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CommunityPair of La Plata projects look to history, vision
Tradition, town land-use guidelines served, Kelly says
Friday, July 4, 2008
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by GARY SMITH
Candice Quinn Kelly, former Charles County commissioner and the owner of Maredith Management LLC in Waldorf, plans to open Centennial Commons at the corner of Centennial Street and Maple Avenue in La Plata by the fall. On the ground floor of the mixed-use building will be the Candy Clark Boutique, an upscale women’s clothing, jewelry, accessories and gift shop Kelly will run with her daughter, Megan Quinn, and the two top floors will hold seven townhouse-style condominiums.
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The former Charles County commissioner, who represented District 1 which includes La Plata, is in the midst of constructing two mixed-use buildings in town.
The Maredith Building, named after her management company currently located in Waldorf, will sit across Washington Avenue from the Charles County Courthouse. Once the site of an old house, the new building will contain the Courthouse Café that will offer outdoor seating, and space for other establishments on the first floor, Kelly said. Condominiums will be offered on the second floor and Kelly’s business, Maredith Management LLC, will occupy the top floor.
There will be plenty of meeting space in the 18,000-square-foot building, as well, Kelly said.
The café will offer a variety of fare, including deli-style sandwiches, salads, an assortment of breads and homemade soups and doughnuts, Kelly said.
The theme of the café will be based on the Stumble Inn that was once a popular meeting place in the mid-1900s for local lawyers, judges and courthouse employees. Kelly said that she is looking for anyone who has stories or memorabilia of the inn that they would like to share so that she can incorporate them into the décor of the café.
‘‘I want to call to memory the Stumble Inn; it was quite the spot for lawyers and judges to meet,” she said.
Kelly said that she had to include homemade doughnuts in the café’s menu in memory of her late dad, John Paul Clark, who was a police officer.
‘‘I’m going to have homemade doughnuts every day in honor of my father,” she said, laughing. ‘‘He loved his doughnuts.”
At first, the café will be open for breakfast, lunch and Sunday brunch, Kelly said, adding that she is still searching for a vendor to run the café.
Ground will be broken for the building within the next 30 days, she said.
Kelly is also well on her way to completing Centennial Commons, a mixed-use project at the corner of Centennial Street and Maple Avenue. The ground floor is being reserved for retail and commercial enterprises, including 1,000 square feet for the Candy Clark Boutique that will be run by Kelly and her daughter, Megan Quinn.
‘‘We’re doing the boutique together,” she said. ‘‘It’s really going to be a mother-and-daughter thing.”
The boutique will feature upscale women’s clothing, accessories, jewelry and gift items, Kelly said. Most of the items will be unusual such as a line of jeans made in Brazil, EccoChic purses made from recycled soda can tops and jewelry created from Brazilian grass.
‘‘It’s fabulous; it looks just like gold,” Kelly said, adding that many of the items she will sell in the boutique will highlight up-and-coming women designers along with a lot of well-known labels such as Nancy Rose, Ava, Lilly Pulitzer and Spanner.
The second and third floors of the building will house seven townhouse-style condominiums, Kelly said. The units will be priced from $270,000 to $320,000 and will be designed for young professionals who want to room together, but retain their privacy.
‘‘We need affordable housing in town for young professionals,” she said. ‘‘These units might be out of range for some folks, but they will be designed for roommates. The view up there is incredible and the units are as cute as can be.”
Each of the units will have two bedrooms and a den, a balcony and stainless steel appliances, Kelly said, adding that the condos will be built to suit.
‘‘We can finish a unit as quickly as we need to,” she said.
The design of the Commons will fit in with the town’s somewhat Colonial theme, Kelly said.
‘‘The building has brick archways; it has a certain old-timey feel to it,” she said. ‘‘I wanted softness to the building. I wanted dimension and depth.”
Kelly said she is searching for a local artist who would be interested in creating a sculpture to place in front of the building.
Both the Maredith Building and Centennial Commons are designed to fit into the town’s vision of creating a pedestrian-friendly downtown, Kelly said.
‘‘The only way to turn La Plata into a walking town is to give people a reason to walk around,” she said. ‘‘With the price of gas right now, people don’t want to drive out of the area.”
La Plata Mayor Gene Ambrogio said he is pleased that both of Kelly’s buildings are offering just the right amenities for town residents, including retail on the bottom floors and condominiums above.
‘‘They’re going to be a positive addition to the town,” he said. ‘‘The café will offer people a place to congregate and anything that encourages people to walk is welcome.”
‘‘The mere fact that we’re filling in areas that were damaged from the tornado is positive for the town,” said Ward 1 Councilman Jim Goldsmith. ‘‘Both projects are positive for the town.”
Ward 2 Councilman Scot Lucas serves as the council representative on the town’s design review board. He said the buildings are going to be great assets to the town.
‘‘I love the concept of both buildings,” he said, adding that he spoke to Kelly about incorporating environmentally-friendly elements to the buildings. ‘‘I’m really pleased with both designs.”
Kelly said that she is excited about the projects.
‘‘This has been a dream of mine for a long time,” she said. ‘‘It has real potential. I’m really excited about it.”
