Commercial Real Estate : Development News

The spotlight is on business along the Liberty Road corridor, thanks to the revitalized Liberty Road Business Association. 

New Executive Director Harold Reid says he is undertaking several new programs and initiatives for the 110-member group and for Liberty Road/Randallstown that will hopefully boost businesses.

The Liberty Road Business Association is working with the Liberty Road Community Council to implement an initiative by Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz  to enforce signage and building code regulations for businesses along Liberty Road. The association and the council are also partnering to relocate the long-time farmer's market to a more visible site in front of the Randallstown branch of the county library.

"It has had various degrees of highs and lows in terms of management," says Reid of his association. "I'm trying to get it moving in a more business-friendly direction."

The association covers an almost nine mile-long stretch along Liberty Road from the City/County line at Northern Parkway to Deer Park Road in Randallstown. It is part of Baltimore County's community revitalization efforts, and Reid attends the county's monthly meetings for communities that fall under that designation.

"The association needed revitalization. It was dormant before Reid. He's brought a new vitality, a spark for businesses to work together," says Shirley Supik, executive director of the Liberty Road Community Council, an umbrella organization of businesses and 15 community groups in the area.

For its members, the association is hosting its first-ever job fair, called Employment Meet, on Thursday, June 14, to be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Community College of Baltimore County- Liberty Center in  Randallstown. (Registration required by June 7.) Participants will have the opportunity to meet with and discuss job openings at several local companies in a variety of fields, including banking, health care, food service and IT.
  
Source: Harold Reid, Liberty Road Business Association; Shirley Supik, Liberty Road Community Council
Writer: Barbara Pash

Workers in Hunt Valley will soon have another place to grab some grub.
 
Nalley Fresh, a fast-casual restaurant that serves salads, wraps, rice bowls, and burritos at its downtown location, plans to expand to Hunt Valley and additional locations in the area, says owner Greg Nalley.
 
The 3,000-sqaure-foot, 60-seat restaurant will open Sept. 1 in the Schilling Green II complex currently under construction at 225 Schilling Circle near the Hunt Valley Towne Centre. Nalley will employ at least nine employees at the new location.
 
Nalley says he believes that Hunt Valley is becoming a hot commodity for businesses planning to open and relocate and he hopes to serve the growing community of workers in the area.
 
The restaurant's first location on the ground floor of the Sun Trust building on East Baltimore Street downtown opened last March. The response to the location has been overwhelming, Nalley says.
 
In addition to the Hunt Valley expansion, Nalley says there is room to expand his business and he is currently considering several sites for additional locations.
 
Prior to starting Nalley Fresh, Nalley worked as the Executive Chef for the Maryland Jockey Club for close to 10 years. In 2002, he opened Harvest Table in Locust Point. He sold the business and later opened Nalley Fresh.
 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
Source: Greg Nalley, owner of Nalley Fresh

Once a grocery store, The Food Market's rebirth as a restaurant will happen just after Memorial Day.
 
After months of construction and a complete gutting and renovation, The Food Market plans to debut chef Chad Gauss' concept of chef-inspired comfort food in approximately two weeks in its new industrial-modern space, says General Manager and Co-owner, Elan Kotz.
 
Kotz describes the menu as known and approachable food, but executed from a chef's perspective. Dishes that Gauss prepared at other locations include Kobe beef meatloaf, linguine with crab meatballs, duck-fat fried cashews with fried catfish served on micro greens, and Heath bar crunch bread pudding. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant on the Avenue will seat 90 people, and will include a 14-seat bar. The restaurant plans to offer free valet parking and a dinner menu available until 1:00 a.m. The restaurant will employ approximately 45.
 
Prior to being a restaurant, The Hampden Food Market was a grocery store that also sold beer and lottery tickets.
 
Kotz and Gauss signed a lease to take over the space in June.
 
Kotz and co-owner Gauss were drawn to Hampden's originality and personality in a place that Kotz says is as much of a neighborhood as it is a destination for visitors. The boutiques, restaurants, and lack of big-box retailers gives Hampden a down-home feel, Kotz says.
 
Baltimore Magazine recognized Gauss, formerly executive chef at City Cafe, as the Best New Chef of 2010.
 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
Source: Elan Kotz, general manager and co-owner
 

A local development company plans to demolish existing warehouse space and build a new approximately $15 million, 57-unit apartment complex in Canton.
 
Plans for the four-story apartment with a sub-level parking garage at 1202 and 1220 S. East Ave. will go before the city's zoning appeals board June 26 for approval.
 
Ellicott City's Canton East LLC, based anticipates the start of demolition of the existing vacant buildings before the end of June and for construction to begin before the end of September. The apartment complex would then open March 2014, says manager of Canton East LLC, Ross Taylor.
 
The 56,000-square-foot building would include studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments for rent. Square-footage on each apartment runs from 600 square-feet to 1,200 square-feet. Taylor says apartment prices have  yet to be determined, but the rents will be competitively priced with other rental buildings in the area.

Taylor says that rents for the apartments will be comparable to complexes like The Eden and Spinnaker Bay Apartments. The average price for a studio at these locations is $1,730 per month, the average price for a one-bedroom is $2,100 per month, and two-bedroom apartments average $2,800 per month. 

Taylor grew up in Baltimore and has lived in the Canton area for the past five years.  While on walks with his dog, he kept seeing the industrial buildings in the heart of a residential community and decided they were out of place and that he would redevelop the location. 
 
The units will wrap around a central courtyard that will include patio space with a grill, outdoor seating, and a dog run. Other amenities include a fitness and business center that will have a conference room, computer kiosk, coffee bar and kitchenette.
 
Taylor hopes to take advantage of the continued development in Canton including the upcoming Canton Crossing and the already popular Canton Square. He hopes to attract people who want to live in the area including employees at Johns Hopkins and those who work downtown.
 
This project will be Canton East LLC's first large project in Baltimore as the company works primarily out of Howard County. Taylor describes Canton East LLC as a family real estate company that develops commercial and residential properties.
 
 
Source: Ross Taylor, manager, Canton East LLC
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Baltimore’s Intercontinental Harbor Court Hotel will be changing flags to Royal Sonesta later this month.
 
Starting May 31, the hotel at 550 Light St. will be known as the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore, according to hotel owner Hospitality Properties Trust.
 
The Newton, Mass., real estate investment trust has identified 40 hotels in its portfolio that it wants to either sell or rebrand under the Royal Sonesta flag, says Ken Bonang, the company’s vice president of investor relations. He couldn’t say whether some of those hotels will include other properties in Maryland.

Boston's Sonesta International Hotels Corp. is taking over management of the downtown Baltimore property. Hospitality Properties Trust has no plans to sell the 196-room hotel, which Bonang says will remain an upscale property. 
 
Hospitality Properties Trust bought the Harbor Court Hotel in 2006 for $78 million and gave it a $4 million facelift. It was Baltimore’s only five-star property until the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore opened last year. 

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Ken Bonang, Hospitality Properties Trust 

Downtown Annapolis will soon have a new sweet spot.
 
JoJo's Cupcake & Cream expects to open May 25 on Main Street in Annapolis. The shop, which serves gourmet cupcakes and ice cream will be the company's fourth location in less than a year, owner Chris Wright says.
 
Wright invested more than $100,000 to get the 1,950-square-foot Annapolis location up and running.

After opening a shop last June in Easton, the company expanded to locations in Queenstown and St. Michaels. With its new location in Annapolis, the company will employ a total of 40 to 50 people including three bakers across its four locations. 
 
In the long term, Wright is interested in expanding closer to Baltimore and possibly franchising the venture. 
 
The Annapolis location has a party room that can be closed off for private events. Wright hopes to use the space for everything from showers to corporate team events.
 
Wright started the business with his wife in Easton where the couple lives with their young daughters. Wright's wife, a lawyer by training, creates the cupcake recipes and loves baking.
 
"I was trying to find something that would be really family friendly and fun for the girls, a place where they could grow up and learn a good work ethic," Wright says. "A lot has been done with them in mind."
 
The shop features 12 to 16 different cupcakes each day in their shops, the business has 68 different cupcakes that they rotate regularly. Some cupcake flavors include white chocolate raspberry, mint chocolate chip, butterscotch, banana pudding, and caramel apple.
 
The shop's ice cream comes from a local dairy, Kilby Cream, in Rising Sun.
 

 
Source: Chris Wright, owner
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 

The Baltimore Teachers Union is getting a makeover.
 
The union submitted an application to the city's zoning board to renovate 10,000-square-feet of existing office space along with construction of a 20,000-square-foot addition at the union's headquarters on Metro Drive in northwest Baltimore.
 
While the union is still in the planning stages of the process, Baltimore Teachers Union President Marietta English says that the union plans to create a professional development center for its members at the location.
 
The teachers' union current professional development center is housed in a school that provides limited access for the union, English says.
 
In addition to providing staff development in the space, the union plans to partner with universities to provide both undergraduate and graduate level college courses.
 
The office is trying to centralize all projects in one space, English says.
 
While the budget for the project wasn't disclosed, English says the BTU has a capital campaign committee that is exploring how to fund the project. 

Source: Marietta English, Baltimore Teachers Union president
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 
 
 

A new Hampden shop selling vintage clothing and threads from smaller designers hopes to appeal to both men and women in their search for that perfect T-shirt or unique accessory.
 
Hunting Ground opened last month in a 170-year-old church on Falls Road near the Avenue in Hampden.
 
Co-owners Jessica Soulen and Jenna Hattenburg have years of experience working in retail and decided to open a store where both men and women can shop together. They were looking to fill a void in Baltimore.
 
"Guys especially have a hard time finding stuff in Baltimore," Soulen says.
 
The 1,100-square-foot Hunting Ground aspires to create a casual atmosphere where shoppers can find interesting items, and neat accessories. Additionally, the shop buys clothing from people looking to sell items. The store's owners sell items that fit into a modern wardrobe versus having costume pieces, Soulen says.
 
The shop wanted to work with small designers to acquire its new clothing. The shop carries no big labels or anything you could find at the mall, Soulen says.
 
Soulen says that she and Hattenburg wanted to open a shop in Hampden to be close to a major shopping destination for Baltimore locals, but they didn't want a narrow space on the Avenue for their shop. Instead, they waited for a spot with more space and ended up with what Soulen describes as a very unique, warm, and inviting location with big windows and lots of light.
 
After acquiring the property, Soulen and Hattenburg worked on building out the space starting in November.
 
"We did everything ourselves from building racks to painting. Everything is custom-made," Soulen says.
 
The new project for the owners is to establish their e-commerce site to extend their sales to an international market.
 
 
Source: Jessica Soulen, co-owner of Hunting Ground
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

 Federal Hill's Blue Agave will have a different feel when it reopens later this week.
 
New owners took over the Mexican restaurant last month and are wrapping up renovations to the 2,500-square-foot space. The two-week renovations began last week and during that time the restaurant has been closed, General Manager Adam Pashkevich says.

As part of the changes, the restaurant plans to open up the space by tearing down some walls, and making the exterior more inviting for customers. The restaurant will get new floors, a complete bathroom renovation, and a new bar surface, Pashkevich says.

While the changes won’t expand the space, Pashkevich says he believes more open space will create a better experience for guests. There will also be more server stations for faster food delivery.

Some changes will happen on the menu, such as adding fajitas, taking away less popular items, and some lower prices on food items, but the restaurant will stay true to its original concept of authentic Mexican food. The restaurant will also be open daily instead of Tuesday through Sunday. To accommodate the changes, some new staff will be added to the restaurant’s current staff of 20.

The new management previously worked at Macky’s in Ocean City, and each member of the team brings over 10 years of restaurant experience, Pashkevich says.
 
Source: Adam Pashkevich, general manager
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 
 

The owners of a proposed BonChon Chicken in Ellicott City will go before the Howard County Liquor Board this week.
 
The 2,000 square-foot location at 3419 Plum Tree Drive is just off Route 40 and near near Serafino’s Italian Market and across from the Village Green Shopping Center.
 
The company specializes in Korean fried chicken, and currently has locations in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Virginia as well as locations abroad including Korea.
 
The hearing will be another step towards the restaurant's planed opening, which will mark the company's first location in Maryland.
 
Min Bros. Inc, applied for the license, and the hearing is planned for May 8 at 6:30 p.m., according to the liquor board.
 
A previous hearing was held for the proposed restaurant in March, but the liquor board asked for the company's attorney, Linda Carter, to make corrections to provide more information for the board, says liquor board administrator, Denise King.
 
The application has since been amended, King says.
 
Min Bros. Inc. hasn't yet signed a franchise contract with BonChon Chicken, says a franchise consultant at the company's New York Office, but they are in negotiations and plan to open the restaurant "soon."
 
Source:Denise King, Howard County Board Liquor Board administrator
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Opa! Baltimore's tony Harbor East neighborhood is getting another new restaurant this summer. 

Greek restaurant Ouzo Bay is opening at 1006 Lancaster St., the same building that houses Charleston. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant seat 140 inside and 70 outside, according to a liquor license application Alexander Smith filed in Baltimore City.

The owners will invest at least $500,000 to open the Ouzo Bay, according to the liquor license application. The restaurant will serve modern Greek specialties, with an emphasis on fresh seafood.

Harbor East is home to Cinghiale, Arhaus Furniture, White House|Black Market and the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore. The area is getting a slew of new retailers this summer, including Anthropologie, J. Crew, Lululemon and MAC Cosmetics. The area and surrounding neighborhood of Fells Point have attracted a number of new eateries within the last year, including Waterfront Kitchen, Wit and Wisdom Tavern, the Inn at the Black Olive and Bond Street Social.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Baltimore City liquor board

One of Hamilton's best known restaurants is expanding to East Baltimore.
 
Clementine, the Hamilton restaurant focused on farm-to-table foods and meals will open a new location, Clementine at Creative Alliance May 17, says Clementine owner and chef Winston Blick.
 
The 49-seat bistro will be a slightly more upscale and 'downtown' version of Clementine in Hamilton, which does rustic comfort food, Blick says.
 
The restaurant will be a partnership between The Creative Alliance and Clementine, with Clementine managing the restaurant. The Creative Alliance built out the restaurant and recruited Clementine to fill the space, Blick says.
 
More than four years ago, both parties were interested in a partnership, but Blick thought the space was too small and Blick ended up opening Clementine in a space in Hamilton. Ironically, the restaurant is the same size as the original Clementine prior to its renovations two years ago, Blick says.
 
"The great thing about this is that we have the chance to do it again," Blick says.
 
As for the cooking duties, the current sous chef at Clementine, Jeremy Price, will take over as chef at the new location. Jill Snyder, formerly of Woodberry Kitchen and Top Chef season five contestant, will become the executive chef at Hamilton's Clementine, Blick says.
 
Blick says he's slightly removed himself from daily cooking to work on menus and bringing in fresh, local produce and meats for his restaurants from area farms.
 
Some of the farms that partner with Clementine include Prigel Family Creamery, The Zahradka Farm, and the Hamilton Crop Circle.
 
Blick's other venture, a market called Green Onion, will open this week or early next week up the street from Clementine in Hamilton. The market will carry local dairy products and meats, dry goods, and other locally made products like laundry detergents, jams, and jellies. The market will also bring in chefs such as Snyder to offer classes and workshops.

Blick told Bmore Media that the shop is a cross between Atwater's and Milk and Honey Market. 
 
Sources: Winston Blick, owner of Clementine
 
Andre Mazelin, theatre and rental manager at the Creative Alliance.
 
 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Matt Lallo didn't plan on opening up a restaurant when he moved down to Baltimore from Philadelphia two years ago with his wife to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
 
But retired life didn't quite suit him.
 
"I don't golf," Lallo says.
 
After owning three restaurants in the Philadelphia area over his career, Lallo needed a project.
 
Lallo's fourth restaurant, the Blue Sage Cafe and Wine Bar, is expected to open June 1, pending the permitting process, at 1604 Kelly Ave. That's the former location of The Falls in Mt. Washington.
 
Lallo says his family used to have brunch at the Falls when they visited Baltimore and when the restaurant closed, he decided to look into leasing the space. He describes Mt. Washington as a very family-oriented area.
 
The cafe will feature a "pan-global" menu with craft beers, offering light breakfast with good coffee, in addition to a lunch and dinner, Lallo says.

He hopes to provide a neighborhood-based cafe that creates extraordinary food.
 
The 2,400-square-foot space reminds Lallo, he says, of a corner restaurant in Manhattan.
 
While the restaurant was pretty much move-in ready, Lallo says they rearranged it to give it a clean look. The restaurant also plans to hire at least 12 employees when they open.
 
In Philadelphia, Lallo operated the Purple Sage Cafe. He also served as the director of operations for Culinary Concepts Inc., a catering company. 
 
Source: Matt Lallo, owner of the Blue Sage Cafe and Wine Bar
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Shoppers at Columbia’s new Wegmans Food Markets won’t have to go far to find that perfect wine for their meal.  A new 9,800-square-foot liquor store will open on the second floor of the Wegmans building, the store’s owner says.

Upstairs Wine, Liquor & Beer hopes to cater to shoppers at the new grocery store by offering a “Wegmans-type” shopping experience for customers with a huge variety of wines, beers, and spirits from all over the world, Owner Mike Smith says.

The store’s emphasis, Smith says, will be on wine and craft beers, including some from Maryland.

“This store will definitely not be a typical strip center package store,” Smith says.

For Smith, the location near Wegmans is ideal as he hopes Wegmans' customers will look to his store for liquor to accompany food purchases.

If Smith’s liquor license application receives approval from the Howard County Liquor Board May 1, he plans to open Upstairs Wine, Liquor & Beer within six to eight weeks. Construction is still underway and most of the store’s 20 to 25 employees still need to be hired and trained.

Wegmans will open June 17 off Snowden River Parkway and McGaw Road in Columbia.

A lawyer and 20-year resident of Ellicott City, Smith says he has made his own wines and brewed his own beer for over 20 years.

“You might say that I’m trying to branch out professionally into another area that very much interests me,” Smith says.

The shop also plans to offer tasting and other educational events to inform customers about wine and beer to enhance their meals, Smith says.


Source: Mike Smith, owner of Upstairs Wine, Liquor & Beer
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 

Shoppers in the Inner Harbor will soon be able to satisfy their sweet tooth with treats like old school candy and chocolate shaped like crabs.
 
The Best of Luck Candy & Gifts, a specialty nostalgia candy and gift shop, will relocate May 1 from Harbor East to a larger location at 601 E. Pratt St. in the Power Plant entertainment complex, says owner Alexis "Lucky" Thompson.
 
In the new, approximately 900-square-foot location, the business will have double the space and plans to add a coffee bar in addition to new candies, gifts, custom gift baskets, and additional room for events such as birthday parties. Thompson also plans to offer more Baltimore-themed candy and gifts.
 
Thompson expects the new location will receive great visibility from both foot and car traffic.
 
Raised in Baltimore, Thompson says she always dreamed of owning a candy shop. She recently moved back to Baltimore with her husband after working in marketing in New York. The store opened at its previous location on 612 S. Exeter St. last October.
 
The store underwent a month of remodeling as part of a relaunching of the store's brand.
 
While the company has no plans for further expansion in the near future, they do plan to do more events such as bachelorette parties and showers. The company also recently added four new employees for the new shop, Thompson says.
 
Source: Alexis "Lucky" Thompson, owner of The Best of Luck Candy & Gifts
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]