Washington Blvd. MD Extra Space Storage

Highlights

• • Existing complex: 14-foot warehouse, 11-foot basement, two-story showroom with office
• • Original dimensions insufficient for 120,000 square feet requirement
• • Solution: Demolish to first-floor slab, utilize basement, add two new levels for four floors total
• • Re-engineered concrete columns from 20-foot spacing to 10x10-foot grid
• • WATER CHALLENGE: Basement flooded during construction from unknown source containing chlorine
• • Suspected aging urban infrastructure under main thoroughfare - city unresponsive
• • Solution: Additional drains, internal trench, exterior pit with redundant pumps and emergency generator
• • RAILROAD CHALLENGE: North wall directly on property line adjacent to railroad tracks
• • Rail company prohibited scaffolding or workers on their property
• • Solution: Hired signalman to clear area when trains approached - added $17k cost and several weeks delay
• • Final result: Basement is now dry and facility operational

Zoning & Context

Industrial sector south of city center with proximity to Interstate 95, requiring coordination with railroad company for construction access.

Approvals Timeline

• • Site Analysis -> 3 weeks
• • Structural Engineering -> 8 weeks
• • Water Mitigation + Railroad Coordination -> 12 weeks

Lessons Learned

• • Murphy's Law operates unfailingly in adaptive reuse projects - if anything can go wrong, it will
• • Unknown infrastructure issues can emerge during construction requiring creative engineering solutions
• • Property line adjacencies (especially railroads) require early coordination and budget contingencies
• • Redundant systems (pumps, generators) are essential for basement spaces with water infiltration issues