Rehab/Renovation : Development News

The Housing Authority of Baltimore City's (HABC) has received $66 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. Included in the funds are $32.7 million awarded for capital improvements and an additional $33.4 million in grants under ARRA's highly competitive Capital Fund Recovery Competition (CFRC). The monies have been allocated use by public housing authorities across the country to redevelop distressed public housing and eliminate blight. HABC will use the stimulus funds to renovate some 240 dilapidated scattered sites and 30 conventional public housing units located around Baltimore.

"We are excited that the Obama Administration recognized Baltimore's need with these economic recovery dollars to renovate existing public housing stock," said Mayor Sheila Dixon. "Through these restoration efforts, we will be able to offer more affordable, quality housing to our residents in need."

The funds also will enable HABC to make a few environmentally friendly improvements energy consumption measures in these sites and in the public housing developments. The agency will be able to replace inefficient lighting with compact fluorescent lighting, replace existing flapper style toilets with low flow models and install flow limiting fixtures and devices in bathrooms and kitchens. The project also entails installing tenant metering to measure resident energy consumption as well as improving the local controls for heating within the individual units

Combined with investments for the Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD), the proposed renovations will serve to reinvigorate neighborhoods that have been neglected for many years and are anticipated to attract significant private interest. The ongoing investment is expected to create a vibrant mixed-income neighborhood that will provide households of all income levels, but particularly those of low and moderate income the chance to build wealth through improved employment, education and homeownership opportunities.

The scattered site units selected are long-term vacant units that will be fully renovated to meet both historical restoration guidelines, where applicable, and energy efficiency construction.

"Without the ARRA funds, these scattered site units, would remain dilapidated and unoccupied," Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano says. "The funds will greatly help HABC's endeavor to bring these units back into productive use, provide affordable housing to our residents, and reinvigorate distressed neighborhoods."

Source: Housing Authority of Baltimore City
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Baltimore architects, Michael Murphy and Matthew Compton, were the 2009 recipients of the American Institute of Architects Baltimore chapter's Grand Award. The two, with Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects, won the award for their $1 million renovation of the city-owned Roosevelt Park Pool House, beating out 73 other entrants for the chapter's top prize.

"This spirited renovation works well with the existing building to transform the heaviness of the fortress-like old structure into a pavilion sensibility that reflects the pool's edge light while it provides shaded respite from the water. It takes risk in what it does. In an innovative way, it is contextual through contrast. The project integrates the pool fencing regulation into the design of the new canopy. This renovation creates structural integrity and a welcoming generosity of spirit. The new structure nestles over and protects the existing building in a grandfatherly way. The spirit of this addition makes you want to enter and inhabit this place," says the AIA.

Source: American Institute of Architects
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Former Highlandtown Library Site at 3323 Eastern Avenue in East Baltimore, behalf of the City of Baltimore.

The site, at the southwest corner of the Eastern Avenue/Highland Avenue intersection, is located in the Highlandtown Main Street District and is part of the Highlandtown Urban Renewal Area in close proximity to Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Bayview Medical Center, I-95 & 895 and Patterson Park.

The neighborhood includes businesses and attractions including the new Southeast Enoch Pratt Free Library and The Creative Alliance at the Patterson Theater. Recent and current redevelopment projects in the area encompass the Baltimore Medical Systems, Inc. headquarters and parking garage, the Southeast Anchor Library and the Patterson Theatre's conversion into the Creative Alliance.

The building, which was constructed in 1920 with 7,224 enclosed square feet on three levels with a 3,450 square foot footprint, is zoned B-2-2.

The goals of the City in offering the Former Highlandtown Library Site include, but are not limited to the following: A) The redevelopment of the site in a manner that integrates the project into the surrounding neighborhood and business district B) A project that positively impacts the City, including: quality jobs, increased tax revenues, community stabilization, opportunities for minority business enterprises (MBE) and women business enterprises (WBE), and contributes to the City's long-term economic growth objectives and C) A high quality architectural and streetscape design that must conform to the conditions and stipulations outlined in the Design and Rehabilitation Standards found in the Highlandtown Urban Renewal Plan. The site is offered in "as-is" condition.

BDC will hold a pre-proposal conference on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at its offices (36 South Charles Street, Suite 1600). Notification of attendance is required.

To obtain further information regarding this offering, contact Nick Rudolph, BDC Business District Specialist, Baltimore Main Streets Program, at 410-837-9305.

Closing date for receipt of proposals is 12 noon on Monday, January 4, 2010, accompanied by a $300 non-refundable fee. The RFP can be downloaded from BDC's website at www.baltimoredevelopment.com.

Source: Baltimore Development Corporation
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Baltimore County has been awarded a $4 million grant from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Baltimore County Office of Community Conservation received the funding for the Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Program to create lead-safe, healthy, energy-efficient homes in Baltimore County.

"For decades, childhood lead poisoning has tragically impacted the lives of children and communities in Baltimore County. he Office of Community Conservation will use these funds to pursue its goal of ending childhood lead poisoning in the County. I'm pleased to announce that Baltimore County was the sole jurisdiction in the State of Maryland to receive this grant. I also want to thank Senator Barbara Mikulski for her support with this important funding," says Smith.

The Lead Hazard Reduction Program will provide lead inspections/risk assessment of 350 homesin targeted area communities in Baltimore County for lead-based paint and healthy homes hazards; perform lead hazard control (including window replacements) in 300 homes; conduct 150 outreach and education events to reach at least 16,500 citizens; and provide lead worker certification and Green and Healthy Homes training to 30 individuals. Effectively immediately, the demonstration program will run for three years.

"Lead poisoning from old paint is a parent's worst nightmare. It's practically invisible in your home, but its effects can be devastating. I'm so proud this grant will be used to create lead-safe, healthy homes in Baltimore County," Senator Mikulski says. "This funding will help protect kids from lead exposure and make a real difference for Baltimore County's families."

Baltimore County is partnering with other Baltimore County departments, including the Department of Health, the Department of Permits and Inspections and the Department of Social Services, as well as the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning.

"This strong network of partners will be invaluable in identifying older, lower income properties where children reside and pose the most danger to our community," says Baltimore County Chair Joseph Bartenfelder.

Source: Jim Smith, Baltimore County
Writer: Walaika Haskins

St. John Properties, Inc. has completed a comprehensive $3 million renovation and revitalization program of Lakeshore Plaza, a 161,000 square foot retail center located near the intersection of MD Route 100 and Magothy Beach Road in Pasadena, MD.

The center, which was constructed in the mid 1980s, is anchored by Safeway, Ace Hardware and Blockbuster Video and features a variety of national and locally-operated in-line and pad site merchants. A grand re-opening celebration will be held at the center on Saturday, October 24 from 11 am to 3 pm.

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) The Council of State Community and Economic Development Agencies (COSCDA) awarded the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) its Sterling Achievement Award for the state's comprehensive nine-year long efforts to revitalize the town of North Beach in Calvert County. The DHCD partnered with other state agencies including the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) on revitalization efforts in North Beach that were cited as a successful model of coordinated reinvestment strategies.

"Our efforts in the town of North Beach serve as great example of Maryland's commitment to long-term community revitalization based on Smart, Green, and Growing principles," says Gov. Martin O'Malley. "This award endorses our wise investment strategies, ensuring that North Beach and communities throughout our State will be economically strong and sustainable and remain attractive places to live and work for all Marylanders."

Originally platted in 1900, North Beach served as the home for local watermen who made their living by fishing the Chesapeake Bay. It soon became a well known resort town, serving as a summertime destination for part-time residents from Baltimore and Washington, DC. With the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 1955 and the end of legalized gambling in Maryland, North Beach's status as a resort destination soon faded, and, by the 1970s, the town was experiencing rapid disinvestment.

With the adoption of Smart Growth policies under former Gov. Parris N. Glendening, North Beach was identified as a "Designated Neighborhood," which is defined as a mixed-use area in need of social and/or physical revitalization. Projects located in Designated Neighborhoods receive priority for financial assistance through federal programs like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the HOME Investments Partnership Program (HOME) which are administered in rural areas by DHCD, as well as state programs managed by DHCD and additional state agencies. This status as a targeted area paved the way for coordinated reinvestment to revitalize the town of 1,800 residents.

Since 2000, DHCD has invested $2.5 million in North Beach, which has leveraged millions more in additional funding. Concentrated investment by DHCD, MDOT, DBED, and other state agencies has exceeded more than $20 million. This investment has transformed North Beach into an attractive, year-round community that is economically vibrant and provides a high quality of life for its residents.

"The revitalization of North Beach is a testament to the great work that can be done through partnerships between State agencies and local governments," said Skinner. "The coordinated efforts involved in this partnership provide a great model for Maryland and the entire nation for small town revitalization."

News updates also are available by following DHCD on Twitter (MdDHCD), Facebook (Md DHCD) and LinkedIn (MD Dept of Housing).

Source: Gov. Martin O'Malley
Writer: Walaika Haskins

When Mindy Alezra and her family fell in love with a vacant building on the corner of S. Ann and Gough Streets in upper Fells Point, the juxtaposition of the two names brought to their minds the tormented, ear-bereft Dutch painter. It was only after they'd settled on the name Van Gough Caf� for a first-floor coffee shop that they discovered locals pronounce Gough "guff" and not "go." Oh well. They dig the name and they're sticking with it.

Alezra, who purchased the imposing three-story brick building at 300 S. Ann St. with her husband Max and daughter and son-in-law Loni and Nick Diamond, says she's wanted her entire life to open a cafe.

"This building was calling to me saying, ok this is it, this is your opportunity," she says. "I want to know people, so I always wanted a little coffee shop where regular customers would come in, like in the bar Cheers. A place where they would know who we were and we would know who they were."

Alezra and her team capitalized on the exposed brick, hardwood floors and massive, hardwood bar to establish a relaxed atmosphere for the 900-square-foot caf�, which opens next month. There will be the requisite wi-fi, couches, tables and bar stools, and also plenty of artwork by local artists on display in keeping with the caf�'s name. The cafe will offer standard coffee shop fare, including specialty coffees, smoothies, paninis, sandwiches, salads, and bagels from Goldberg's New York Bagels on Reisterstown Road.

But the quartet's contribution to Fells Point development doesn't stop there. They have also renovated the top two floors into an 1,800 square-foot single-family home boasting six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a whopping 24 windows, and a brand new electrical wiring throughout. The home will be available to rent in a few weeks, Alezra says.

Fells Point has not only proven the ideal neighborhood for a coffee shop, says Alezra, but exceedingly helpful to business owners. Support from the community facilitated the permits process, she says, and a grant from Fells Point Main Street has enabled the new owners to redo the building's 1920 fa�ade.

"We love Fells Point," says Alezra, who with her husband came to Baltimore six years ago from Milwaukee. "It's quaint, it has so much character. It's just a unique and amazing place."

Writer: Lucy Ament
Source: Mindy Alezra, Van Gough Caf�

Like a lot of entrepreneurs, Crystal and Denis Ryan got the idea for their latest business came from a personal need.

"I had my first child 10 months ago, and as with many booming families in the neighborhood, my spare room just became my son's room," Crystal recalls. "But when family came to town for a visit, there was not a cozy place in the neighborhood to put them up."

So the Ryans have opened fully furnished guesthouse rentals at 1109 and 1111 S. Hanover Street. The Federal Hill residents dubbed the properties A Home In The Hill in honor of their neighborhood. The one-bedroom and two-bedroom rowhomes are fully furnished and equipped with cable and high-speed Internet access, a washer and dryer, private parking and more.

"They are perfect for traveling professionals and visiting relatives of locals looking for a cheaper alternative to the average hotel stay and for a 'home away from home' atmosphere," Crystal says.

The Ryans make a point if supporting the local economy. Before guests arrive, Crystal sets up each guesthouse with a basket of "wonderfully and naturally fragrant" soaps, shampoo, conditioner and lotion from Sobotanical and freshly ground coffee from Spoons Coffee Cafe and Coffee Roastery. Both shops are located less than a block away

"So far, a majority of my reservations have come from the Federal Hill Kids mothers network that I belong to," Crystal says. "It really is a great place for visiting families to be able stay, especially for those families with a newborn baby and one less spare room.  The guesthouses allow for them to have their own cozy space in the neighborhood rather than to have to stay in a chain hotel downtown. They have their own kitchen, laundry, living room and are just steps away from family."

Crystal has also had couples rent the guesthouses on a monthly basis while waiting for a new home to be built and doctors from various other states that are doing a monthly rotation at one of the area hospitals.

"I chose Federal Hill because I love the neighborhood," says Crystal, who has lived in Baltimore for the past decade with her Australian husband. "The local residents and shopowners have become our family, and they have all been extremely supportive of our venture and have been very helpful in promoting the business.  This neighborhood has everything you could possibly want, local markets, more than 30 restaurants and bars, quaint shops. The list goes on and on."

Writer: Lucy Ament
Source: Crystal Ryan, A Home In The Hill

Remember when all it took to curry favor with the teacher was a shiny apple? That's so not going to cut it anymore.

Seawall Development Corporation is raising the bar for sweet teacher treatment to dizzying heights with the development of not one, but two commercial-residential spaces designed specifically for the needs and comfort of Baltimore's educators.

The story begins with Millers Court, the Remington/Charles Village space at W. 26th and N. Howard Streets that Seawall opened for occupancy last month. The original home of the H.F. Miller Can Company, the 86,000-square-foot, turn-of-the-century building was divided by Seawall, along with Marks, Thomas Architects and Contractor Hamel Builders (both of Baltimore), into 30,000 square feet of commercial office space and 40 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. The hook? The office space was marketed specifically to non-profits working in education, and the apartments to teachers, who receive discounts on rent.

It gets better. Seawall has recently initiated the purchase of a second building, Union Mill, that will follow the same pro-educator commercial-residential template. Completed in 1872 and located at Union and Buena Vista Avenues in Hampden, Union Mill is Maryland's largest stone mill and has been occupied over the years by Life Like Products, LLC and Life Foam, LLC. Seawall will team with the same architect and contractor to convert the 86,000 square foot building into 54 apartments for teachers and 36,000 square feet of commercial office space for non-profits (in all sectors).

Evan Morville, a partner at Seawall, says he shares a strong desire to help educators with his colleagues, Thibault Manekin and Donald Manekin, who was CEO of the Baltimore School System in the early 2000s.

"Each year there are 750 new teachers hired by Baltimore City, and about 50% are new to Baltimore," Evan explains. "The idea behind Millers Court and Union Mill is to be able to roll out the red carpet for these new teachers because they don't know the ideal place to live, and knowing their minimal salary, we wanted to create a place where they could come and feel welcome."

According to Morville, Seawall developed a special market research group with the help of Millers Court tenant Teach for America to determine the specific needs of teachers, and as a result included such amenities as an in-house photocopy center, a fitness center, a lounge and a courtyard. With their discount, educators can rent a one-bedroom apartment at Millers Court for $700-800 a month, a two-bedroom for $1,250, and a three-bedroom for $1,500. Projected rents at Union Mill are $875 for one bedroom and $1,475 for two.

The set-up for commercial space is novel, Morville notes, in that it enables non-profits, who might normally be spread out across the city, to share bathrooms, conference rooms and kitchens in order to reduce their overhead. Non-profits spend about $18 per-square-foot.

"We feel education is the greatest economic tool Baltimore has," Morville says. "The only way Baltimore can truly complete its renaissance is by having a school system that supports its ongoing residential and commercial development." And vice versa.

Source: Evan Morville, Seawall Development Corp.
Writer: Lucy Ament

When the doors of the "temporary" East Baltimore Community School (EBCS) open for the first time on Aug. 31, students in the brand-new, brightly colored classrooms will learn about reading, arithmetic, and how to keep a promise.

That's because the school itself is a promise, one that East Baltimore Development Inc. made to the residents of its 80-acre site six years ago when it undertook the largest redevelopment project in Baltimore's history. At the time, some 70 percent of the homes in the EBDI site lay vacant and, without the requisite student- and tax-base, the local Elmer G. Henderson School was closed. Remarkably, EBDI promised those residents who remained in the area not only a new school, but a temporary one while the permanent school was being built.

That temporary pre-K through 8th grade school, EBCS, is now a reality. According to EBDI Communications Director Sheila Young, EBCS is a "contract" rather than a "charter" school, which allows EBDI to reserve 70 percent of its enrollment spots for kids from the immediate neighborhood as well as the children of former residents who have been relocated because of development activities (EBDI will also provide free transportation). The single-story, modular building, located at the corner of Wolf and East Chase Street between, is comprised of several trailers that have been brought in and bolted together.

"On the outside it's utilitarian, but we're doing things to make the area inside and around the school more welcoming and nurturing to the children," Young says.

The trailers came painted in colors chosen by Principal Cathleen Miles, and boast colorful murals, whiteboards, storage areas, wet sinks -- even little cubbies and "a tiny potty" for the kindergartners. Philadelphia-based, multinational food services giant ARAMARK sent 150 volunteers to create an outdoor classroom with a stage, benches, and podium, Young says.

The 19,300 square-foot, $1.6 million school, which EBDI undertook with partners such as Johns Hopkins University, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the City of Baltimore, will open this year to roughly 140 kindergartners, first-graders and fifth-graders. Two new grades will be incorporated each subsequent year with the addition of new trailers to accommodate them. The school will be operational for at least three or four years until the permanent school is completed, which Young says requires first the acquisition and demolition of homes in a four-block area bordered to the south by Ashland Avenue, the east by Patterson Park Drive the north by the Amtrak lines and the West by Chester Street. A design for the permanent school will be selected later this year.

Source: Sheila Young, EBDI
Writer: Lucy Ament

What's cooler than green? Green and customized.

East Baltimore Development Inc. (EBDI) has put a dozen "green" rehab homes on the market that will be designed in myriad ways by the new owner at the point of sale. The homes, located on E. Chase and McDonough Streets on EBDI's 80-acre development site, are effectively shells of existing homes that have been thoroughly stabilized (with "green" lumber, of course) and are a blank slate ready to be built to suit the homeowner's specifications within about three months.

Stroll through the model home at 1714 E. Chase Street and you'll feel like a kid in a candy shop when presented with the available amenities. Among the possible features are granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, skylights, recessed lighting, whirlpools, hardwood floors, and carpet.

Perhaps the most impressive feature of the homes is that the load-bearing walls are all external, so buyers can choose where to put interior walls. That means the homes can have as many or as few rooms as the owner would like. This design flexibility can also help buyers keep the price down, as simpler floor plans will be less expensive. The 12 homes are as small as 1,000 square feet and as large as 2,200 square feet, and can range in price from the high $100Ks to the mid $200Ks.

"It's difficult to use conventional standards to describe these homes," says Dennis Miller, EBDI vice president for real estate development. "From the outside you think these are wonderful, beautiful Federal-style homes from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but when you walk inside you find an urban dwelling unit that has amenities of any new house built today. It's a great blend of the old and the new."

The "green" components are also extensive. The homes -- which use formaldehyde-free building materials and VOC-free paints, sealants and adhesives -- incorporate windows, appliances, lighting fixtures and roofing materials that meet Energy-Star rated home standards. They also feature tankless water heaters, foam or cellulose insulation, and state-of-the-art caulking practices around windows, doors and penetrations. Buyers can upgrade to solar thermal water heating system and a solar electrical system.

"What we're offering is the opportunity to live in the city, closer to your place of employment and places of entertainment, and have a home that's cheaper to maintain with the amenities and qualities you're accustomed to enjoying in the suburbs and other areas," says Miller. Moreover, he says, EBDI's long-term plans to invest in the surrounding neighborhood are a virtual guarantee that the homes won't lose value.

More information on EBDI's green rehabs is available from sales manager Patrice Fulcott at (410) 234-0660 x 238

Source: Dennis Miller, EBDI
Writer: Lucy Ament

The Baltimore Development Corporation has received two proposals for the development of a site in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District that includes the former Parkway Theater, a city cinema gem with a storied if erratic history. The three properties, 1820 North Charles Street, 1 West North Avenue and 3 West North Avenue (the former Parkway Theatre), were offered for development by the city in May.

One proposal, submitted by Cormony Development and Seawall Development Corp., both of Baltimore, calls for a single phase, mixed-use project in which The Parkway Theatre would be renovated to become a multi-faceted theatre hosting a variety of entertainment. The other two properties would be incorporated into the project through a mix of demolition, renovation and new construction. The proposal lists Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. as general contractor and Ziger/Snead and Cho Benn Holback + Associates as architects.

The competing proposal suggests restoring the Parkway Theater to its original conditions and architecture and razing 1 West North Avenue to allow for a two-floor plus mezzanine, three-story glass structure matching the current roofline and housing the Station North Steak House restaurant. 1820 North Charles Street would be renovated and converted to student housing. This proposal was submitted by Alexandria, Va.-based TK Services, Incand lists Brown Craig Turner as architect and Branko Maximilian Bijelic as general contractor.

Designed by Oliver B. Wright, The Parkway Theatre was patterned in the Louis XIV style after the West End Theatre near Leicester Square in London and envisioned as a Vaudeville performance house with about 1100 seats. It was acquired and remodeled in 1926 by the Loews organization and later, in 1952, acquired and closed by the Morris Mechanic organization. It reopened in 1956 as the Five West Art Theatre and remained under that operation until the mid-1970s, when it again closed. It was reopened in the early 1990s in an attempt to make commercial office space in the rear orchestra level, but it closed and has remained vacant since 1998.

Source: Baltimore Development Corp.
Writer: Lucy Ament

A swath of 60 multi-family properties near East Baltimore's Patterson Park area are being rehabbed thanks to a $4.2 million gift from PNC Financial Services Group. The two- and three-story homes, which are about 90 percent complete, will eventually house Section 8 and low- to moderate-income families.

The properties will undergo minor renovations or major retrofitting depending on the condition of each property. CMS Skyline JV, a joint venture between Skyline Properties and CMS Companies has been contracted to perform the renovations. The $6 million project covers about 60,000 acres bordering the Patterson Park, Butchers Hill, and Inner Harbor areas. CMS Skyline JV predicts that the newly spruced up neighborhood will attract other investors, particularly because of the nearby Johns Hopkins East Baltimore development initiative that includes $4 billion in infrastructure development and a new hospital.

PNC Development Advisor Watchen Harris Bruce says PNC saw the project's potential "to revitalize the area and stabilize the neighborhood and quality of life for people."

Skyline Properties, which is comprised of development, construction and property management divisions, owns and manages 186 residential rental apartments and small commercial properties, primarily in East Baltimore. It became involved in the Patterson Park project about a year ago.

David Haas, a partner with CMS Skyline JV, says the area was ripe for rehabs because, given it's proximity to Johns Hopkins, "it should be one of the nicest neighborhoods and not one of the worst neighborhoods, The housing stock is really nice there and we think we can deliver very affordable high-quality rental units and hopefully some homeowner units when the market changes."

PNC was a natural partner for the project, he says, because "they believe in helping create better neighborhoods."

Source: Karen Burley, PNC Financial Services Group
Writer: Lucy Ament

The Baltimore Development Corp. (BDC) hopes to spur commercial interest in five contiguous properties in the city's Pigtown neighborhood left orphaned after the original developer had to abandon its plans for the properties early this year.

BDC is seeking proposals from qualified developers "for a high-quality, mixed-use development that enhances and anchors the Pigtown/Washington Village Business District and achieves a positive impact for the city," most notably through the creation of jobs, increased tax revenues, community stabilization and opportunities for business run by minorities and women. The agency is looking specifically for proposals to create restaurants and cafes, coffee shops, small scale grocery stores, bookstores, bakeries, family video stores, pharmacies, upscale convenience stores, florists, ice cream shops, hardware stores, art-related stores, camera shops, lodging facilities, yoga studios, and art galleries.

The five properties concerned are 925 Washington Boulevard (a former two-story tavern of approximately 1,656 square feet); 927 Washington Boulevard (an approximately 1,438 square foot, two-story residential structure); and 929, 931, and 937 Washington Boulevard (a site comprised of three adjoining lots totaling roughly 4,525 square feet and a three-level building shell). BDC says it will give priority to projects that "preserve the historic fabric of the community" and involve rehabbing to the greatest extent possible.

The properties were first offered by BDC in 2006, however the developer selected, Historic Pigtown Development LLC, told the agency in January that it could not afford to proceed.

The agency would not comment on the number or nature of the proposals it has received until Nov. 1, when it will issue a press release, says the BDC's Mica Fetz.

Source: Mica Fetz, Baltimore Development Corp.
Writer: Lucy Ament

Most folks who work from home worry only about having ample grommets and surge-protected power strips, so it's understandable if residential real estate developers forget that the work of self-employed artists is a little more, well, messy. Fortunately for the artists in Baltimore's Station North neighborhood, sisters Kim Rutherford and C.J. Finnical of Reisterstown-based East-West Properties haven't forgotten.

The sisters have rehabbed 11 of 13 row houses on the 1600 block of Latrobe Street (between Lanvale & Federal Streets, just east of Guilford) that they purchased specifically to market to working artists, whose needs they determined through a series of pre-renovation interviews. What Rutherford and Finnical produced were two-story, 850-square feet homes with open layouts, slop sinks, an abundances of electrical outlets, exposed pipes and brick, and unfinished sheet rock walls that artists could decorate as they chose. For a special artistic flourish, they painted the exteriors of the houses, each of which have one bedroom and one bath, in "wild" colors, including pinks, greens, reds and oranges.

Rutherford says the homes, nine of which are now occupied by tenants, can be rented, leased with an option to buy, or purchased for around $120,000. Half of the homes have a full basement and backyard parking, while the other half have a half-basement and a backyard patio in lieu of a parking space. Work on the remaining two homes will begin in the fall.

So far, the response from the community has been great.

"It's in a great location as far as the Maryland Institute College of Art is concerned," she says of the school on Mount Royal Avenue. "And kids ride their bikes and people walk around, and it's quite. Artists love it in that area, that's why we chose it."

The homes, which abut the Cork Factory, have already been occupied by MICA students, a MICA professor, and some artists who commute to D.C.

Source: Kim Rutherford, East-West Properties
Writer: Lucy Ament