Baltimore Grows

A group of dancers descended upon then Fell’s Point Fun Festival in Baltimore, MD and “Thrilled” the crowd by dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” ushering in a year-long celebration of Edgar Allan Poe, his life and his works. You can see a video from the event at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJaAgMxwCX4. To find get more information on the “Year of Poe” check out www.nevemore2009.com

I came across this really great story in the Baltimore Citypaper.  This further reinforces the point I made in an earlier post that many of the home foreclosures in Baltimore are greedy investors that got in over their heads.  While it’s great that these houses may ultimately be put to good use, stories like this across the nation have contributed to the financial crisis and will cost the rest of us taxpayers dearly.

This story in the Citypaper is about the owner of Caesars Forum Hair Salon (George Agelakis) located at the corner of Fleet and Patterson Park Avenue in the Canton area of Baltimore.  Apparently him and some of his cronies had conspired to by several properties in the area…mostly shells…through a mortgage game of financing one property to cover another.  When the bottom fell out, he foreclosed on millions of dollars worth of loans over several properties…which probably will end up as part of the bailout being covered by our taxpayer dollars.  I for one am outraged.

The story is a long and convoluted one, but a great representation of how America got into this mess anyway.  I suggest if you have a few minutes you read it!  I’m interested in hearing any comments anyone might have.

Click Here to Read the Article

This week, the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Baltimore Sun both endorsed a Red Line Transit Project which is fiscally responsible and responsive to community concerns along the corridor.  The alignment, known as Alternative 4c, would be a Light Rail train beginning along I-70 near the Social Security Administration, tunnel under Cooks Lane, emerging on and following Edmondson Avenue and the old “Highway to Nowhere” to Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.  At MLK, the alignment would tunnel under downtown along Lombard Street, connecting directly to the Metro at Charles Center, then continue in tunnel under Fleet/Aliceanna Streets through Fells Point.  The Red Line would emerge at Boston and Aliceanna and travel in the median of Boston Street to Brewer’s Hill/Canton Crossing, then follow old railroad right-of-way to Greektown/Highlandtown at Eastern Avenue and then to the Bayview Campus where it would meet a new MARC Station.  The proposal is estimated at $1.3 billion and is projected to carry 42,000 riders per day.

The Maryland Transit Administration will hold a series of hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement beginning on November 6th through November 14th.  Strong public support for this alternative is needed to propel the project into the engineering and construction phases. Click here to comment on the Red Line DEIS.

You can also get project updates, view pictures of the recent transit tours to Phoenix, LA, Portland and Seattle, and following along on Twitter by visiting the City’s Red Line website www.gobaltimoreredline.com

An estimated 700,000 people will swarm Fells Point this weekend (Oct 4th and 5th 2008) for the Annual Fells Point Fun Festival.  The Fells Point Fest is a quintessential celebration for a quintessentially Baltimore neighborhood.

The festival was originally started over 40 years ago as a way to raise funds and draw attention to the Fells Point area which was slated for demolition to make way for I-95.

Can you imagine a Baltimore without Fells Point, Federal Hill, Canton, and the Inner Harbor?  This festival is a perfect way to celebrate what makes Baltimore great!

http://www.preservationsociety.com/fpff2007.html

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

The Baltimore Sun reported today that the privately funded Fitzgerald project, adjacent to the University of Baltimore campus in Midtown Baltimore, has secured financing and will begin construction soon.  The most remarkable part of this story is the fact that the developers (Bozzuto Group) were able to acquire the appropriate financing despite the current credit crisis.  This may be a signal that not all new projects will come to a complete halt due to economic conditions as some alarmists have suggested.

The $75 million dollar Fitzgerald will have 280 luxury apartments, street level retail, and a parking garage.

Click here to read the article

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com