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LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, MD-BWI Hilton Park, a mixed-use project centering on a 280-room Hilton Hotel, has edged closer toward realization with the recent groundbreaking on the 27-acre development across from the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The Buccini/Pollin Group is behind the endeavor, and will dedicate $52 million to the development of the hotel portion. The hotel is on target to open its doors to guests during the first quarter of 2006, while work is expected to begin on the office and retail facilities sometime around mid-2005. The entire project will cost an estimated $152 million.

In addition to the upscale lodging property, the project will also feature a class A office and retail segment with 400,000 sf of space. While the exact design of the project has yet to be written in stone, early plans spread the office and retail space among three four-story structures of approximately 133,000 sf each. Real estate services firm NAI KLNB has been tapped to handle leasing activities for the office component, while Buccini/Pollin affiliate PM Hospitality Strategies is onboard as the hotel manager.

The Hilton Hotel's luxury guest suites will be complemented by an 8,500-sf ballroom facility, a fitness center and a restaurant. Room for growth is also part of the plan; the hotel property has the capacity to be expanded to 340 rooms. Working with NAI KLNB, Buccini/Pollin took two years to amass the necessary acreage for the project, which has been carefully conceived to accommodate the area's multi-faceted needs.