Baltimore Grows

Came across this article by The Daily Record talking about how Baltimore is drawing a diverse crowd back into the city.  Young professionals, empty-nesters, etc. Nothing new, but some nice photos of Silo Point and McHenry Point developments in Locust Point. And an interesting quote;

Despite this, what is going to be the hot city neighborhood in the next five to 10 years? When Archibald asks a young Realtor in her office, the response is Locust Point. “The people who live there love it, and it is a safe neighborhood,” she says.

View full PDF.

The long anticipated Key Highway extension (loop road) opened today.  And it looks like every employee at Tide Point is well aware of it.  As I came home tonight there was a steady flow of traffic coming out.  Cheers to a shorter commute for some and less neighborhood traffic for others. Sun article.

The long awaited extension of Key Highway (Loop road) to Locust Point at Tide Point will be officially completed and opened Wednesday August 15th.  There will be an official ceremony at 11 a.m.

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

There was a recent article on multi-housingnews.com about the Silo Point development in Locust Point.

According to Turner, the development is being constructed in four phases. The first broke ground in May 2005 and has already been completed. It consists of 120 townhouses. The second phase, slated for completion in May 2008, is currently under construction and will include 229 high-end traditional and loft-style condominiums and ground-level retail inside the site’s grain elevator. The third phase will feature additional townhouses and apartments.

So what’s phase 4? Retail?

“Baltimore’s appeal as a residential community extends to individuals and families who work in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area but are priced out of D.C.’s housing market,”

I doubt the people being priced out of the DC market are looking for small condos from the upper $400,000s or larger condos up to $5 million.  If they can afford half a million or more in Baltimore they can find something in DC.

“The current Locust Point residents love the new interest in their community,” Turner adds. “For those of them who do want to sell, their property values are soaring.  And others, who want to stay in the neighborhood, aren’t being pushed out.”

Ahhh… not so fast.  For many residents rising property values are a good thing.  However, anyone that has spent time in a Locust Point Civic Association meeting knows that soaring property values are a problem for many residents.  Rising property values lead to increased taxes for low income families or older residents on fixed incomes.  It’s a concept that escapes many new residents, and that many developers choose to ignore.  Many Locust Point homes have been in the same family for generations, and they have no intention of selling. 

While people such as myself like to see new development in the area - this project has been very controversial and Turner and Sapperstein have drawn a lot of fire from some residents.

This PDF shows the proposed site plan for the former Chesapeake Paperboard site in Locust Point.  The plan originally started out in this same type of Main Street concept, but later morphed into one central over sized structure. Both the city and community special committee objected the revised plan.  Luckily developer Mark Sapperstein came back with a third concept (shown here) that was much more in line with the Main Street concept he originally sold to the community.  I’m sure the plan has changed since this was created back in October 06, but it’s the latest version that I have seen.

The last word was still that the developer had planned to have the grocer Harris Teeter as the anchor store.  UPDATE - The Baltimore Business Journal posted that the new plans have one approval from UDARP.

Yesterday’s Baltimore Business Journal published an article about how the Chesapeake Paperboard site (The Shoppes at Fort) plans have been delayed.  Developer Mark Sapperstein is building a mixed use project on the 9-acre property.  The project’s master plan was already approved by a Locust Point Civic Association and the city.  However, the more detailed architecture plans did not meet the Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel (UDARP) requirements.  Aesthetic changes such as brick color and changes to the parking garage were requested.

Sapperstein wants to optimistically break ground this Fall, but this might delay the start.  The $80 million dollar project which includes 250 high-end apartments, and 110,000 feet of retail space is scheduled to be completed by spring 2010.  I’m surprised it will take that long. 

This photo shows satellite view of the site - outlined in red - and the surrounding streets.  This shot was taken before the demolition of the former plant beagn over a year ago.  The firehouse sits just above the property and to the right is the Phillips Seafood plant.

UPDATE - The Baltimore Business Journal posted that the new plans have one approval from UDARP.

A piece of prime real estate at the entrance of Locust Point (corner of Fort and Lawrence) will be going up for sale.  The owner (GE Energy) has spent millions of dollars over the last decade cleaning up the polluted site.  The land is currently valued at $362,800… Not sure how that works, but I guess that is what it is assessed at for tax purposes. Perhaps it’s so low because nothing could be built on it because of pollution and environmental concerns.  Any sale will likely be contingent on getting the city to rezone the property for commercial development. 

The company currently handling the site cleanup - URS Corp. - recently removed a row of full grown trees that lined the site and adjacent side walk on Fort Ave.  It’s safe to say that this pissed off a lot of neighborhood residents.  There appeared to be no good reason to remove the trees.  Time will tell if they actually follow through on their promise to replant trees in that spot.

It remains to been seen how the property will be rezoned - and what that rezoning will allow to be built.  A likely candidate would be a combination of commercial and residential.  If the site still has the environmental issues that the nearby Chesapeake Paperboard property has - then they will not be able to build residential on the ground floor. They would need to build commercial on the first floor and condos on top.  However - a proposal to build additional residential in Locust Point would likely draw a lot of resistance.  But to me it’s probably the most logical use for the site.  The property sits high above the harbor and Key Highway.  Town-homes or condos built on the site would have great Harbor views.

Another possibility would be office space with parking on the bottom.  There have been some rumors that someone was looking to build a parking garage on the spot. To me this would be a waste of a great property.  And I’m really not sure why the city would need a parking garage there.  Sure there is some strain on the local street parking in the area, but enough for a parking garage?  Also the new Shoppes at Fort project which will be built on the Chesapeake Paperboard site will contain plenty of extra parking.

Green Harbor Point - the green homes being built in Baltimore’s Locust Point community are well under way.  These are the first green town-homes to be built in Baltimore. I snapped a couple pictures while walking by them the other day.  They look pretty interesting and unique from the outside.  The builder (Dan Rieth) and builder (Hawkeye Construction) have taken a different approach than most of the town-homes currently being built in the city.   I guess you could say they look a bit out of place among Locust Point’s standard row homes that typically feature a pretty flat and basic front facade.  But to me it makes them a lot more visually interesting.

The standard floor plan seems to have only 2 bedrooms, but there is an option to do a third on the lower level with the garage.  The lower level sits partial underground.  This blueprint below comes from the Green Harbor Point website.  The split level design is unusual for the area, but the result is pretty cool. Prices are starting in the mid $500’s.  Which is pretty standard for new construction. Apparently the “green” tag doesn’t command a much higher price than similar “environment killer homes.”  The materials used and feature offered on the inside are pretty impressive - range hoods, bamboo floors, designer sinks, etc.

If your not yet familar with the term “green” for construction - it basically means that they are more energy and resource efficient than typical construction. 

More specifically from the website…

The homes at Green Harbor Point are LEED Certified Green Buildings by the U.S. Green Building Counsel (USGBC) and have earned Energy Star Rating by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Green

Building is the practice of creating healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition. The many elements addressed through

Green

Building include: Energy Management, Water Conservation, Improved Indoor Environments, Choice of Building Materials, and Construction Waste Reduction.

Homes that earn the ENERGY STAR must meet guidelines for energy efficiency set by the EPA. ENERGY STAR qualified homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

The much anticipated Key Highway extension (Loop Road) is almost complete.  The extension will connect Key Highway to the tip of Locust Point - at Tide Point.  Apparently the road has been discussed for the last 25 years before the logistics were worked out.  The new road will ease many concerns over traffic problems in Locust Point.

The project already missed it’s published completion date of May 2007.  However, it looks like it could be opening anytime now.  I snapped these photos on Saturday 6/9/2007.