area,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Receiving the Merit Award from Engineering News-Record is a testament to the quality of this innovative project. It is great to have some of our departments now located in Wheaton. It is great for surrounding communities and to help spur commercial activity nearby as these employees will frequent the surrounding businesses. This project also includes a new plaza and amphitheater for our residents. It is a welcomed community and gathering space in the heart of Wheaton.”

The program honored 32 projects from across the region. Two panels of industry judges reviewed nearly 90 projects located in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Projects were evaluated on the ability of the project team to overcome challenges; contributions to the industry and community; safety and construction; and design quality. 

MCDOT led the development and construction of the Wheaton Revitalization Project—one of the largest projects ever built by Montgomery County. Construction took 39 months and cost about $179 million. It was completed on time and within budget. 

In addition to a 14-story, 308,000-square-foot office building, the project includes ground-floor retail and plaza spaces, an adjacent town square that will host public events and a four-level, below-grade public parking structure. The office building is the new headquarters of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and is home to Montgomery County’s departments of Environmental Protection, Health and Human Services, Permitting Services and Recreation. Also relocated to the building were the Office of Community Use of Public Facilities and the Mid-County Regional Services Office.

“I am very proud that MCDOT has played a pivotal role in creating this smart-growth, transit-oriented development that has set a new design standard for public facilities in Montgomery County,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “The office building is the first government-owned office building in Maryland to achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).”

LEED is the highest certification available by USGBC. LEED projects earn points across nine basic areas that address key aspects of green buildings including water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, location and transportation and energy and atmosphere.

The project broke ground in June 2017. The County envisioned that the project would spur economic development in the Wheaton Central Business District and provide a centralized location for government services within a short walk to the Wheaton Metro Station.

For the complete list of awards in the ENR MidAtlantic annual contest, click here.

For other Montgomery County transportation information, follow @MCDOTNow on Twitter, and subscribe to MCDOT’s Go Montgomery! biweekly newsletter.

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Release ID: 21-659
Media Contact: Emily DeTitta 240-372-2282
Categories: Transportation