Keyes European has opened an expanded $35 million Mercedes Benz dealership on auto row in Van Nuys. The 252,000-square-foot dealership, which is slated to open Dec. 5, is about four times the size of the previous Mercedes Benz store that had been on the site at 5400 Van Nuys Blvd. While the dealership will hire a minimal number of new employees for the early December opening, the larger facility has the potential to add up to 50 new positions, said Howard Tenenbaum, vice president of Keyes Automotive Group. “We are going to be there a long time,” Tenenbaum said. “For future capacity and the customer experience we feel it was the right thing.” The new facility incorporates water and light savings measures, including an acre of solar panels on the roof, which reflects the interest in sustainability and environmental-friendly operations of Howard Keyes, the president of Keyes Automotive Group. Construction on the new Keyes Mercedes Benz dealership started in June 2010. During the building phase, Mercedes Benz sales and service operated out of what had been the former Keyes Acura dealership location on Van Nuys Boulevard. That business was sold, however the location will be a future Keyes Hyundai dealership, company officials said. The former Keyes Mercedes Benz building dated back almost 15 years, and since then, Mercedes Benz had adopted new standards for the look of its dealerships. Rather than remodel an inadequate building to meet the new standards constructing a new dealership was seen as a better decision, Tenenbaum said. A new building also allowed for Keyes to continue a pattern established with other new projects in terms of sustainability and environmentally responsible features. The Keyes Audi and Keyes Lexus dealerships built in recent years incorporated such features. Keyes European, however, is a big leap from those other projects due to the extent of the commitment of Howard Keyes, said Linda Francis, an architect with Dennis J. Flynn Architects Inc., which designed the building. In addition to the solar panels, the building employs bio-swales to filter and clean rainwater before it enters the sewer system; maximized natural light; LED lights; a water chiller system for heating and cooling needs; and paints, adhesives and carpeting using few volatile organic compounds. “When he says he is going to commit, he commits,” Francis said. Debris from the demolition of the old building was used in the foundation and concrete of the new one. The waste created by construction was recycled as well, with the goal being about 75 percent, Francis said. The construction process salvaged the ceiling, doors and even plumbing fixtures for the new building. “We are running between 80 percent and 90 percent of the debris being recycled,” Francis said. The auto group is now waiting for Keyes European to receive LEED certification for the Mercedes Benz dealership.