Baltimore Grows

The University of Maryland Medical Center has launched a major renovation and expansion of the shock trauma center to meet growing demand in the region.  The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center was the worlds first trauma center of its kind and continues to be the premier trauma center in the nation.  The project is expected to cost over 100 Million Dollars and will start in the spring.

According to the University of Maryland Website:

“The construction taking place at the University of Maryland Medical Center, located in Baltimore, consists of two projects.

The Trauma Critical Care and Emergency Medicine Services Expansion (Phase IV) will be a seven-story building with a full basement located on a 10,000 SF site. In total, 140,000 SF of new construction and 45,000 SF of renovation will be performed. This includes site work improvements, two new chillers and substations, relocation of an existing fuel tank, a new laboratory, nine new ORs, 18 new PACU beds, 64 new ICU beds, and a two-story penthouse with AHUs and substations.

The Shock Trauma Renewal Project (STC-R) consists of 67,000 SF of renovations and upgrades to the existing R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. These include fire alarm and sprinkler upgrades, a rework of existing corridor HVAC, renovation of existing ICUs, penthouse infrastructure upgrades, and a helipad replacement.”

You may have heard in the news lately about Mayor Sheila Dixon’s desire to bring professional soccer to Baltimore.  Which leaves me wondering does Baltimore need, or want, a soccer team?  Some would argue no, while others would point to the recent exhibition between European super-clubs A.C. Milan and Chelsea that drew 71,000 fans at M&T Bank Stadium.

There are actually two separate possibilities for professional teams moving into the city.  Dixon has been pitching to move the MLS’s D.C. United to Baltimore.  Would they be renamed the Baltimore United?  Or D.C. United at Camden Yards?  In addition to the efforts for D.C. United, a Baltimore based group is in negotiations to bring the development team Crystal Palace to the Carroll Camden Industrial Area near M&T Bank.  In that scenario they would build a 7,000 seat stadium sometime in the next 3-5 years.  Crystal Palace currently plays home games at UMBC.

The D.C. United news could end up sabotaging the plans to bring the minor league team to town.  Surely Baltimore officials wouldn’t try to bring both teams to the city.  Right? According to the Baltimore Business Journal the minor league stadium is projected to cost $25 million.  It is  not clear who would be paying the bill.  I haven’t seen any cost projections to build the 17,000- to 20,000 seat stadium that the D.C. united would likely require, but it obviously wouldn’t be cheap.

The question of whether either of these scenarios is good for Baltimore, obviously comes down in large part to cost.  How much of the bill will tax payers be responsible for?  Certainly bringing an additional professional sports team to Baltimore has its benefits.  Placing a stadium along the existing corridor with M&T Bank Stadium and Camden Yards would further strengthen the city’s draw as a “sports town.” And a lot of people in Baltimore would love an opportunity to take anything away from D.C.

Personally I think soccer is pretty boring. Get rid of the offsides rule, and all the fake injuries and acting, and I’d be more likely to watch it occasionally (I do watch some during the Olympics or World Cup).  But nobody cares what I think.  There is certainly an increased interest in soccer in this country – due in part to the changing demographics, and also through a lot of good marketing efforts.  It only makes sense for the sport to be popular. It’s probably the most widely played youth sport in the country.  But for some reason most people don’t make the jump from being a player to a fan; I didn’t.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out.  But it’s hard to imagine D.C. United leaving the Capital Beltway area.  The team has had great success and a devoted following in D.C.  The area’s internationally diverse demographics helped the team quickly establish a loyal following of lifelong soccer fans.

BBJ Article

In celebration of the Orioles current 2 game winning streak – snapping their previous 13 game loosing streak – I’m posting these videos in celebration.  To me, this guy was always the best part of O’s games. Anyone know if he’s still working at Camden Yards?  I know he had a brief stint at Power Plant Live (back in its heyday 8 years ago) shaking up mixed drinks.

Baltimore City Entertainment Group released the rendering of the proposed casino along Russell Street in Baltimore.  If approved, the slots parlor will be the first to be constructed in Maryland since the referendum passed in November. 

The rendering of the proposed building, however, has disappointed many who were expecting a more grand design.  The rendering shows a 2 story building that resembles a shopping mall.  There will be a 5 story parking garage adjacent to the new building.

Construction is expected to begin as soon as contaminated soil can be remediated at the site and is expected to be completed by 2011.

Follow this link to read the full article:

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/08/24/daily33.html?ana=from_rss

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

It’s do or die time for the Baltimore Red Line.  Sides have been taken and battle lines have been drawn. Rumor has it that a decision will be made soon, perhaps by the end of the summer.

But let’s face the facts.  The Red Line proposal that includes both a combination of tunneling and surface rail offers Baltimore best chance of getting state and federal funding for a transportation project in YEARS (see proposed routing map below).  If we pass up on this, the likelihood of another public transit project coming this way is perhaps another 20 or 30 years off. 

There is currently no reliable public transportation between Canton and downtown, so most people drive. It’s sameful that a city the size of Baltimore doesn’t have a reliable transportation system, so it’s about time we start.

I realize that there is a small, but vocal group of opponents, that don’t want a surface line running along Boston Street or Route 40.  But let’s face it, Boston Street and Route 40 are already noisy and congested disasters.  The new Red Line, along with some proposed nice streetscaping, will serve to reduce and calm traffic.  The tunneling through downtown will keep the train from getting bogged down in traffic lights (one of my chief complaints about the existing north/south light rail). 

The Red Line is necessary for the continued growth of Baltimore City, and would increase the property values of those nearby (just try to get a cheap apartment near a DC Metro stop).

If you support the Red Line, make sure your voice is heard.  Things you can do to help:

Visit – http://www.gobaltimoreredline.com/

E-mail Senator Mikulski – http://mikulski.senate.gov/Contact/contact.cfm

E-mail Governor O’Malley – http://www.governor.maryland.gov/mail/

E-mail Mayor Dixon – mayor@baltimorecity.gov

E-mail Councilman Kraft – james.kraft@baltimorecity.gov

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

Baltimore’s Urban Design and Architectural Review Board has approved the plans for Baltimore’s City Center project, a mixed use project that will include and Summerfield Suites, Hyatt Place, and a residential component. 

Demolition will begin this summer with construction to begin next spring.  The project will be complete by Fall of 2011.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/real-estate/bal-city-center-0618,0,1421366.story

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

Get a head start on Mother’s Day with the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance’s First Annual Tour of Kids’ Spaces on Saturday, May 9, from 10 am to 3 pm, in historic Federal Hill. This self-guided walking tour, which features everything from historic gems to quirky row houses, will showcase the work of urban parents who have transformed limited or awkward spaces into amazing places for kids. It’s a great way to treat an expecting, new, or even seasoned mom!

DBFA counts among its goals attracting new families to Baltimore City and encouraging others to stay as their children grow. To that end, the house tour will demonstrate how parents are raising their children in the city with style. The tour will feature 8 to 10 houses over several city blocks and take approximately an hour to an hour and a half to complete, rain or shine.

WHAT: DBFA First Annual House Tour of Kids’ Spaces

WHERE: Federal Hill and South Baltimore

WHEN: Saturday, May 9, 2009, from 10 am to 3 pm

WHO: Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance

SIGNIFICANCE: The house tour is DBFA’s foremost annual fundraiser, with 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales going toward DBFA’s mission of improving, supporting, and advocating for family life downtown

Event Flyer (PDF)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Cost: $25 per ticket ($5 discount for DBFA members); $30 day of event

Tickets: Purchase in advance at www.dbfam.org/housetour or day of at Spoons Coffee Cafe, 24 E Cross St

Sponsors: Currey Real Estate Group and Indigo Ink Digital Printing

For More Information: To volunteer, nominate a house, help sponsor the tour, or place advertising in the program guide, please see www.dbfam.org/housetour, or email housetour@dbfam.org Continue Reading »

For the past couple of years, many Baltimoreans had been lamenting the fact that no Baltimore City Chinese restaurant served Dim Sum.  The last place that served it, The Chinatown Cafe, stopped the practice about two years ago.  After that, the next closest place for Dim Sum was Jesse Wongs Hong Kong in Downtown Columbia, but that has reportedly closed as of December.  Chinatown Cafe has since closed as well, but in its place is a new Chinese Restaurant called Zhongshan that is bringing Dim Sum back to Baltimore (323 Park Ave (410) 223-1881).

Dim Sum basically consists of moderately priced small plates and is sometimes served on carts.  Many people consider Dim Sum menus to be more authentic than the typical Chinese food one might pick up at PF Changs or the corner carry-out.  Supposedly Zhongshan will serve Dim Sum every day from 7am to 3pm.  Lots of times people like to eat Dim Sum for brunch on weekends.  If you haven’t tried it before, I would recommend it…just a word of caution for those with some food aversions…many Dim Sum menus contain items like Chicken Feet and Honeycomb Beef Tripe. Not into Dim Sum? Zhongshan will also serve the standard Chinese fare that we’re all familiar with.

Click Here to see the Baltimore Sun Article

I haven’t make it over to Zhongshan yet, so anyone who has, please post your thoughts as a comment.

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

We’re happy to have another guest post today courtesy of Urban Discoveries Living Blog. Check out all their great content.

The State Center was supposed to be one of those far-sighted projects that would help transform Baltimore into the vibrant, accessible city of the future. Though it wasn’t scheduled to be completed until 2018, even just the vision had a lot of people excited. The idea:  to redevelop and reshape the 28 acres around the current State Center, an area that currently includes huge city offices, a light rail stop, and… a lot of parking lots and chain-link fences. The State Center development was supposed to change all that, reconnecting neighborhoods and creating a vibrant livable community. But problems have cropped up—new legislation, worrisome language in the state budget—that have some people worried that Baltimore is just going to end up with more of the same.

Why spend so much time and money on the area anyway?  Well, there are plenty of assets not being taken advantage of here, is the thinking—not only does the area already boast a much-used transit hub (both the light rail and the subway stop here), and it’s here that vibrant neighborhoods (Mt. Vernon, Seton Hill, Bolton Hill) would come together, if there was anything there worth coming together for. So the stuff is there, for the most part; it’s just not connected well at all. Continue Reading »

While renderings of all four arena proposals are not available yet, the descriptions themselves say a lot.  Basically, this will not be your average arena.  Assuming the project comes to fruition and 300 million plus dollars are secured for construction, the days of a big ugly box type municipal indoor stadium will be over… replaced with what we hope will be a world class design.  The one rendering which has been made public, that of the Streuver Brothers proposal, depicts a daring signature building that incorporates a hotel and retail along with the arena itself.  Congratulations for thinking big!

Here’s a good summary of the proposals as posted on Wikipedia:

On December 17, 2008, the Baltimore Examiner reported that the Baltimore Development Corp. had received 4 proposals for the 1st Mariner Arena replacement that could take away a “major entertainment venue” for Baltimore upwards to “4 years” and the estimated price is $300 million but could be more depending on additional retail and hotel uses. The arena is reported to be a 18,500 seat venue built at the same location of the current 1st Mariner Arena. The four proposals are:

ESmith Legacy and Garfield Traub Development:ESmith Legacy is a team lead by former NFL player Emmitt Smith that has offices in Baltimore. This proposal includes that will be in addition to the larger arena:

• 7 screen movie theater
• 20,000 SF of retail space
• 1,000 seat concert venue

Streuver Brothers Eccles & Rouse: A well known Baltimore based developer. This proposal includes:

• 300-room hotel
• 43,000 SF of retail space

Cormony Development and Harrison Development:A Rockville and Baltimore based (respectively) development firms who have been involved since 2007. This proposal includes:

• 400-room hotel
• 240,000 SF office tower
• 12,000 SF to 20,000 SF of retail space

A&R Development, J Street Development Co., and Accent Development Co.: A partnership of Baltimore based A&R and Washington based J Street and Accent Development under the name Arena Development. This proposal includes:

• Up to 100,000 SF of retail space

The Baltimore Examiner reports that the BDC could make a decision on the developer as soon as mid-2009.^[2]

A rendering of the Streuver Brother’s Proposal:

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com