The Urbana community has always been a flourishing neighborhood and it looks like there is no stopping that trend in the years to come.

Homes are under construction for yet another development, Stone Barn Villages. This neighborhood is being built off of Urbana Pike, next to the Urbana Community Park. This community is where the site of the new school, Sugarloaf Elementary School, is planned and will be built on the 13 acres promised by developers.

The elementary school will be a two-story building with features including geothermal heating, and a large gymnasium that will also be used for Frederick Parks and Rec. The new school will be used to relieve the overcrowding issue at Centerville and Urbana Elementary, so a redistricting study will start after the Urbana Replacement Project is completed. There is no clear date as to when either of these projects will be fully completed but it is hoped that the school will be finished for the 2017-2018 school year.

Another addition to our nearby community is the Clarksburg Outlet off of Exit 18. The construction for this project started in October, 2015, and is nearing completion. The outlet will cover 390,000+ square feet and feature higher end stores including Coach, Armani/ A|X Armani, Calvin Klein, Steve Madden, Tommy Hilfiger, and approximately 80 more stores. The shopping center is said to “feature a sophisticated, contemporary design” to go along with top-notch stores. Other features to this mall will include two family restaurants and a food pavilion that will host several other options. The outlet grand opening will be on October 27 and deals are expected to be between 25-65% at most stores.

Another addition that we can see from our very own school are the Urban Green Apartments off the corner of Fingerboard Road and Urbana Pike. The complex covers 23 acres of land with 8 buildings and a total of 352 “luxurious apartments”.

Different  features for the tenants include a resort style pool, an outdoor grilling station and pizza oven, along with a stunning clubhouse with a gym, a big screen theater, an entertainment area and more. It will also have 12,000 sq. ft. of retail space in the front complex open to our community. The complexes are opening in stages, with a building opening each month and is scheduled to be completed by spring 2017.