OUR PLANNER
The careful oversight that has gone into The HUB at La Plata is reflected in the selection of its lead planner, Seth Harry. By employing planning principles and understanding the time-honored building traditions of regions where new developments are proposed, Harry plans communities that respect these important attributes.
He works closely with a range of stakeholders, including the public, business community, government officials and community touchstones, to use organic planning processes in which all participating stakeholders can have their viewpoints aired and addressed.
Harry is the founder of Seth Harry & Associates, Inc., an architectural and urban planning and design firm founded in 1992 and headquartered in Frederick, Md. The firm’s portfolio includes: Emmitsburg, Md., Town Square Revitalization; Lee County, Fla., Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Review (EAR) Process; City of Beaufort, South Carolina Master Plan and Downtown Retail Study and Redevelopment/positioning Strategy; City Centre Redevelopment Strategy and Infill Mixed-Use Master Plan, Walthamstow, Greater London, England; Carrothers Crossing, Nashville, Tenn., 800 Acre TND/comprehensive Form-based Rezoning; Midtown District Redevelopment Strategy and Master Plan, Omaha, Neb.; Newton/Ross’s Corners, State Office of Smart Growth, New Jersey; and Enloe Hospital/Avenues Neighborhood Master Plan, Chico, Calif.
We know that, ultimately, the definition of success for a new development must take into account whether people thrive where they work and live, and whether a new community will have a tax-positive effect. The HUB is working toward meeting these objectives.
OUR PARTNER
A key partner in The HUB is The Tower Companies, a preeminent business in green and LEED-certified construction and building based in Rockville, Md. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)
Tower is a major investor in creating great communities that are still viable long after they are built. Tower is a global change-agent in the real-estate and development niches with a track record of bringing federal jobs to the areas where their projects move forward. It supports developments that are sustainable, fulfill a community need, and integrate long-term visioning.
The reason The Tower Companies has such a great reputation is because it thinks about how people live, work, move and enjoy life and what kinds of communities foster healthier and greener living. Tower turns development projects into more than just brick and mortar and concrete.
According to The Tower Companies, “For three generations, the family-owned Tower Companies has maintained a commitment to responsible development and envisions a world where buildings inspire and enrich the lives of their occupants, and create positive social change. The green building leader owns, develops, and manages over 5 million square feet in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area consisting of office buildings, office parks, lifestyle centers, regional malls, eco-progressive live-work-play communities and hotels with over 8,000,000 SF in the development pipeline. By the mid-1990s, before ‘green’ was mainstream, the company was already focused on smart growth and ecologically sensitive building practices, leading the market with innovative ideas and completely re-engineering how buildings are designed and constructed.”