Baltimore Grows

The Daily Record has an article about the movement to protect and preserve the Mechanic Theatre Building.

The Baltimore Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation on Tuesday moved forward with a proposal to make the 40-year-old Morris A. Mechanic Theatre building a city landmark. Commissioners also approved another measure that could give them review of improvements to the structure.

Full article

Mark Sapperstein - the developer of the former Chesapeake Paperboard site in Locust Point -recently met with a group from the Locust Point Civic Association and Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel (UDARP) and shared new details.

The project which he was currently referring to as the Shoppes at the Fort - is now being called McHenry Row.? They also plan to use variations such as The Shops at McHenry Row and The Lofts at McHenry Row for the 9 acre mixed use project.? The project will be phased with the garage, apartments and office space likely coming first, followed by the grocer.? The grocer still has not been officially named - but he had named Harris Teeter before.? However, the latest rumor has Fresh Market? moving in.

Sapperstein plans to have a pharmacy - both CVS and Walgreens want in on the project.? Two banks, one with a drive through window, will be part of McHenry Row.? He is also looking to bring in a lively restaurant with outdoor seating - Clydes and Green Turtle were mentioned as possibilities.

Panera Bread and Starbucks were both mentioned as likely tenants.? Apparantly this project, and Locust Point in general, is more marketable than some had thought.

? The 250 one and two bedroom upscale appartments will be managed by the Bozzuto Group.? One of the apartment buildings will have a green roof, and the developer is trying to achieve? LEED silver certification for the project - this deals with environmental sustainability.

The latest site plan is shown here. McHenry Row - Baltimore - Locust Point

Friday’s Baltimore Business Journal had this story Friday.? The owners of the 100 Light Street building (current Legg Mason building) are moving ahead with plans to build a 500 car parking garage.? One of the likely reasons for Legg’s announcement to move from it’s current headquarter location is the lack of parking.? So perhaps the building owners see this as a necessary step to lure future tenants.

The Baltimore Sun recently ran an article on the proposed new development plan for the Inner Harbor’s Rash Field at the foot of Federal Hill.? The new plan will include a much needed underground parking garage, a large amount of open green space, and a dog park.? The current volleyball fields will be moved to another section of the park. Although, it looks like they may not be keeping as many courts as currently exist.? ? Rash Field? is not being used well - so the latest proposal looks very promising.

Check out the city’s Rash Field plan - PDF format.

Today’s Baltimore Sun reports that development plans for the former balloon ride site have been scaled back.? The vacant site sites adjacent to Power Plant Live and President Street at the base of I83.? Developer David Cordish is now presenting alternate plans.

Cordish had promised Baltimore Development Corp. that at the foot of a 250-unit high-rise of condominiums and apartments, he would build a Lucky Strike Lanes, an upscale bowling “lounge” - part of a network with 16 locations nationwide including Washington.

But yesterday BDC officials were trying to decide which of two much smaller alternative proposals they preferred. One includes 100 apartments and retail space a fraction the size of the bowling alley. Another maintains the same retail space and substitutes a 100-room hotel. Both options include parking garages for about 100 cars.

They cited market conditions as the reason for the change of plans.? To me, this isn’t a great location anyway.? Stuck between the obnoxious bars & clubs of Power Plant and President Street.? There is a subway stop there, but unless your heading to one of the few places it visits, it won’t be of much use.? But I can see how this location would appeal to many young downtown workers.? Unfortunately this will kill the possibility of adding another high-rise to Baltimore’s skyline.

A common opinion among Baltimoreans is that our public transportation is horribly lacking.? Which is why I’m as surprised as you probably are to read? in a? CNN Money article that Baltimore ranks 7th among all US cities in? percentage of residents commute to work on buses, trains and light rail - 48,252, or 18.9%.? That’s pretty impressive.?

Baltimore trails other much larger cities known for their public transportation - New York, Washington, San Fransisco, Boston, Philly, and Chicago.? But surprisingly leads cities such as Seattle, Oakland, and Portland.? I wonder if the study is including all the people who take trains from Baltimore city or BWI into DC.? Perhaps that is skewing the number.? But hey - once we the proposed Red Line metro addition and downtown trolley are in place, we may just jump up a couple spots.

The article in Monday’s Baltimore Sun? talked about Baltimore’s plans to hopefully turn Pratt Street - the main artery through downtown - into a more vibrant and pedestrian friendly area.? Progress has already started with the recent additions of retailers Best Buy, P.F. Changs,? Panera, etc.?

Will Baltimore’s Pratt Street ever be the equivalent of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue or New York’s Fifth Avenue, or perhaps even the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris?

These sorts of questions were raised at a recent presentation by architects hired to make suggestions about their vision for Pratt Street.? Ahh the short answer, no.? At this point there is just too much ground level office space along Pratt.? But why not strive for something better. Baltimore may not make it all the way there, but the more progress the better.?

One of the interesting proposals would be to? change the traffic pattern from 1 way to 2 way.? The logistics of making this happen sound like a nightmare.? I assume the would need to do the same with Lombard Street in order to balance the loss of lanes heading west to east.? Pratt Street is maxed out during rush hour, I can’t imagine what the construction would do to Baltimore’s downtown rush hour.

One worthwhile proposal would be to do away with the fountain area sitting between Pratt, Light Street South, and Light Street North.? The area really is a waste of space.? It basically serves as a place for people to stand while waiting to cross the street, a place for the homeless to congregate, and a place for city workers to try and keep kids out of the fountains.? So I guess it’s serving a purpose, but certainly could be put to better use.

This photo from the Baltimore Sun shows one of the presented Pratt Street visions.? What happened to the Verizon building? It’s missing - I guess part of their vision included knocking down that building and putting up a billboard type structure.? Or maybe that’s what is replaing the fountain area, it’s hard to tell.

Today’s Baltimore Sun reports that Baltimore’s Board of Estimates approved $200,000 to help study whether it’s possible? to build a? trolley to link the Inner Harbor with the Johns Hopkins University.? The Trolley would run from Baltimore’s Inner harbor? North through downtown and Mount Vernon, ending in Charles Village.

…an engineering study to examine how the trolley might interfere with utility lines and if the train could make it up the hills of Mount Vernon.

We? can put men on the moon, build 1,400 foot tall skyscrapers , and squeeze the Library of Congress onto a drive smaller than a credit card, but Baltimore isn’t sure if they can get a trolley to go up hills.? Of course this is also the city that built a hot air balloon tied to the ground and were surprised when the wind? took over? and the riders had to be rescued.

More public transportation in Baltimore City - Absolutely.? It’s something the city is desperately lacking.? But why not incorporate this with the existing underused Baltimore metro system.? We recently looked at the current study of the metro red line project.? Why not expand on this?? A separate trolley system would result in yet another disjointed public transportation system that serves only a small portion of the city.? I assume they would built it so that stations connected near one of the existing metro stations downtown.?

Obviously the? cost of building an above ground trolley system is on much smaller scale than building additional underground metro lines.? So maybe the city is thinking about this as an interim step.? Do the Hopkins students really need to get to the Harbor that badly? Perhaps a trolley taking them right to Fells Point would make more sense.? Or how about a trolley that runs from Canton through Fells Point, Harbor East, downtown, Federal Hill, ending in Locust Point.? That would save a lot of us some weekend cab fair $.

I recently posted on the large tax break that Baltimore’s Harbor East project is receiving - in part to keep Legg Mason as a tenant in the new office tower.? Today Baltimore Business Journal posted another story on the subject, revealing some interesting details about Legg Mason’s deal.? For one - Legg Mason’s new building will include a 1,200 spot underground parking garage.? Which had to be a great selling point for moving from their current downtown location.? Legg Mason’s current parking garage sits under the building at 100 Light Street - but only contains a couple hundred spots.? I know this because I worked at Legg for three years - and wasn’t allowed to park there? - except on rare occasions (i.e. the weekends).? There were vice presidents that didn’t even have parking spots.? 2nd - the article revealed that Legg’s lease has been signed for 15 years.? A great selling point for brining additional business into Harbor East.