FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MD. — Picerne Military Housing, a division of the Corvias Group, has broken ground on the U.S. Army's first on-post apartment project for unmarried, junior-level service members at Ft. Meade in Maryland.
The $72 million project will give 1,400 service members from all branches of the military the choice to live on post in a garden-style community called Reese Crossings.
Reese Crossings will include 432 apartments, ranging from 1,126-square-foot one-bedrooms units to 1,186-square-foot two-bedroom units. The apartments will feature large kitchens with a breakfast bar, full-size appliances, a laundry room, free cable and high-speed Internet.
“Today adds to the dramatic transformation of the housing here at Fort Meade as we recognize the Army's commitment to significantly improve the quality of life for our service members,” Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment said at Thursday's groundbreaking ceremony.
Units will also offer master suites with individual bathrooms, walk-in closets, personal climate controls and private, climate-controlled secure storage for military gear. Each unit will be furnished with a sofa, media cabinet, barstools and coffee table, as well as a queen-sized bed, desk and nightstand in every bedroom.
“This new community will improve the military experience for our unaccompanied junior enlisted troops, who deserve it the most,” said Col. Edward Rothstein, Garrison Commander at Fort Meade. “It will give them the opportunity to live on-post, close to the community, work and the training resources here to support them.”
In addition to in-unit amenities, the 14-building complex will have weightlifting and fitness rooms, a clubroom with flat-screen TVs, sports ticker and video gaming and a cyber cafe. The complex will also include outdoor gathering spaces — including a 6,322-square-foot clubhouse, a resort-style lap pool, and outdoor grilling and picnic pavilions.
The property was also designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. Use of low-flow toilets, faucets and showers, as well as Energy Star rated appliances, will reduce energy consumption.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Hammock touted the importance of public-private partnerships, given the current financial strains and economic climate.
“If the budget cuts posed by sequestration become a reality, the quality of life for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen will be in serious jeopardy,” said Hammock. “Partnerships, like that with Picerne, will become critical in the future as we become more dependent on the private sector and the communities in which we have military bases.”
Rhode Island-based Picerne Military Housing is a fully integrated development, construction and property management firm founded in 1998. Through the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, Picerne is partnered with the Army in the ownership of approximately 24,000 homes at military installations across the U.S.
To view a computer animation of the Reese Crossings project, click here.