Baltimore Grows

 Tom Clancy plopped down 12.6 million for three condos at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Baltimore and the three units will be combined into one mega-condo.  The sale sets a record for the most expensive condo ever sold in Baltimore. 

The sale is also a huge boost to the developers of the project who have been dogged recently with liens resulting from unpaid construction bills.  Only around 20 of the Ritz’s 190 condos have gone to settlement so far.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/real-estate/bal-bz.ritz19nov19,0,4991403.story

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

More details emerged today about the development that will replace Anderson Automotive Group in the Charles Village/Remington area.  The 65 million dollar project will include a Lowes, a grocery store, 60 apartments, specialty shops, and other retailers.  Completion is expected in 2011.

Both the Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Business Journal wrote stories on it.  Follow the links below.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.anderson19nov19,0,3840291.story

http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/11/16/daily32.html

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

 Hampden took center stage in a Jay Leno Show sketch last Tuesday where comedian Owen Benjamin goes to local businesses and writes them a free jingle.  It ended up being very funny.  Click on the link below to watch it on Hulu.com

http://www.hulu.com/watch/108444/the-jay-leno-show-owen-benjamin-writes-your-jingle-baltimore

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

BALTIMORE – A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

M.J. “Jay” Brodie – President of the Baltimore Development Corp

Kirby Fowler – President of the Downtown Partnership

This November, AIA Baltimore welcomes Kirby Fowler – President of the Downtown Partnership and M.J. “Jay” Brodie – President of the Baltimore Development Corporation, to discuss their vision for the future of Baltimore, Baltimore’s position with respects to development and construction in the current economy, preparations for growth of population in the region related to BRAC, and opportunities for Architects, Engineers, and Contractors in the Baltimore Area.

The lecture will take place at 6:00 PM on November 10^th, 2009 at The Engineers Club in Baltimore – 11 West Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore MD 21201

A reception precedes the lecture at 5:30 P.M. with light food and refreshments provided.

Tickets are $10.00 for AIA Members and $15.00 for non-members.

Advance ticket purchases are recommended as capacity is limited.

Please contact the AIA for ticket sales (410-625-2585).  www.aiabalt.com

The Baltimore Sun recently held a contest for the “Best Blogs in Baltimore”.  Thanks to those of you that nominated us!  Sadly, I wasn’t able to add a link on this site before the contest was over, so we didn’t rank impressively high.  But the nomination is kudos enough for me.  Thank You!

One of the things that struck me was just how many blogs this city has!  This is one of the most comprehensive lists of Baltimore blogs I think I’ve seen.  So for your blogging pleasure:  http://data.baltimoresun.com/mobbies/

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

Baltimore ranked a respectable 10th out of 55 for “smartest cities in America” according to The Daily Beast.  Although the study measures metropolitan areas, undoubtedly, Baltimore City’s higher education establishments, hospitals, and bio-tech industries contributed greatly to the ranking.  The first, second, and third smartest cities in the nation were Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco, and Boston.  Follow the link below to see the full report:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-04/americas-smartest-cities—from-first-to-worst/

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

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

Blue Hill Tavern, which recently opened in the Brewers Hill neighborhood of Southeast Baltimore, might as well be nicknamed Beverly Hills Tavern, as this trendy new restaurant and bar looks like it could have come straight out of SoCal.  

While it looks a little bit out of place, Blue Hill Tavern offers a nice, clean, and hip alternative to Brewers Hill’s charming corner bars and enlarges the dining and nightlife opportunities of the area…which is a definite good thing.  Best of all, the bar has a waterfall…cool beans.

I went there for dinner on Saturday night.  The place was definitely packed, but not overly swamped. The bar was hopping, but not so packed that you couldn’t move. It was a nice night, so all of the windows were open, giving the place an airy and open feel.  Gotta love summertime.  They’ve only been open about a week, so you could tell there were a few small kinks they were working out, but nothing major.  They were out of some of the micro brews that were listed on their menu, so I decided to be adventurous and try the “New old fashioned” (made with vanilla infused bourbon) off of their cocktail menu. It was really delicious, and considering all cocktails are $7.50, it still wasn’t too expensive as far as Baltimore prices go.

The Oysters Rockefeller appetizer came and while the oysters were cooked perfectly, they were a bit under-seasoned.  For the main course, I got the surf and turf, which for $21 ended up being a pretty good deal.  It came with a pretty good size crabcake and a filet mignon.  Both were cooked to perfection and had some unique sauces that spiced things up a little bit.  The fried potatoes that came on the side were kind of bland, but I was happy enough about the filet and the crabcake, that I didn’t really care.  

I didn’t have room for dessert, but from the looks of the stuff coming out of the kitchen, it seems I should have skipped the app and saved more room for later.  I suppose there’s always next time…and there will be a next time, as this place is definitely worth going back.  

I applaud the folks at Blue Hill for trying something different and new and hope others follow their lead with new concepts for older neighborhoods.  

http://www.bluehilltavern.com/

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

 

A study by Next Generation Consulting ranked Baltimore the 7th best city for young professionals in cities with over 500,000 in population.  The study was based on rankings in several categories including cost of living, earning potential, vitality, nightlife, educational opportunities, walkability/commute times, and social capital.

Follow the link below to read the full report:

http://nextgenerationconsulting.com/assets/documents/NextCities_2009-2010_US.pdf

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com