Development : Development News

A local nonprofit hopes to bring Christmas in April for some area residents in need of home repairs.

On April 28, more than 800 volunteers will come together for Rebuilding Together Baltimore’s annual Rebuilding Day to provide no-cost repairs for more than 30 homes, says Bonnie Bessor, executive director of Rebuilding Together Baltimore.

The focus of this year’s efforts will be on the neighborhoods of Pigtown in Baltimore City and Colegate in Dundalk.

Between donated materials and volunteer labor, the total investment for the day’s repairs is between $300,000 and $600,000, Bessor says.

The organization and its volunteers take a customized, whole-house approach to repairing homes, and all repairs are made with the intention of making them warmer, safer, and drier, Bessor says.

Between 15 to 20 volunteers work in each house to make repairs that can range from rebuilding a front porch to adding new stairs in a basement. Prior to rebuilding day, an assessment is done to determine the nature of the repair work. Houses can get anywhere between 10 to 50 repairs, Bessor says.

While the organization works year-round doing similar repair work and community beautification projects, Rebuilding Day is the organization’s signature event. After selecting a target community through an application process, the group works with volunteers to do outreach into communities to identify people in need of repairs by speaking at community association meetings and going door-to-door with handouts, says Bessor.

In order for repair work to be done, individuals must meet minimum income qualifications, and own their own home. Additionally, they must either have children living with them, be over 60, or have a disability. Bessor says that individuals often meet all three requirements.

While the organization is in good shape for unskilled volunteers for Rebuilding Day, they are in need of skilled volunteers with plumbing, electrical, or carpentry skills, Bessor says.

“As a volunteer you get to see the immediate results of the work you’ve done, and you’re part of a larger movement to help homeowners stay in their homes, helping to preserve affordable homeownership,” Bessor says.

Many of the volunteers for Rebuilding Day come from the organizations corporate sponsors, some of which include Booz Allen Hamilton and Stanley Black & Decker.

Other community partners for Rebuilding Day include Paul’s Place in Pigtown and the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps based in Perry Point, Md.

For more information about volunteering with Rebuilding Together Baltimore contact AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinator, Sally Dorman, at [email protected].

Source: Bonnie Bessor, executive director of Rebuilding Together Baltimore
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

From children’s hair-braiding to a market stocked with locally grown produce, Hamilton-Lauraville is home to several new and soon-to-open businesses.

Last week, Kinkx Studio, a kid-focused braiding studio opened at 2926 E. Cold Spring Lane. The studio serves children aged three to 14. The studio relocated from Charles Village from an office building to attract more traffic, says owner and CEO, Angelique Redmond.

The studio recently offered a deal on Living Social and more than 100 deals have been purchased, Redmond says. The studio also provides free movies, music, games, and refreshments for its young clients.

Redmond invested about $10,000 in the move, and the business currently has three employees.

On May 1, Supportech MD Inc. will open at 4517 Harford Rd. The business provides computer support for small businesses and will also offer drop-off computer repair services. Previously located in Towson, the relocation gives the business more space for the price, says owner John Lemonds.

For those looking for fresh, local food options, the long-anticipated Green Onion Market will open this spring, likely in May, says Regina Lansinger, director of Hamilton Lauraville Main Street.

Last year owner Winston Blick compared the market to a cross between Atwater’s and Milk & Honey Market.

Sources:
Regina Lansinger, director of Hamilton Lauraville Main Street
Angelique Redmond, owner of Kinkx Studio
John Lemonds, owner of Supportech MD Inc.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Seafood restaurant chain Bonefish Grill is eyeing Anne Arundel County for two new locations.

The Anne Arundel County liquor board this month granted a liquor license to open at Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole, an outdoor mall anchored by Whole Foods, Target and Restoration Hardware.
 
The 199-seat restaurant will have outdoor dining for 28 and replaces the shuttered Real Seafood Co., says liquor board administrator Judy J. Hagner. The restaurant received a deluxe liquor license, which requires that the owner invest at least $800,000 to open the property.
 
The restaurant chain also applied for a liquor license at the Village of Waugh Chapel in Gambrills, but the attorney asked to postpone the meeting in order to secure all the necessary paperwork, Hagner says. The next hearing will be held June 12.
 
A PR rep for Bonefish Grill says the company isn’t ready to release any information about the new locations. Greenberg Gibbons Commercial Corp., the developer for both sites, could not be reached for comment.
 
Bonefish Grill is one of the restaurant concepts of Tampa, Fla.-based OSI Restaurant Partners LLC. That’s the same company that is behind Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Roy’s, Outback Steakhouse and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.
 
Maryland currently houses six Bonefish Grill locations in Glen Burnie, Bel Air, Owings Mills, Frederick, Brandywine and Gaithersburg. 

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Judy Hagner and Edward Aronson, Anne Arundel County liquor board 

It's out with the symphony crowd and in with the college kids for Midtown's Abacrombie Inn. 

Managers of the inn hope a new restaurant taking over the space formerly occupied by Abacrombie Fine Foods and serving Middle Eastern fare will appeal to a growing student population in the area.
 
Alladin Kabob opened this month in the Abacrombie Inn at 58 W. Biddle St. in Midtown, and managers hope that the new restaurant will be a hit with the student community at nearby University of Baltimore and Maryland Institute College of Art, says Todd Powell, managing director of the Abacrombie Inn.
 
The 2,400-square-foot restaurant serves Middle Eastern fare and also offer a hookah bar, Powell says.
 
Alladin Kabob has leased the space and made significant renovations to the former Abacrombie Fine Foods. With its proximity to Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the previous restaurant was a more upscale, fine dining experience often appealing to concert-goers, Powell says.
 
Powell is optimistic about future of the restaurant along with other businesses that have been redeveloped along nearby Charles Street.
 
The fate of the restaurant may be in the hands of college students who will soon be neighbors with the inn. 
 
This fall, the University of Baltimore will open a 323-bed residence hall at Maryland and Biddle Streets just next to the inn.
 

Source: Todd Powell, managing director of the Abacrombie Inn
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Construction on the new location of Teavolve and Milk & Honey Market will begin later this month in the John G. Rangos Sr. Building at The Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins for a planned August opening.
 
The 3,300-square-foot East Baltimore location will be a partnership between Milk & Honey and Teavolve in the building at 855 N. Wolfe St, says Teavolve Owner Mondel Powell.
 
Working with the owner of Milk & Honey Market, Ernst Valery, more than $750,000 has been invested in the new location, Powell says.
 
The yet named location will have a cafe that includes grab-and-go and prepared items, and a normal seating area in addition to a 900-square-foot mezzanine for evening events, Powell says.
 
Powell says the new location will give Teavolve an opportunity to do more events and catering and an opportunity to expand the brand. The location connected to Johns Hopkins provides the businesses with built-in clientele, Powell says.
 
Approximately 25 new employees will be hired for the new location, and Powell says that the management is working to hire individuals from the nearby community.
 
Teavolve plans to expand strategically and Powell says he gets contacted regularly about different developments inside and outside the city.
 
This location will be Milk & Honey Market’s third location. Their second location is slated to open in Station North this fall. The company’s other location is in Mount Vernon.
 
Just north of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Rangos Building is part of a more than 80-acre urban redevelopment project under the direction of the East Baltimore Development Inc. which will include housing, retail and office space, research labs, and more.
 
Source: Mondel Powell, owner of Teavolve
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Joe’s Crab Shack is on its way to building its fourth Maryland restaurant at Hunt Valley Towne Centre, according to the Baltimore County liquor board.
 
The board approved a liquor license transfer to the Houston-based restaurant chain, says Mike Mohler, chief administrator of the Baltimore County Board of Liquor License Commissioners. The building will go on a pad site opposite Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Mohler says.
 
“We’re very excited about having them in Baltimore County,” Mohler says. “We’re looking forward to it.”
 
The other Maryland crab shacks are in Greenbelt, Gaithersburg and Abingdon.
 
Officials at Greenberg Gibbons Commercial Corp. – Hunt Valley’s developer – and Joe’s Crab Shack said they did not yet have a formal announcement on the new site.
 
The crab restaurant typically employs around 250 to 300 at each location. In addition to crabs, the restaurant sells New Orleans-style and Caribbean-flavored seafood dishes, such as crawfish etouffee and coconut shrimp.
 
Anchored by a Wegmans Food Markets, Hunt Valley Towne Centre’s shops include White House/Black Market, the Greene Turtle and California Pizza Kitchen. 

Writer: Julekha Dash; [email protected]
Source: Mike Mohler, Baltimore County liquor board

Yorkridge Shopping Center in Timonium has signed up Towson How Bagels & Deli and Massage Envy as clients, making the center fully leased.
 
Kohl’s, Michaels and MOM’s Organic Market are the anchor tenants at the 180,000-square-foot shopping center. It will be Towson Hot Bagels & Deli’s third location in Greater Baltimore when it opens next month. Massage Envy, a national chain that offers several types of massages and facials., will open in the summer.
 
Mark Renbaum, CEO of developer Schwaber Holdings says there is currently has interest from a number of tenants, including national restaurants and clothing shops. The Pikesville real estate company has completed $1 million in renovations to the center in the last 18 months, Renbaum says. This includes the replacement of sidewalks and portions of the roof and landscaping.
 
The county has approved a parking variance that could enable the center to add 15,000 square feet of commercial space.  

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Mark Renbaum, Schwaber Holdings 

Baltimore County officials have approved preliminary plans for an office, shopping and residential complex in Owings Mills that aims to be a smaller version of Quarry Lake.
 
It’s one of several major developments in the works for Owings Mills. Others include David S. Brown Enterprises' Metro Centre, a $65 million makeover of the Owings Mills Mall and a Wegmans-anchored retail complex called Foundry Row.

Steven Koren, of Columbia’s Koren Development Co., is building Delight Quarry on approximately 120 acres in northwest Baltimore County, at the intersection of Franklin Boulevard and Nicodemus Road.
 
Delight Quarry's residential part calls for 75 single-family houses, 66 townhouses and 108-units of active adult condominiums. In addition, there will be 20,000-square feet of retail space and 136,500-square feet of office space.
 
Delight Quarry will follow the pattern of the Quarry Lake development, with buildings clustered around a quarry that is being allowed to fill in and become a lake.
 
Koren says he doesn’t yet know what the development will cost. He says he is not at the stage where he can give prices for the housing or potential tenants for the retail and office spaces. Those decisions will be made in conjunction with the residential and commercial builders, although neither has been chosen at this point. He also doesn't have a timeframe yet for construction. 

“We don’t do this [development] in a vacuum,” Koren says of housing prices and tenant leases. “It depends on market reception.”
 
Glenn Barnes, president of the Reisterstown Improvement Association and a manager of the Long and Foster Reisterstown real estate office, says questions were raised at a community meeting about the viability of the office and retail portions given the number of vacant commercial buildings on Reisterstown Road.
 
Koren says he is aware of the downturn in housing and other sectors. “Every decision is made in concert with the market and how we proceed in a productive manner. We have to work within the constraints of the market,” he says.
 
Baltimore County officials have approved the development plan and Koren is currently finalizing the engineering plans for construction. When he does, he will return to the county for approval of a final plan.


Sources: Steven Koren, Koren Development Co.; Glenn Barnes, president, Reisterstown Improvement Association, and manager, Long and Foster Reisterstown.
Writer: Barbara Pash

Just in time for baseball season, Pratt Street Ale House is ready to unveil its three-story expansion.
 
A new addition to Pratt Street Ale House will open this week leading into the Baltimore Oriole's season opener April 6. The ale house is located downtown, across the street from the convention center.
 
After three months of renovations, Pratt Street Ale House will open two new full-service bars adjoining their existing location. The 5,800-square-foot addition also allows the company to reserve space for private parties and events without sacrificing floor space for walk-up customers, says Co-owner Justin Dvorkin.
 
The renovations were timed to coincide with the opening of the Orioles season and are a key part of the company's future growth, Dvorkin says.
 
The new space will serve as an extension of Pratt Street Ale House and will offer the same menu. A banquet menu will be offered for private parties who book the location in advance, Dvorkin says.
 
Additionally, the ale house has been actively hiring and training 15 new employees for its opening.
 
Oliver Breweries, which brews beer onsite for Pratt Street Ale House, opened at the restaurant location in 1993 with the aim to create authentic English ales.
 
Earlier this year, Oliver Breweries was involved with a local brewing cooperative that plans to open a large-scale brewery in Waverly. The company is no longer involved with the project however, and plans to continue expanding brewing with their own onsite equipment, Dvorkin says.
 
Pratt Street Ale House is located at 206 W. Pratt St. 
 
Source: Justin Dvorkin, co-owner of Pratt Street Ale House
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 

David and Dad's, a breakfast and lunch cafe and carryout, plans to add a new downtown location in May.
 
Located at 100 E. Pratt St., the new 2,100-square-foot location, Cafe Express, will feature a similar concept to David & Dad's.  The cafe hopes to provide fast-food speed and prices, with restaurant quality food and service, says owner David Cangialosi.
 
The space will undergo a renovation upwards of $200,000 to be paid for by the landlord, Cangialosi says.
 
The location was previously occupied by an Italian deli that closed and the landlord needed the space filled as quickly as possible, Cangialosi says.
 
Cangialosi says hopes to keep his customer base and thinks the restaurant will be successful in the new location. He plans to have between six and eight people running the cafe.
 
The cafe offers a revolving menu of sandwiches, salads, paninis and other lunch specials.

The company currently has a main location at 334 N. Charles, a smaller express cafe at 1 N. Charles, and a coffee shop inside the Southeast Anchor Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
 
Cangialosi always wanted his own business. He bought his first cafe more than 18 years ago after working for Mrs. Field's Cookies. When Cangialosi decided to expand, his father invested in the business, and Cangialosi named the cafe in part to thank to his father. 

Source: David Cangialosi, owner of David and Dad's
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is considering applications from towns and cities in Maryland and neighboring states to spur economic development, energy efficiency and sustainable communities. The trust is awarding a total of $400,000 in environmental grants to the Free State and Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. 
 
The grants are for a program called Green Streets-Green Jobs-Green Towns. The program was introduced in 2011, a partnership of the trust, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Maryland.
 
This year’s funding more than doubles the amount available in 2011, when 10 cities and towns received grants from $25,000 to $35,000 each for their projects. A maximum of $100,000 may be awarded for a project.
 
Janna Davis, the trust’s acting executive director, expects to award eight to 12 grants in 2012, depending on the amount requested for the project. The winning projects will be based on EPA criteria.
 
Previous projects ranged from storm water improvement to local roadways, planting trees and creating rain gardens, using energy efficient sources for street lighting, instituting recycling measures and creating and training people in green jobs.
 
“We want people trained in green jobs so they can then become the experts” in that field, says Davis.
 
The grant program is open to local governments and nonprofit organizations in urban and suburban communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed area.
 
Source: Janna Davis, Chesapeake Bay Trust acting executive director
Writer: Barbara Pash
 
 
 
 
 

 Roane’s Earth Wellness  -- a one-stop shop for herbs, vitamins, supplements and yoga studio -- is coming to downtown Baltimore.

The official opening is Saturday May 5 at 333 North Charles Street, in the Women’s Industrial Exchange Building.
 
Owner NeAnna Roane McLean is a fourth generation herbalist, having learned the field from her father. When he retired, McLean says she “inherited” his clients. “People kept calling me at all hours about their migraines and other health concerns,” she says.
 
McLean advertises the shop as providing “wellness experiences.” In keeping with that mission, she will offer consultations on holistic nutrition.
 
All products in the shop are organic. Vitamins and supplements are vegan-certified. Cosmetics have no parabens or sulfates and have not been tested on animals. Candles, spices and household cleaners are also offered.
 
McLean is a certified yoga instructor who is chair of the yoga program for the Owings Mills Recreation and Parks Council. She specializes in restorative yoga, and expects to hire additional yoga instructors depending on the type of yoga they teach and class demand. Besides yoga, the shop may have somatic therapy-pain management and reflexology.
 
McLean is hiring people to work in the shop area. She declined to provide financial information.
 
Source: NeAnna Roane McLean, owner of Roane’s Earth Wellness
Writer: Barbara Pash

Baltimore wine lovers rejoice: Little Italy will soon have another wine bar. 
 
V-NO, a wine bar in Fells Point, plans to open a new location within the next three to four months with a similar concept but twice in the space, says owner Mark Bachman.
 
Located in the old Fallsway Spring building at 415 S. Central Ave, V-NO's new location, V-NO II, will push the company’s concept of providing sustainable wines even further. Currently 70 percent of the wines at the Fells Point location are sustainable. Bachman plains to expand the sustainable wine offerings by featuring wines on tap.
 
Nationally, a growing amount of quality vineyards are offering wines in small, reusable stainless steel containers as opposed to bottles.
 
The packaging solution is a win-win for vineyards, businesses purchasing the wine, and the environment, Bachman says. Less packaging lowers costs for all involved and also dramatically reduces the carbon footprint. Plus, the first glass is as good as the hundredth, Bachman says.
 
In terms of the ecosystem, it's the best way to drink wine, Bachman says. He hopes his customers in Baltimore will also buy into the idea.
 
"It just makes sense. I've got a six year-old son, I want to leave the world in a decent place for him," Bachman says.
 
Additionally, the wine bar will offer light food and a larger selection of wine. V-NO II will occupy 25 percent of the Fallsway Spring Building. The 1,500-square-foot store will be located on the Eastern Avenue side of the building. Bachman plans to employ six people in the new business.

The building's developer, Larry Silverstein, is responsible for several other redeveloped retail and restaurant buildings in East Baltimore. His Union Box Company is the developer for the Holland Tack Factory, home of Heavy Seas Ale House and Red Star Bar & Grill, among other projects.
 
At one point, it was reported that the developer wanted to turn the space into condos with retail and office space. Silverstein bought the building for $750,000 in 2007, according to state property records.  

Source: Mark Bachman, owner of V-NO II
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]


 

A mail-order food company specializing in high-end, gourmet foods like smoked salmon and caviar, expanded operations to a warehouse space in Owings Mills.
 
Chesapeake Fine Food Group, LLC leased 6,300 square-feet of warehouse and office space for their business of shipping perishable food products, says Kate Glenn, vice president of marketing for Chesapeake Fine Food Group.
 
The company previously subleased spaced in Essex. With their relocation, the company hopes they have found a home for the long term and plans to take more space in the area eventually, Glenn says.
 
The space only required minor modifications before they moved in this month, Glenn says.
 
Chesapeake Fine Food Group is the parent company of three mail-order catalogs: Mackenzie Limited, Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes & More, and Impromptu Gourmet. The space serves as a shipping center for foods from all three catalogs.
 
Glenn says the company works with more than 100 vendors across the country and uses another center in Wisconsin to fill the majority of orders. The most common items processed at the Baltimore location are its gift baskets, chocolate, and caviar. The company is highly seasonal and does 70 percent of its business between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
 
The company added two employees over the past year and plans to add another two by the year's end.
 
 
Source: Kate Glenn, vice president of marketing for Chesapeake Find Food Group, LLC. 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

A healthcare management company with extensive state and federal government contracts will open an office in Columbia next month.
 
Headquartered in Omaha, StrategicHealthSolutions LLC plans to expand its real estate footprint to include a 8,800-square-foot space in Columbia Corporate Park. The company will invest $125,000 in its expansion, CEO Peg Stessman says.
 
The company plans to grow from its six employees in Maryland to fill the office space that can accommodate as many as 50 workers, Stessman says.
 
The skill-set of area workers drew the company to the region, as many prospective employees are familiar with running government programs.
 
Compared to a location like Omaha, where government contracts are less common, Stessman says she will have a choice of "thousands" of potential employees compared with a "handful."
 
"Omaha isn't known as a government contract mecca," Stessman says.
 
The company's headquarters will remain in Omaha.
 
The company specializes in healthcare management, including education and training, medical review, monitoring and compliance and auditing, particularly with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
 
The small business has steadily expanded over the past six and currently has 101 employees.

Stessman says she plans to divide her time evenly between Columbia and Omaha. After working out of hotel rooms and coffee shops for several years, she says she can't wait for an office. 

Source: Peg Stessman, says president and CEO of StrategicHealthSolutions.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]