Michael DeStefano, president of Sturbridge Homes and Sturbridge Development Co., is relocating his company's headquarters to the Village at Waugh Chapel in Anne Arundel County, placing his almost 30-year-old construction firm at the heart of its most successful commercial project to date.
The Home Builders Association of Maryland has underscored that success by naming the business portion of the Village - 357,000 square feet of retail space and 40,000 square feet of office space - the association's 2002 commercial project of the year.
The Village at Waugh Chapel's residential section, 209 condominiums with optional underground and garage parking, is more than half complete. Phase one of the residential section included 108 condominiums that sold for $130,000 to $230,000. Phase two, under construction, will have 101 units and be priced from $164,000 to $310,000.
A panel of judges chose the project from 20 nominations received from around the state.
"The Village at Waugh Chapel is a unique mixed-use development," said Susan Stroud Davies, co-director of government affairs for the homebuilders group. "It's one of the first of its kind, very forward-looking. There is a sense of place, of being incorporated into the existing community."
Sturbridge constructs up to 200 homes each year, said DeStefano, 36, and its commercial projects include the 100,000- square-foot Kent Towne Market on Kent Island and the 200,000- square-foot Park Plaza in Severna Park.
The land where the Village stands at Route 3 and Waugh Chapel Road in Crofton originally was zoned for 1-acre residential lots with 3 acres set aside for commercial use. Legislation was passed to allow more commercial development in part because Sturbridge agreed to pay $2 million to upgrade the congested intersection and add amenities to the center that include a 3 1/2 -acre lake and extensive landscaping.
The development has achieved what the developers intended: a move up from the ubiquitous strip mall to the ambience of small town America. Streets with names such as Chapel Lake Drive and Main Chapel Way help create the desired effect. Two small buildings will be added across the street from existing stores to give more of a "Main Street feel," DeStefano said.
With more than 60 retail and commercial locations occupied, including a day-care center and a 10,000-square-foot community center, it's a short walk to the bank, beauty parlor, doctor, dentist or veterinarian. The choice of where to eat includes coffee shops, fast food and upscale dining. The Village's largest retailers include Safeway, Marshalls and HomeGoods.
Sturbridge and its Waugh Chapel project partners - Erwin L. Greenberg Commercial Corp. of Baltimore; Tech Group, an engineering firm in Annapolis; and Martin Architectural Group of Philadelphia - also received an award of excellence from the homebuilders group.