The new 10-story parking structure on Lombard St. between Light St. and Charles St. will apparently have a retail component.  The site, which is adjacent to Burke’s Restaurant will serve as a gateway from the Inner Harbor to the downtown portion of Charles St. with its shops and restaurants.  There will be approximately 10,000 sf of retail.  The garage is intended to serve employees of the current Legg Mason and Bank of America Buildings which house far more workers than available parking spaces.

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

The recent announcement of a proposed Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites at the Baltimore Citycenter Complex adds to the growing list of hotels proposed or under construction in the Baltimore Area.  Baltimore may owe the boom to an increase in domestic tourism (thanks high gas prices) and higher demand for business accommodations due to Baltimore’s growing economy among other things.  Here’s a list of some of the hotel projects planned or underway.  I’m sure I’ve forgotten a bunch of them, so please leave a comment of any that I’ve missed.

PROPOSED:

1. & 2. Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites at Baltimore Citycenter

3. Aloft Hotel - Fells Point

4. Cambria Suites - Downtown

5. Inn at Penn Station

6. Sleep Inn - Oldtown/Fallsway

7. Four Points by Sheraton - Downtown

8. Lifestyle Hotel - Downtown

9. Hotel Monaco - Downtown

10. Holiday Inn Express - Oldtown/Fallsway

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: 

1. Hilton Convention Center Hotel

2. Four Seasons Hotel Harbor East

3. Hotel Indigo - Downtown Baltimore

4. Staybridge Suites - Downtown

5. Fairfield Inn & Suites - Jonestown/President St.

6. Red Roof Inn - Downtown

7. One East Redwood - Downtown

8. Quality Inn - Downtown

RUMORED

1. W Hotel - 10 Inner Harbor - Rumors have been flying that W Hotels is eyeing the hotel portion of the proposed 60 story 10 Inner Harbor project at 414 Light St.

http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/03/24/story11.html

http://www.sullivansteakhouse.com/

Rumor has it that Miss Shirley’s Cafe and Bakery will be opening a second location in the Constellation Energy building at 750 E. Pratt Street near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.  Miss Shirley’s current location, a very popular breakfast and lunch spot on Cold Spring Lane in Roland Park, will remain.  The new location would face south onto Pratt St. near the corner of President St.  No word on when construction will start or whether the format of the restaurant will be different from the original.  Keep posted for new information.  Visit http://www.missshirleys.com

I don’t know whether to laugh or be scared about this story. Today’s Sun has an article on a proposal to build a gondola that runs 1.3 miles from The Convention Center to Fells Point. The more mass-transit the better, but it seems a bit disjointed and disconnected from the existing mass transit that currently exists or is planned. If it did ever get built it would likely end up as a tourist novalty more than a solution for commuters or residents. Similar to the water taxi.  With Baltimore’s recent history of tragic and near tragic events surrounding non-traditional tourist attractions (hot air balloon and water taxi), some govt. officials likely have safety concerns in mind.  Some might not want to be dangling 95 feet above the city when a summer thunderstorm rolls through the harbor.

 

The Winsteads have spent the past several years promoting their vision of a $40 million privately operated system called Baltimore’s SkyLine as efficient and environmentally friendly and an ideal connector to light rail, shuttles and the proposed public transit Red Line. Since completing a $38,000 state-funded ridership study more than a year ago, they’ve lined up investors and put together a construction and design team.

Full article on Balt Sun

Finally a politician is putting an emphasis on public transportation in Baltimore.  If only such an urgency was in place 20-30 years ago, we wouldn’t have this mish-mash mess of transportation systems that connect poorly to each other (if at all).  Even though it’s the “in” thing to do (considering gas prices, global warming, pollution, etc…) at least someone is doing SOMEthing.  

Shiela Dixon took the next step in the Red Line project today by appointing a liaison to resolve community concerns and presumably help push the project forward.  Mayor Dixion said the Red Line was one of her top priorities. 

 The Red Line has gained some opposition, particularly from residents of Fells Point who can bear to see Alice Anna and Fleet turned into one way streets while trying to jam a light rail down the middle. 

A Canton resident myself, I would love to be able to hop on a train and make it downtown in 5 minutes without having to pay $25 for parking, but I do share some of the same concerns of my neighbors in Fells Point. 

I happened upon an interesting post from a fellow blogger at baltimoreinnerspace that proposed extending the current Metro, which currently ends at Hopkins Hospital, to Canton Crossing (Ed Hale’s new mixed use development on Boston St.) instead of building the new Red Line. Although it bypasses Fells Point and the Main Part of Canton, it would pass through areas that have a great amount of potential for future development.  It doesn’t seem like a bad idea.  Check out his post here:

http://baltimoreinnerspace.blogspot.com/2006/10/red-line-should-turn-green-running-red.html

 I’m interested to hear what people think.  Post a comment if you have an opinion.  If you want to share your opinion with the city, there will be a community meeting on May 10th, 2008 from 9am to 1pm at the Baltimore Convention Center. 

To learn more about the Red Line, visit http://www.baltimoreredline.com/

Proposed Red Line Route:

The Baltimore Business Journal reported today that Baltimore City Community College will be requesting proposals to add shops, offices, and possibly housing at the existing downtown campus.  The development will occur in BCCC’s existing Bard building and a space they own in the Harbor Park Garage across the street.  The Cordish Company, which owns the nearby Power Plant and Power Plant Live complexes has already expressed interest.  Cordish may use this opportunity to connect all of their developments in the area.  BCCC will continue to offer classes at this location. 

The Melting Pot fondue restaurant chain may soon open its 5th Maryland location in downtown Baltimore.  The chain is being pursued for the vacant spot at the bottom of the new Zenith Apartments across from Camden Yards, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

Mayor Dixon has blocked the developer’s plans to build two additional 26-story towers on the HarborView site along Key Highway in South Baltimore.  Many have been worried about blocking views and cluttering the skyline.  To me - the main problem, should those towers be built, is traffic. Key Highway leaving the city in the morning would be maxed out.  But I’m not opposed to the height necessarily. The slim towers would actually preserve more water views than if they built a wider, less tall structure.  Just look at how much water view the new Ritz Carlton ate up.

To the relief of many in South Baltimore, Mayor Sheila Dixon has blocked a plan to build two more waterfront towers at HarborView.

Faced with intense community opposition, the mayor pushed HarborView’s developer, Richard A. Swirnow, to rescind his request to the City Council that would have enabled him to keep building even though he technically had exhausted his construction options.

“I have decided to withdraw [the bill] and instruct the Planning Department and Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods to bring all parties together to find common ground,” Dixon wrote in a letter to a community leader who opposes the proposal.

Full article

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.