BALTIMORE | Projects: proposed, under construction or approved

[TommyCarcetti]

Originally Posted by Ktulured55

Why don't they expand the metro system further out from Johns Hopkins? we need more of a subway. The light rails are ugly and take up space on street level. ??

The Red Line will be tunneled under downtown and a portion of the west side near Cooks Lane. I agree though, after the Red Line we should focus on extending the subway, atleast to Hamilton.

[LouisianaRush]

Port of Baltimore has robust year
Cargo traffic grows by 15 percent, value up by 24 percent

By Candus Thomson
The Baltimore Sun
6:09 p.m. EDT, April 23, 2012

Cargo volume at the port of Baltimore grew 15 percent last year, the largest increase of any major U.S. port, state officials announced Monday.

The port's public and private terminals moved 37.8 million tons of goods from cars to coal in 2011. It all was valued at more than $51.4 billion, a 24 percent increase over 2010. "The port is leading the pack," said James White, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration.

more at: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bre...,2553697.story

[LouisianaRush]

Johns Hopkins patients move into new $1.1 billion facility
By Andrea K. Walker and Scott Calvert
The Baltimore Sun
April 29, 2012



At the ding of a cowbell Sunday, staffers in a command center at the Johns Hopkins Hospital began clapping and yelling out victory cheers.

Another department had begun to transfer patients as part of a massive move from Hopkins' aging hospital building to a towering $1.1 billion facility next door. The complicated process, which centered on the delicate task of relocating sick patients, was running according to plan.

The official opening Tuesday of the two 12-story towers will mark the final step in the largest hospital project in Maryland history. The facility, in the works since the 1990s, will change the way Hopkins practices medicine, with innovations that officials said will improve patient care and allow for the latest surgical techniques.

more at: http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/b...,3752707.story

[MasonsInquiries]

great updates, louisiana rush!!

[MasonsInquiries]

Originally Posted by LouisianaRush

Awesome thanks man. I just do not know which neighborhoods are safe and which ones I should stay clear of. I will check out Canton, Charles V, and Brewers.

Brewers Hill is pretty safe. VERY peaceful...

Federal Hill is wonderful. Fells Point has its moments, but overall, is pretty nice also.

[MasonsInquiries]

new 414 light street concept......

Taking advantage of magnificent views of downtown Baltimore and the harbor, this mixed-use development comprises a twelve story, 370,000 gsf Class A office building and a 24-story, 400,000 gsf residential tower of 400 units atop a podium with street level retail and parking for 1240 cars servicing both residential and office tenants.

Designed for a corporate tenant, the office building features highly efficient floor plates of 33,000 square feet with floor-to-ceiling glass. Multiple double- and triple-height atria on each office level provide dramatic views across the harbor. These large, open spaces serve to unify the working environments of multilevel tenants. On the second level, a 70,000 gsf state-of-the-art trading floor is naturally lit by two generously sized skylights.

A setback at the top two levels of the office tower creates an outdoor terrace, affording a tranquil outdoor space to enjoy the excellent views of downtown and the harbor. A parasol of photovoltaic panels atop the building serves as a source of sustainable energy while giving visual character to the architectural composition.

A large enclosed courtyard serves as the main circulation space between office and residential towers.

Size: 1,200,000 gsf
Client: Confidential
Status: Concept Design

[MasonsInquiries]

Editorial: Super deal for Superblock

Posted: 5:06 pm Thu, May 10, 2012
By Daily Record Staff

Let’s see now — what kind of a deal will it take to break a 10-year logjam and finally build something on the Superblock site in Baltimore?

For starters, let’s give the developers another extension — eight months this time. The last extension was for six months, but time flies when you’re lining up a $150 million project.

After all, what’s another eight months after a decade?

Next, how about a super-rich payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) deal? Something like a 95 percent tax break for 15 years with lesser tax breaks for the next five years.

That may sound like a lot of money, but it’s really only $17.6 million according to the Baltimore Development Corp., or twice that much according to the Baltimore Brew, a local news blog. Choose your math.

Now anyone can tell this is not enough of an incentive, so let’s add some state enterprise tax credits for the 217,444-square foot retail portion of the project, which also includes a 296-unit apartment tower and a 650-space parking garage.

Without both the PILOT (which the BDC actually scaled back from the developer’s request) and other tax breaks, BDC President M.J. “Jay” Brodie says the project at West Lexington Street and Park Avenue can’t move forward.

So if you are Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, what do you get for your trouble when your administration proposes such a deal?

You get a scorching letter from developer David H. Hillman — to the mayor, the City Council and the media — expressing his “extreme dismay and shock” — that’s what you get.

Mr. Hillman’s company, Southern Management Corp., owns and manages nearly 2,600

apartments and 200,000 square feet of retail and office space in Baltimore. His letter says he has gotten some “relatively short-term,” run-of-the-mill tax breaks for his troubles, but nothing like this.

“The city needs to ‘bite the bullet’ and stop granting PILOTs for dubious projects. History has shown that most of them do not work economically and result in diminished tax revenue from other sources due to increased vacancies and more challenges down the road,” Mr. Hillman wrote in his letter.

“If a project needs that much, it’s going to be a failure,” he said in an interview with The Daily Record’s Melody Simmons. “Why? Because the project doesn’t work and they are scampering around. It’s a bad project.”

Mr. Hillman raises some good points. So far, he’s getting few answers. Only Mr. Brodie has responded publicly; the mayor and City Council have been largely silent.

The city taxpayers and Mr. Hillman deserve answers. Once again we ask: What is the city’s strategy and what are its priorities for using PILOTS? Is Baltimore mortgaging too much of the future on risky developments? And who, if anyone, is keeping score while the taxpayers’ tab mounts?[/QUOTE]

[MasonsInquiries]

social security administration metro west (wabash avenue) update....

[MasonsInquiries]

Baltimore plans $7M renovation to Harbor East walkways, roads[/B]
Baltimore Business Journal
The city is planning to upgrade walkways in Harbor East.

Jack Lambert
Researcher/Reporter- Baltimore Business Journal
Email Pedestrians may soon be able to step a little more lively near the Inner Harbor, as the city and state are planning a nearly $7 million renovation of sidewalks and roads in Harbor East.

An item on the May 23 city’s Board of Estimates agenda calls for the State Highway Administration and the city’s Department of Transportation to “reconstruct” a more than 1,000-foot pathway in Harbor East. The renovations will start at the intersection of President and Lancaster streets, continue west to East Falls Avenue and then east along Aliceanna Street until it intersects with Katyn Memorial Circle.

The Legg Mason Building, for example, is enclosed by that pathway.

The city has agreed to finance more than $4.7 million of the planned $6.7 million renovation, according to the Board of Estimates agenda. Federal funding through the Transportation Enhancement Program will also be used to finance the project.

The renovations will include upgrades to existing sidewalks, curbs and gutters, said Adrienne D. Barnes, a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Transportation. The improvements will be more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, she said.

The project also includes renovations to street lights, street paving and the reconstruction of two marina access platforms, she said.

Construction is set to begin this fall, Barnes said. There will “more than likely” be traffic closures, although the city has not yet determined how it will deal with the disruption of traffic, she said. The project should be completed by the fall of 2013, Barnes added.

There will be no new construction as part of the project, Barnes said. “The work is an improvement of existing structure and not new construction,” Barnes said in an email.[/QUOTE]

[MasonsInquiries]

MetroCentre @ Owings Mills

http://metrocentreom.com/

[MasonsInquiries]

Fort Avenue Bridge in Locust Point reopens
Baltimore Business Journal by Brittany Waters, Staff
Date: Friday, June 1, 2012, 2:27pm EDT

The Fort Avenue Bridge in Locust Point reopened for traffic Friday after 10 months of improvements that remain ongoing.

The bridge had been under rehabilitation since August 2011 to replace the decades-old structure. The city of Baltimore and CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) funded the $6 million project. Construction is ongoing and currently only one lane is open with traffic going both ways.

The opening of the bridge comes just before the start of Maryland’s Bicentennial celebration of the War of 1812 set to begin June 13. The bridge is just before Fort McHenry, a major destination for tourists traveling to Baltimore for the event. Events include trolley tours of war scenes and a tall ship parade.

[MasonsInquiries]

Developer prepares to rehab Baltimore homes for new teachers



Seawall Development Co. is working out the final details of an agreement with Baltimore to rehabilitate nine houses in the 2800 block of Remington Avenue.

The city awarded development rights to Seawall a few weeks ago after the company responded to a request for proposals. The city offered the houses for sale at $11,000 each.

The RFP response is part of a larger project in which Seawall plans to redevelop houses in the city’s Remington neighborhood and sell them to young professionals, particularly teachers.

The company is meeting with potential buyers and receiving feedback on what they would like to see in the houses, said Donald Manekin, a co-founder of Seawall.

“They are really thinking seriously about, if there’s a clean slate, what are the possibilities?” Manekin said.

Seawall in 2007 converted the 80,000-square-foot former H.F. Miller and Son Tin Box and Can manufacturing plant on North Howard Street into a mixed-use building that includes about 40 apartments.

Seawall has leased the apartments to teachers who are new to Baltimore. The housing redevelopment adds a home ownership component to the company’s effort to keep talented young people in the city, Manekin said.

“Those young professionals came to Baltimore without having been here,” Manekin said. “I think everybody’s vision was, if we roll out the red carpet and they get engaged with what they’re doing, they’ll want to make Baltimore their home.”

Judith Kunst, president of the Greater Remington Improvement Association, said Seawall’s work has excited the neighborhood.

“Remington has a real positive energy about it right now,” she said.
Seawall is awaiting a final deal with the city before it can start work on the houses included in the RFP, Manekin said.

In addition to the city-owned houses, Seawall has purchased six other houses for an average of about $41,000. Seawall’s plans to sell the houses for a below-market price of about $175,000 apiece.

The company does not yet know how many houses it will rehabilitate, Manekin said.

“We’re continuing to look within the neighborhood to get our arms around houses,” he said. “A lot of it is just making sure what we take on is something we can do and feel like we’ve done a really great job of.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore...re.html?page=2[/QUOTE]

[LouisianaRush]

Baltimore casino not expected to open until mid-2014
Caesars group supports a sixth casino license in state if table games are permitted
By Steve Kilar
The Baltimore Sun
June 26, 2012

The slots casino that a group led by Caesars Entertainment Corp. wants to build near M&T Bank Stadium will not be complete until the middle of 2014 at the earliest, the company's head said Monday, meaning the proposed facility's timeline would be extended by at least six months.

"We are anxiously awaiting the issuance of the license for the Baltimore facility," said Gary Loveman, the chairman, CEO and president of Caesars, during a meeting with The Baltimore Sun's editorial board.

Caesars would need about 18 months to build the two-story casino and get it up and running, the company said.

More at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business...0,427739.story

[LouisianaRush]

Giant cranes arrive in port, marking new era for cargo handling
Vessel with four 14-story cranes eases under two bridges, stopping traffic temporarily



By Candus Thomson
The Baltimore Sun
June 20, 2012

The future of the port of Baltimore eased through the morning haze Wednesday, limboed under the Bay Bridge with room to spare, ducked under the Key Bridge and arrived dockside at Seagirt Marine Terminal just in time for dinner.

Fourteen stories tall and already emblazoned with Maryland's colors, four cranes capable of handling the world's largest cargo ships looked almost ready to go to work.

"This is a big day for us. We're on schedule and under budget," said Mark Montgomery, president of Ports America Chesapeake as he watched the Zhen Hua 13 ease into Berth 4 at Seagirt. "It's a new era for the port, for Maryland and for Baltimore."

Ports America entered into a 50-year partnership with the state in 2010 and set about preparing Seagirt for the arrival of massive cargo ships that will use the widened Panama Canal beginning in early 2015.

More at: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business...,7553966.story

[summersm343]

I do not know if you guys saw this yet

A Philadelphia real estate firm is planning to convert a 92,500-square-foot building in downtown Baltimore to apartments.

PMC Property Group Inc. is under contract to buy the office building at 301 N. Charles St. The firm expects to close on the acquisition by mid-November, said Steven Bloom, an operating partner for PMC.

Bloom did not disclose what PMC plans to pay for the building, but he said the firm expects to convert it to 90 apartments at a total cost of about $15 million.

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore...ess+Journal%29

[MasonsInquiries]

MTA displays designs of Red Line stations in Baltimore
Baltimore Business Journal by Jack Lambert, Researcher/Reporter
Date: Friday, September 14, 2012, 2:24pm EDT - Last Modified: Friday,September 14, 2012, 2:26pm EDT


An artist's rendering of a proposed Red Line station at Light and Lombard streets in downtown Baltimore.



An artist's rendering of proposed Red Line station at Broadway Market in Fells Point.


The city’s Urban Design and Architecture Review panel praised the Maryland Transit Administration’s latest renderings of the proposed downtown Red Line stations Thursday. But the three-member panel also criticized some of the features, including proposed retail space, an elevator at one of the stations and the impact the stations might have on city development.

Officials with AECOM, a New York-based architectural consulting firm, showed off drawings of proposed stations for the Inner Harbor, Fells Point and along Howard Street near First Mariner Arena.

The $2.1 billion Red Line is a proposed 14.5-mile east-west mass transit project that would run underneath the city. Construction on the project is scheduled to begin in 2015, said Henry Kay, executive director of transit development and delivery with the MTA. The Red Line, proposed to run between Woodlawn and Canton, is not scheduled to be completed until 2021.

Some of the notable features of the stations include an above-ground glass entrance at the intersection of Light and Lombard streets for the Inner Harbor station. That station would also feature a 600-foot pedestrian tunnel that would connect it to the Charles Center metro station.

The glass features at each of the metro stations is one of the unifying themes of the proposed Red Line, said Osborne Anthony, chief architect for the Red Line.

“We’re building for the future,” Anthony said. “So it needs to be something that is contemporary and forward looking.”

UDARP’s three-member panel praised the design plans for their innovation and clarity. But the panel also expressed some concerns.

UDARP member Gary Bowden said the group may want to rethink the proposed above-ground elevator at the Howard Street station, considering the blighted condition of the same type of elevator at the Charles Center metro stop. The elevator’s all-glass material should help eliminate some of those problems, Anthony said.

Mark Cameron, another UDARP member, also wanted the group to present more specifics of a proposed small retail center at the Inner Harbor station. Cameron also said the group has to better account for development around the stations.

“We need to see a true site plan,” Cameron said.

The Transportation Authority said it will have UDARP review further Red Line plans before any final decision on the sites are reached. The government agency said it has completed about 20 percent of the total project plans.

[MasonsInquiries]

Originally Posted by summersm343

I do not know if you guys saw this yet





http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore...ess+Journal%29

I'm glad to see that this building will finally get put to good use. It's so beautiful....

[MasonsInquiries]

Potbelly headed to Midtown, in the old Danny's space

September 19, 2012|by Richard Gorelick | The Baltimore Sun


The Baltimore Business Journal is reporting that a Potbelly is headed to Midtown-Belvedere.

The location, at the northeast corner of Charles and Biddle streets, is the southern anchor of a ground-level retail strip that already includes a Starbucks, Chipotle and Tutti Frutti.

The address, 1201 N. Charles St., was the longtime home of Danny's, a fine dining restaurant that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s. The corner building has been remodeled and no remnants remain of Danny's, inside or out.

[MasonsInquiries]

Mount Vernon to add 200 apartments in coming months

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore...tments-in.html
Baltimore Business Journal by James Briggs, Reporter
Date: Friday, September 21, 2012, 6:00am EDT - Last Modified: Thursday, September 20, 2012, 3:50pm EDT

Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood is about to become a more attractive place to live — and to get a sandwich.

A flurry of recent and soon-to-close deals should add nearly 200 apartments to the Mount Vernon area in the coming months.

Philadelphia-based PMC Property Group Inc., which last year completed a 29-unit apartment complex at 1201 N. Charles St., is about to open 22 more units at 1304 St. Paul St.

The company in January purchased 1304 St. Paul, an office building constructed in 1900, from the University of Baltimore for $740,000. PMC expects to open the apartments in October.

[MasonsInquiries]

Affordable-housing requirement waived for Superblock
City housing department does not have $9.5 million needed to subsidize units as planned

By Steve Kilar, The Baltimore Sun
7:56 p.m. EDT, September 20, 2012

Baltimore's Department of Housing and Community Development has waived the affordable-housing requirement for the Lexington Square "Superblock" project, a development discussed Thursday at a meeting of the City Council's Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee.

The housing department does not have the $9.5 million needed to subsidize the construction of 59 affordable apartments in the mixed-use development slated for the intersection of Lexington and Howard streets, according to a memo from Baltimore Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano.

For the development to receive tax breaks from the city, the Superblock's developers needed to make 20 percent of any new housing units affordable for households with incomes between 30 percent and 120 percent of Baltimore's median income.

The city is required to offset any costs that those affordable units placed on the developer, which Graziano says is not possible.

The project's developer, Lexington Square Partners LLC, has volunteered to provide 12 affordable housing units, which will not be subsidized by the city. Ten of the units will be for households making 80 percent of the city's average income, and two will be for households bringing in 60 percent of that figure.

The taxation committee is expected to vote on the Superblock's tax break next month, after a profit-sharing agreement is established with the developer, said Councilman Carl Stokes, the committee's chair.

Kim Clark, acting head of the Baltimore Development Corp., declined to provide details about the profit-sharing agreement.

The Superblock's cost has been estimated at roughly $150 million. The developer plans to put $35 million of cash equity into the project, said Harold Dawson Jr., a representative of Lexington Square Partners.