Baltimore Grows

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.

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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.

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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.

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I came across this cool mailbox on Towson street in Locust Point today.? Thought I would grab a pick since it’s the only freestanding mailbox I have seen for a row home.?

Who said you couldn’t have a front yard in the city? The house? shown? here? (with the fence) sure is making the most of their limited space.

Everywhere you look in Baltimore development is in progress.? The view from our rooftop deck in Locust Point is no different.? There is new construction literally in every direction.

These two shots show the new Ruppert homes in Locust Point under construction.? The development is slated for close to 80 homes.? Silo Point is under construction in the background.

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This first? photo shows the Silo Point project well under way.? After years of negotiating, stalling, planning, environmental remediation, and demolition -? progress is finally visible from a distance.? The 2nd photo shows a pretty common sight around Baltimore these days - the addition of a third story on Woodall street.?

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This photo shows one of the last remains of the Chesapeake Paperboard Company in Locust Point.? Construction will soon begin on the “Shoppes at Fort” - a huge mixed use development to include high-end apartments, office, and retail.

These two photos look across the the harbor towards Fells Point and Harbor East.? The large piece of undeveloped land along the waterfront is the former Allied Chemical property.? Development has not been allowed on this land for close to 30 years because the ground was(is) so polluted.? However, this will soon be the site of much more development - the 27 mixed use Harbor Point.

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In a month or so I will post again to show the progress at these various sites.

An article last week in the? Baltimore Business Journal said that performance apparel maker Under Armour had signed a deal to not only stay at Tide Point through 2012, but also to expand their current space.? This is a great sign for the waterfront? Tide Point? complex, and Baltimore business in general.? It would not? have been surprising to see Under Armour pack up and move out of the city to expand in a cheaper area.? They currently employ 610 at their headquarters.? I’m not sure how they plan to expand at Tide Point - because the 400,000 square foot? complex already? seems to be 100% rented.

One thing that may have helped make Under Armour’s decision easier, is the soon to be completed, and long overdue,? access “loop” road.? The road will connect Tide Point directly to Key Highway.? This puts employees 2 minutes away from 95 and allows them to avoid the bottlenecks that currently occur in Locust Point.

The new townhome development by NV Homes on Fort Avenue is well under way.? The community sits between the entrance to Locust Point and the Riverside Community.? Which is funny beacuse the flyer I got in the mail, and magazine advertisements? say “in Federal Hill.”? ? In any case? it is a pretty convienent location.? It is amazing NV Homes was able to carve out such a large piece or property along the densely developed Fort Avenue.? The community will have? roughly 20? homes, with? 4 already partially complete.? The property sits at a relatively high point, so the view should be great.

The homes a pretty large - roughly? 2,000 square feet, 3-4 bedroom, 2.5-3.5 bath,? 3 stories with a roof top terrace.? The sign along Fort Avenue in Locust Point, the? NV Website, and the recent ad in Baltimore magazine says the “Starting Upper $490’s”.? So basically once you have picked your upgrades you can expect? to be spending close to $525 - $550.? That puts them roughly in the same price range as the McHenry Point Homes built by Pulte Homes - located at Silo Point (in Locust Point).

? There are floorplans up on their website.? They seem pretty standard, but a bit stripped down. It doesn’t seem there is an option for a separate shower and bath in the master bathroom - which seems pretty small.? Most of the new construction in the area allows for this option as it seems to be popular.

It seems that the name “The shoppes at Fort” or “The Shops at Fort” is being thrown around for the new commercial, business, and residential development at the site of the former Chesapeake Paperboard company.? The property sits basically on the corner of Fort Avenue and Woodall street in Locust Point.? The property is behind the Fort Ave. firehouse, and will also have future access via Key Highway.

to be continued….

Silo point - the new development converting an old grain elevator/silo into luxury condos in Baltimore’s historic Locust Point, is well under way, and has been for a couple years now.? However their official website? still is nothing more than a placeholder.? I keep waiting for some worthwhile information, but as of now there is only a brief introduction and a contact form for those interested in purchasing.

The development has been an extremely controversial project in the traditional, quite, community of Locust Point.? The luxury townhomes built adjacent to the grain elevator have had residents for over a year.? But it seems that they are still building more.? Apparently there has been renewed interest, because for a while it seemed they were having trouble selling the last few units.? Apparently silo point is the place to be.?

It will be interesting to see if the premium condo units and penthouses (if there are any) sell as quickly as the Ritz Carlton development at the foot of Federal Hill.

The following photos show the current status of the Silo Point construction.? The first one is a great illustration of contrast - new vs. old, large vs. small, luxury vs. modesty.? The 2nd photo shows some of the remaining grain silos.? There was a lot of controversy over whether the silos should be preserved. For some reason some neighborhood residents wanted them saved.? The developer agreed, but after engineers assessed the building it was determined that most of them would need to be torn down.? Apparently the construction wasn’t strong enough to support? Silo Point’s? new parking garage.

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The 1st photo below shows some of the Silo Point condominium units under construction.? Looks like they will have a lot of glass.? One of the concerns of those owning row homes adjacent to the development - was that the new condominiums would be looking down onto the backs of their houses.? The developer and architects told residents that this would not be the case - but in the end it looks like that’s what will happen.

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