Construction is nearing completion on a new branch of Susquehanna Bank at the intersection of Md. 140 and Englar Road in Westminster, in the Westminster Shopping Center, according to Steve Horn, the director of community planning and development for the city of Westminster.
Horn said that the location appears to be particularly suitable to banking institutions, with four other banks presently located at or near the intersections of Md. 140, Englar Road and Hahn Road.
The site of the new Susquehanna bank was formerly the site of two gas stations, according to Horn, but had been vacant now for several years.
According to Matthew Kemeny, senior communications specialist with Susquehanna Bank, the intersection is an ideal location for a bank branch in a suburban market.
"We're moving to a location with high visibility, convenient access for customers and in a great retail center," Kemeny said.
Kemeny said that the new branch will be a full service location with a lobby in addition to drive up ATM and teller services.
"While it's hard to predict how many customers will be served by this new branch, we can tell you we will be providing financial services to both retail and business customers at this location," Kemeny said.
Kemeny said the bank hopes to open the new branch by late summer or early fall.
Andy Crosby is the program manager with the general contractor, Obrecht-Phoenix, that is overseeing the bank project, and said that construction, which began in February, should wrap up by early June.
"We're going to finish our work on June 1 ... We build the building, put in all the systems, and they're going to bring in the furniture and the armored truck with all the money," Crosby said.
Crosby said that Obrecht-Phoenix, which is based out of Hunt Valley, builds just about anything except for single family homes, but that banks are a very common job.
"I think [banks] are just in constant growth mode," Crosby said.
Banks have been in growth mode for the past five to seven years, according to Paul Weinschenk, the managing director and vice president of Washington Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns the the Westminster Shopping Center.
"Though they slowed somewhat during the recession, there was a time leading into the recession when the banks were really on a tear. They were buying up locations that were previously used for other purposes, leasing new types of spaces and also being really, really aggressive in terms of what they were willing to pay to lease," Weinschenk said.
All of which means that overall, banks are very good tenants, according to Weinschenk.
"They don't make a lot of noise, they are not disruptive. You don't have to worry about environmental issues the way you might with a dry cleaner or a gas station. And people still like to go into a bank in person despite online services, so it's a nice way to drive some traffic to a shopping center," Weinschenk said.
While most of the the construction on the new bank branch has not interfered with traffic in the area, Crosby said that Obrecht-Phoenix may be blocking off one of the entrances to the Westminster Shopping Center parking lot for a few weeks beginning this week.
Presently, there is an entrance and exit to the Westminster Shopping Center parking lot that is slightly northwest of the Chick-fil-A restaurant.
"We are going to remove that entrance and shift it approximately 10 feet further south, but in doing so, we will have to install some new curb and entrance island and that will take about two to three weeks to complete," Crosby said.
According to Trudy McDaniel, the general manager of the Chick-fil-A in Westminster Shopping Center, there have been no issues with their new neighbor during construction thus far and she anticipates business will remain steady once the new bank opens.
"It's been a pleasant experience and we're always happy to have a new neighbor. We welcome them into the community," McDaniel said.
Weinschenk said that Washington Real Estate Investment Trust, which is based out of Rockville, has owned the Westminster Shopping Center since 1972 and that it is the only Carroll County property in the company's portfolio.
"It has performed well for us. It's one of those great little markets where it may not be the largest out there, but it tends to draw people from surrounding areas, from far away to do their shopping, and we are happy to be part of the community," Weinschenk said.
