A new age-restricted apartment building will soon tower over Route 40 on the site where Brown’s Motel stood for decades in Ellicott City.

The 2.6-acre site bordering the Hollofield Area at Patapsco Valley State Park is being graded to prepare for construction. The motel was torn down after its last day of business on Dec. 10, leaving some residents scrambling to find a new place to live.

In the motel’s place will be an apartment building with 89 units for those 55 or older. Don Reuwer, manager of the company that owns the land, said construction of the building is likely to start in the coming weeks. While the name has yet to be finalized, Reuwer said “The Residences at Patapsco Place” is the “latest and greatest.”

“I live in Howard County, trying to redevelop it, make it something beautiful,” Reuwer, a longtime resident, said.

Reuwer Real Estate Advisors LLC contributed the site to Browns Begone Properties LLC, Reuwer said. According to Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation records, the land was transferred in February. Reuwer Real Estate Advisors bought the land from SSM Hospitality LLC in December for $2 million, state records show.

Reuwer is the manager of Browns Begone Properties.

Reuwer Real Estate Advisors had the land under contract for three years while building plans were approved, settling a couple of months before transfering the land to Browns Begone, Reuwer said.

The land is in the Planned Office Research District zone, which includes adult age-restricted housing as a permitted land use. The county Department of Planning and Zoning approved the site development plan on Feb. 25, according to the plan.

Nine units of moderate-income housing must be included in the building, according to the site plan.

A waitlist for units already exists, Reuwer said. With all permits issued and plans approved for construction, he hopes residents will be able to move in in about 18 months.

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