SLENKER COMMUNITIES WINS TWO ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS
Central Parke at Colonial Charles Chosen Community of the Year

Springfield, VA – [November 15, 2007]. Slenker Communities [www.slenkercommunities.com] was the first recipient to be honored by the Maryland National Capital Building Industry Association (MNCBIA) with the prestigious Michael T. Rose Community of the Year Award. The award recognized Slenker Communities’ exemplary environmental stewardship in developing Central Parke at Colonial Charles, a 55+ lifestyle community in Waldorf, Maryland. The Springfield, Virginia-based community developer also earned the 2007 Environmental Award for Land Development for Colonial Charles.

“We are thrilled to have Central Parke at Colonial Charles singled out by the Maryland National Capital Building Industry Association for our environmental efforts,” said William T. Slenker, President of Slenker Communities. “With each community we create, we pay particular care and attention to maintaining, improving, and enhancing the environment. We want to be good stewards of the environment and design with the natural surroundings in mind. It is wonderful to have these efforts recognized.”  

According to the MNCBIA, the judges awarded Slenker Communities and Central Parke at Colonial Charles the 2007 Michael T. Rose Community of the Year Award because “it is an outstanding example of a successful integration of land development into the natural environment and demonstrates Slenker’s dedication to the preservation of the natural beauty of the land through innovative ideas and resourceful thinking.”

The MNCBIA noted that Central Parke at Colonial Charles had originally been designed for 575 homes, however, Slenker Communities reduced the project density to 449, which resulted in the preservation of 30 acres of forested wetland space and 42 acres of vegetated open area within this 128-acre project. Additional buffering was added to the wetland area to make way for nature trails.

The community’s intricate stormwater management system was dubbed an “environmental masterpiece” by the State’s Department of the Environment. According to the MNCBIA, “From its lot design and stormwater management system, to reserving one third of its acreage as natural space, this community was designed with the environment in mind.”

The MNCBIA Environmental Awards showcases builders and developers throughout Maryland and Washington D.C. who comply with a broad range of environmental regulations dealing with open space, water runoff, tree protection, sediment control and stormwater management at the local, state and federal levels. Many members of the industry go to extra lengths to preserve, enhance and protect the environment and the MNCBIA Environmental Awards recognize and honor this outstanding commitment. This year’s Community of the Year award was named in honor of long-time MNCBIA member and former President, Michael T. Rose who died of a brain tumor this past February. The awards were presented at a ceremony honoring these builders and developers on October 26, 2007 in Bethesda, Maryland.

Slenker Communities has received several awards for their environmental stewardship over the years. The MNCBIA awarded Slenker Communities Best Environmental Community and Best Master Planned Community for the Parke at Ocean Pines in 2002 and the Environmental Developer Award for South River Colony, a 1,400 acre Master Planned Community located minutes from historic Annapolis, Maryland in 2001.

Environmental stewardship is one example of Slenker Communities’ extensive care and planning efforts. Last month, Slenker Communities announced a cutting-edge agreement with the University of Maryland to provide lifelong learning opportunities for the residents of its Laurel, Maryland 55+ community, Central Parke at Victoria Falls. The company is constantly looking for innovative ways to create the communities where people will want to live.

For more information on Slenker Communities, please visit their website at www.slenkercommunities.com, e-mail info@slenkercommunities.com, or telephone 703-462-9150. For information on Central Parke 55+ Resort Communities, please visit www.centralparke.com.

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