commercial real estate : Development News

The state agency that accredits university programs is moving from Annapolis to Baltimore in a move that it hopes will save money.

The Maryland Higher Education Commission’s relocation to the Nancy Grasmick Building Complex should result in cost savings since the building is state-owned, says Takirra Winfield, a spokeswoman for Gov. Martin O’Malley. The education commission will share space with the Maryland State Department of Education and can share administrative and other resources at the new facility.

The commission’s 50 employees occupy 20,000 square feet at 839 Bestgate Rd. The property rents for about $35 per square foot.

“We’re now near the Annapolis Mall and the lease there is relatively expensive,” Winfield says.

The move’s date is still undetermined.

The state this month will review a $2.4 million contract with the Christman Co. of Alexandria, Va., to renovate and design the space in the new building. Winfield acknowledged that there would be an upfront cost for relocating the agency but hopes that in the long run, the move will save it money.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Board of Public Works; Takirra Winfield, Gov. Martin O'Malley's office

Fans of Belvedere Square’s Grand Cru wine bar will soon get to sip their favorite chardonnay while biting into an Atwater’s sandwich — or gazing at local art.

Baltimore City’s liquor board recently approved the bar’s expansion to include the 6,400-square-foot Belvedere Square market. Within a week or two, patrons will be able to take wine and beer from the Grand Cru and drink it inside the market or while eating lunch at one of the outdoor tables.

Owner Nelson Carey has also received approval to allow patrons to bring alcohol to his new pop up art gallery and party room called Plywood. It's located at a few doors down from the wine bar. While Grand Cru has long featured local artists, Carey wanted a standalone space where he could showcase higher caliber photography, painting, and sculpture.

For now, the gallery is open only on Saturdays and by appointment. Carey says he hopes to book some holiday parties and other events at Plywood. He says he often has to turn away party requests for the Grand Cru because there isn’t enough space at the 1,600-square-foot bar to accommodate events in addition to his regular customers.

“With the gallery party space, we’ll be able to offer a cool, hip modern location,” Carey says.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Nelson Carey

A renovation and expansion are in the works for Belvedere Square market as existing stores expand and new ones join the mix next year.

Among the new tenants is Wurst, a shop selling German and Austrian-style hot dogs and sausages. Nelson Carey, owner of Belvedere Square’s Grand Cru wine bar, is spearheading the new venture to open by venture to open in March. Carey says he has scoured the nation to bring Belvedere Square patrons the best dogs from New York, Chicago, and other areas.

Why hot dogs? "Everyone loves hot dogs," Carey says.

Wurst is one of four new tenants coming to the market, says Bill Struever, managing director of Belvedere Square property manager Cross Street Partners. Struever declined to name the other three vendors as leases haven’t been signed.

In the coming months, several existing tenants will expand. They include sushi eatery Ikan, Atwater’s, and Neopol Savory Smokery. The market will close for a period next year to make way for the expansion and new tenants. The market hours will also be extended by an hour or two, closing at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. at night, Struever says. Cross Street plans to also extend the sidewalk to double the outdoor seating capacity.

Elsewhere at Belvedere Square, Sofi’s Crepes will open next month in the former Starbucks spot on York Road. The creperie is moving its shop from downtown Baltimore's Women's Industrial Exchange to the North Baltimore shopping center. Its flagship store next to the Charles Theater will remain open.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Nelson Carey, Grand Cru; Bill Struever, Cross Street Partners

After six years of construction, Johns Hopkins Hospital's massive $1 billion-plus expansion will be completed in November and open its doors in April.

Hiring has begun hiring for the nearly 700 workers, largely nurses and other clinicians, needed to staff the new hospital, says Ted Chambers, administrator for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

The 1.6 million-square-foot hospital will include two connected 12-story towers: one for cardiovascular and critical care and the other to house a children’s hospital.

The expanded hospital will include more lounge and support areas for families.

“It’s a huge change for us and gives us the ability to serve families in a way we’ve never done before,” Chambers says. “The buildings will be a lot quieter and restful.”

Funding for the twin towers comes primarily from New York Mayor and Johns Hopkins University alum Michael Bloomberg and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The new complex will include 560 patient beds—355 for adults and 205 for children.

Other features include:
• 224 adult acute care rooms;
• 96 adult intensive care rooms;
• 35 obstetrics rooms;
• 120 pediatric acute care rooms; and,
• 85 pediatric intensive care rooms.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Ted Chambers, Johns Hopkins Hospital

Johns Hopkins Hospital will spruce up and modernize its 122-year-old main building once it opens its massive new twin towers.

Completed in 1889, the hospital’s iconic, bright-red Queen-Anne-style building will undergo a three-year renovation that will begin in the summer, says Ted Chambers, administrator for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

The hospital’s $1 billion expansion, which includes separate wings for cardiovascular and pediatric care, will be completed in November and open in April. It has been under construction since 2006.

Chambers says the hospital does not yet have an estimate as to how much the renovation of the old hospital will cost. A good chunk of the building will be converted to office space for faculty and staff. The conversion will include the children’s center since the new hospital will include a new children's hospital.

The old hospital will also house training for nursing and other clinical staff.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Ted Chambers, Johns Hopkins Hospital

A former Under Armour executive has found a new mission by selling Texas-style brisket, pulled pork sandwiches, and ribs rubbed with old bay seasoning.

William Kraus, former senior vice president of marketing at Under Armour, and former Outback Steakhouse executive Steve Newton opened Mission BBQ this month at 7748 Ritchie Hwy. in Glen Burnie. The business partners traveled the country in search of the nation’s best barbecue before opening their 100-seat restaurant.

The restaurant does have a mission besides serving up smoked meats. The décor honors military men and women, firefighters, and police. The business also donates some of its revenue to wounded soldiers and the USO.

“It’s given us a purpose to say the least,” Kraus says of the restaurant. “There’s nothing more American than barbeque.”

The owners hope to open another barbeque restaurant in Howard County — where the owners live — and other areas of Maryland and around the country.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: William Kraus, Mission BBQ

A nanotechnology company is on the hunt for 10 new employees as it expands its manufacturing capacity.

Pixelligent LLC, which moved from College Park to Baltimore in the spring, is hiring business development and other executive-level staff, engineers, and technicians, CEO Craig Bandes says.

Pixelligent and its partner, Brewer Science Inc., received an $8.2 million award from National Institute of Standards and Technology last year, as well as other government grants and equity financing.

The company, which employs 15, occupies an 11,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the Holabird Business Park in Southeast Baltimore.

Bandes says the company moved to Baltimore because it has a great pool of qualified employees and is close to the airport and major highways.

“I think it’s going to help us build the company."


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Craig Bandes, Pixelligent

Special Olympics Maryland Inc. has moved to a new headquarters in Arbutus after outgrowing its space in Linthicum Heights.

The nonprofit, which organizes sporting events for kids with disabilities, needed more space for two additional staff and training for its 30-person staff, says Pat Fegan, president of Special Olympics Maryland.

The 11,000-square-foot space is accessible to Interstates 695 and 295, Fegan says. The new office is 2,000 square feet larger than its old space.

Completed between the earthquake and the hurricane, the move to 3701 Commerce Dr. was challenging, Fegan says.
“The challenge was to get everything done and into the new place before the hurricane hit,” she says. The nonprofit put shelving into the new office at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, shortly before the destructive storm hit Maryland.

Special Olympics signed a lease with Merritt Properties Inc. It serves 10,000 athletes throughout the state.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Pat Fegan, Special Olympics

A Bethesda real estate firm has snatched up a slew of retail buildings in East Baltimore, hoping that its proximity to Johns Hopkins Hospital and a new charter school will make the portfolio a good long-term investment.

Spectrum Properties LLC purchased 2213-2241 Monument St. for $4.55 million from Miller Real Estate Co. KLNB Retail Investment Sales brokered the sale.

Encompassing one city block, the portfolio consists of eight stores totaling 32,000 square feet. Tenants include Shoe City, Foot Locker, Rainbow clothing, Kost Less, and Murry’s Food.

A number of vacant and boarded up homes surround the area. But Spectrum Principal Alan Hammerschlag hopes that will change in time as families and hospital workers move to the area. Johns Hopkins Hospital is constructing two 12-story towers for cardiovascular and pediatric care that will be completed next year.

Johns Hopkins University School of Education took over the day-to-day operations of the East Baltimore Community School, located near the site. 

Spectrum’s other Baltimore properties include the Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club at Port Covington and Beltway Crossing Shopping Center in Glen Burnie.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Alan Hammerschlag, Spectrum

An Illinois restaurant company will be dishing out contemporary American cuisine in Harbor East next year.

Townhouse Kitchen and Wine Bar will open at the Eden apartment building at 777 S. Eden St. during the first quarter of 2012, says Margaret Meginniss, a principal at retail brokerage firm Sierra Mid-Atlantic. The area is home to a bevy of high-end condos and swanky restaurants and, soon, a Four Seasons hotel.

Based in Glenview, Ill., Restaurants-America Consulting Group Inc. operates Townhouse and six other restaurant concepts. The 8,000-square-foot Baltimore restaurant will be Restaurants-America’s fourth Townhouse. The others are located in Deerfield and Chicago, Ill., and Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Menu items at the Chicago restaurant include jerk red snapper ($16), halibut piccata ($22), and penne diablo ($13). Ahi tacos ($11), jalapeno bacon-wrapped shrimp ($12) and surf & turf sliders ($12) are listed under its small plates.

“It’s a contemporary concept that’s very sexy,” Meginniss says.

And it’s possible that the restaurant firm, which operates about 15 eateries to date, will open another in the Greater Baltimore area. Sierra represents Restaurants-America nationally.

Midtown, Bluepoint, Red Star Tavern, One North, the Grillroom, and Primebar are Restaurants-America’s other concepts.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Margaret Meginniss, Sierra

A senior care business is looking to launch a dozen franchises in Greater Baltimore.

Comfort Keepers, based in Dayton Ohio, is eyeing primarily Baltimore, Howard, and Anne Arundel Counties for the new startups, says Jim Brown, Comfort Keepers' vice president of franchise development.

The areas the company is targeting include Pikesville, Essex, Annapolis, Severn and Elkridge. It already has offices in Columbia and Towson.  It has 630 locations throughout the country.

Franchisees can expect to spend $85,000 to $100,000 in startup costs. Its business model is to get out into the community and start marketing and advertising its senior care services to get referrals for people who need at-home care, Brown says.

According to the U.S. Census, seniors make up 12 percent of the Maryland population and that number is expected to grow as the baby boomers age.

The company hopes to get the first three franchises up and running within six months. It will hold an open house at the Doubletree Annapolis hotel Sept. 17.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Jim Brown, Comfort Keepers

A new stars-and-stripes-themed restaurant has opened in Canton, featuring chicken wings, fried mac and cheese, and New York strip steak.

Alex van Breukelen and wife Jennifer opened the Americana earlier this summer at 900 Kenwood Ave., just off Canton Square. The spot once held Tiburzi's Italian Grill and Caf�.

With 13 years in the U.S. Marine Corps under his belt, van Breukelen says he naturally felt drawn to a d�cor that consists of American flags, military memorabilia, and a copy of the Constitution hanging on the walls. Van Breukelen says he saw an opportunity to open a "community-friendly" bar and restaurant that could stand out among club-like venues in the area.

The 2,000-square-foot restaurant seats 120, including the patio, and features eight flat-screen televisions. It's open for lunch and dinner.

Other menu items include fried green tomato, fennel and duck, spicy salmon jalapeno poppers, and maple mustard pork tenderloin.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Alex van Breukelen

Fans of Phillips Seafood can expect to hear musicians strumming a guitar or hitting the piano keys when its new location opens at Cordish Cos.' Power Plant development.

The 17,000-square-foot restaurant will replace the shuttered ESPNZone and marks a major move for the iconic Maryland restaurant that has anchored Harborplace for 31 years.

The Power Plant location will open late October, says Phillips' Senior Vice President John Knorr.

A crab deck open from April to October will feature live acoustic guitar while the lobby will feature a piano bar. Restaurant executives hope that live music will keep guests longer, Knorr says. Music played on the floating barge will also hopefully draw attention to the restaurant.

Shifting east on the Inner Harbor will put Phillips closer to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the area's top tourist attraction. Both Phillips and the aquarium get a lot of business from families.  

Phillips will hire up to 250 to staff the restaurant, with peak employment in the summer. The location will seat 500, with about 200 outdoors.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. will replace Phillips' Harborplace location, set to close at the end of September.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: John Knorr, Phillips

Larry Schwartz is hoping Arbutus will become the next Catonsville.

With restaurants like the Catonsville Gourmet, the Baltimore County town has earned a modest reputation as a dining destination for suburbanites. Schwartz is hoping his new 35-seat restaurant at 1332 Sulphur Spring Rd. in Arbutus will lead the way to a similar dining revolution in that town.

With most of his career spent in the catering industry, Schwartz was eager to use his cooking experience to finally open his own restaurant. Larry's 1332 serves lunch and dinner and provides catering.

The restaurant serves homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, yellowfin tuna, crab cakes, and crab hash. His soup selections include a corn-and-crab chowder and a watermelon soup with mint and feta cheese.

Schwartz has renovated the interior of the former corporate lunchbox business to include a lapis lazuli tile floor, bench seating in the bay windows, and black-framed mirrors. 

The location will hopefully draw folks working at nearby Saint Agnes Hospital and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Schwartz says.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Larry Schwartz, Larry's 1332

Three local businessman, including a physician, plan to open six create-your-own stir-fry restaurants, the first of which will open in the Can Company this fall.

The partners will invest $350,000 to $550,000 to open each BangBang Mongolian Grill location, says Dr. Shawn Dhillon, who practices internal medicine at Union Memorial Hospital. That makes for a total investment of $2.1 million to $3.3 million for the new businesses.

BangBang Mongolian Grill will replace the former Austin Grill, which closed nearly a year ago at The Can Company. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 140. Lunch will cost $10 and dinner around $15.

The second Mongolian grill will open at 15752 Annapolis Rd. in the fall. Dhillon expects the remaining four spots to open by the end of next summer. Dhillon and his partners, John Stautzenbach and Bob Bernotas, are scouting locations in Baltimore and Harford Counties, including Hunt Valley, Timonium, and Bel Air. The partners are eyeing strip malls anchored by a grocery store and open-air malls.

Dhillon says his professional focus on managing cardiovascular disease drew him to what he believes is a healthy dining option. Diners at BangBang Mongolian Grill get to choose how much beef, poultry, seafood, vegetables, or noodles are in their dish to suit their dietary needs. Dessert options will include a frozen yogurt bar.

Baltimore's BangBang Mongolian Grill is an affiliate of a restaurant in Iowa.
 

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Dr. Shawn Dillon, BangBang Mongolian Grill