commercial real estate : Development News

The owner of an Italian restaurant in Halethorpe has doubled the number of seats and added a seafood eatery next door.

Gianni's Italian Bistro, at 3720 Washington Blvd., now has a sister restaurant called the Angry Mallet. Patrons can order linguine in the seafood restaurant and fried oysters in the Italian restaurant.

The restaurants seat 180 combined, says Owner Greg Orendorff, former owner of Luigi Petti in Little Italy.

Orendorff spent about $300,000 on the expansion. The Angry Mallet serves steamed and friend crabs, shrimp, scallops, oysters, lobster and grilled fish.

Now five years old, Gianni's serves homemade pasta, chicken and veal specialties, and pizza.

Orendorff took over a former Sprint store and Mexican restaurant after his landlord approached him about expanding.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Greg Orendorff, Gianni's, the Angry Mallet

Carroll Hospital Center has taken over the operations of a neighboring cancer care unit and plans to build a new cancer hospital in two years.

The Westminster hospital has renamed the Carroll Cancer Center the Carroll Regional Cancer Center, which it took over from national health care network US Oncology. It has added hematologist/oncologist Dr. Johanna DiMento to the cancer center's 75-person staff, says Carroll Cancer Center Chief Operating Officer Leslie Simmons.

Health care executives wanted to provided care under one roof and offer a broader range of services, Simmons says.

Hospital executives are getting ready to launch a fundraising campaign so it can begin construction on an entirely new cancer care building in 2013. Simmons says she did not yet have a cost estimate for the project.

The hospital's goal is to construct a building on its campus.

"The current center is at capacity," Simmons says. "There's interest in expanding it and organizing care."


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Leslie Simmons, Carroll Hospital Center

Federal Hill has gotten a fresh jolt of sugar and java.

Afters Caf� opened this month at 1001 S. Charles St., serving up frozen yogurt, espresso, and pastries from Patisserie Poupon. Peter Hahn and his brother Andrew Hahn wanted to open a family-friendly place in the South Baltimore neighborhood.

"Me and my brother wanted to open a place where moms and kids can have some ice cream," Peter Hahn says. "There aren't that many places where you can take your kids."

Though the brothers live in Howard County, they wanted to open the business in the city to capitalize on the FroYo craze. And the market for that is already pretty saturated in Howard County.

Hahn says he tried to incorporate a contemporary design in the 25-seat restaurant to mimic the look and feel of European caf�s.

After spending six months in Italy last year, Hahn vowed to open a caf� like the ones he saw in Europe.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Peter Hahn, Afters

The waterside patio at McCormick & Schmick's got a new, contemporary look this month -- its first facelift since the Inner Harbor seafood restaurant opened a decade ago.

It now has 70 tables, or 20 more than it used to, and 275 seats.

Restaurant managers were going for a "resort-style" feel with the patio's sofas and high-top cocktail tables, says Jay Twardowski, the Portland, Ore., chain's regional manager.

It makes good business sense for McCormick & Schmick's to invest in the great outdoors. On a nice summer day the restaurant gets as much as half of its sales from the 4,700-square-foot patio, Twardowski says.

"We felt that we became a little bit dated and we wanted to reinvigorate the patio as the place to be in the city."

Twardowski declined to say how much the restaurant is spending on the renovation. The makeover is part of a national plan to invest in many of its restaurant properties. Meanwhile, M&S Grill at Harborplace last month got new floors and carpets.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Jay Twardowski, McCormick & Schmick's

Ethan Allen Design Center is opening a store at Annapolis Towne Centre this summer with a new store layout that is the first of its kind in the mid-Atlantic.

The 8,550-square-foot shop will sell furniture and accessories and feature technology that will make buying sofas and fabric a more interactive experience.

The store will include "inspiration labs" with design ideas for five different lifestyles, says Kathy Bliss, regional design manager for the Danbury, Conn., firm. Clients' lifestyle choices are elegance, modern, romance, explorer, and vintage.

Buyers can use touchscreen monitors to preview their purchases, and use design software to see room layout options and images of each lifestyle.

The Annapolis Towne Centre shop replaces a larger store at 2401 Solomons Island Rd. that closed in December.

Ethan Allen executives wanted the store to go into the "popular lifestyle shopping destination," Bliss says.

The outdoor mall's home retailers include Restoration Hardware, Arhaus Furniture, Great Gatherings, Bed Bath & Beyond, Desi Living, and Sur La Table.

Developed by Greenberg Gibbons Commercial Corp., Annapolis Towne Centre is a $500 million retail, office and residential complex that houses a Main Street-style town center. Its other stores include Whole Foods Market, Brio Tuscan Grill, and Target.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Kathy Bliss, Ethan Allen

Single Carrot Theatre has teamed up with a sound design software company to hunt for real estate in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District to accommodate the growing theater troupe.

Teaming up with Figure 53 LLC will enable the two entities to share resources -- from a copy machine to graphic artists, Single Carrot Executive Director Elliott Rauh says.

Single Carrot will make the move as early as July 2012, when its lease at 122 W. North Ave. is up. Figure 53, which would provide the capital to buy a 10,000-square-foot building, could move sooner if it finds the right space, Figure 53's Christopher Ashworth says.

The Baltimore software firm wants a space that holds a lab where it can test new products. One product in development is Tixato, an online ticket sale application for smaller theater troupes like Single Carrot.

Rauh says he is looking for a space that can seat between 75 and 99. Its current space seats 50 and is at 85 percent capacity.

"We're stuck in a glass ceiling if we can't get more earned income," Rauh says.

Single Carrot's long-term vision is to grow its budget from $211,00 to $500,000 and to do so it will need to receive more earned income. And it doesn't want to raise ticket prices, Rauh says.

The upstart theater company was founded by friends from the University of Colorado who chose Baltimore as a home after scouring 50 cities. It currently has five employees, four of whom work part-time.

Figure 53 employs six. "Billy Elliott," "South Pacific," and other Broadway shows have used its software.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Elliott Rauh, Christopher Ashworth

Call it a kitchen stadium. Call it a restaurant within a restaurant.

Matthew Milani has a tough time coming up with a word to describe the expansion he is planning for Rumor Mill Fusion Bar & Restaurant in September.

He's installing an open-air kitchen where diners will feast on a 25-course meal composed of molecular gastronomic concoctions. They might include upscale Jello shooters that can freeze without ice or sous-vide duck with cherries. Guests will pay between $75 and $125 per meal.

Milani is hoping that a concept like Minibar, the six-seat restaurant in Washington, D.C., spearheaded by James Beard-award winner Jose Andres, will work for the small-plate restaurant in historic downtown Ellicott City.

Incorporating molecular gastronomy into the small plate restaurant offers his cooks a chance to "go crazy." And cooking demonstrations are big in the foodie world now.

"Talking to the chef is now part of the meal," Milani says. Diners feel like they get an added value if they get to interact with the chef.

The owner expects to spend less than $3,000 on the 20-seat kitchen stadium if he buys a lot of equipment at auction.

"We believe this is something that can set us apart," Milani says.

Local food blogger Dara Bunjon says Milani's venture is unique to the Baltimore area.

"There might be chefs here in Baltimore creating molecular gastronomy, but not 20-plus courses."

A real estate firm that has plans to develop more shopping at Canton Crossing says it's in active discussions with as many as 20 prospective retailers, including Harris Teeter and Target.

Earlier this month, Chesapeake Real Estate Group and Birchwood Capital Partners said it had acquired a 31-acre parcel from Exxon Mobil Corp. with the goal of adding two new retail centers on the site. The first will break ground spring of next year, with 225,000 square feet of retail space. The second site, with 100,000 square feet, will break ground once Exxon Mobil fully leaves the property.

The site is adjacent to Edwin F. Hale Sr.'s First Mariner Tower and the Merritt Athletic Club.

Real estate brokers had been trying to woo Target and Harris Teeter to Canton Crossing to the site since at least 2008, but development stalled as the economy sputtered.

Chesapeake principal Neil Tucker says electronics, grocery, convenience stores would all be suitable for the area. The Baltimore firm is looking at tenants that would complement existing retail in the area, which includes Merritt Athletic Club and About Faces Day Spa and Salon.

A Baltimore nonprofit recently broke ground on a $9.2 million homeless shelter facing Patterson Park.

Dayspring Baltimore is constructing a 43,000-square foot building at 1125 N. Patterson Park Ave. that will house 22 families, four Head Start classrooms and offices for the nonprofit's 37 employees.

Funding for the facility comes from the New Market Tax Credit equity, city and state funds, the Weinberg and Abell Foundations and PNC Bank.  

Dayspring Programs Inc. provides housing, substance abuse treatment an support services to homeless families. It has an operating budget of around $4.4 million and serves 600 individuals.

St. John Properties Inc. is on the hunt for retail and office tenants for a $25 million project in Carroll County.

The Baltimore developer completed construction this year on three buildings totaling 100,000 square feet as part of Liberty Exchange.

Its first tenant, Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland, will move into the Eldersburg property within the next 45 days, says Jerry Wit, St. John's senior vice president of marketing. The 11-physician practice has signed a lease for 12,240 square feet of space.

St. John Properties' first product in Carroll County, Liberty Exchange will eventually house 9 buildings totaling 225,000 square feet. The company will start construction on more buildings once the three existing ones are half leased, Wit says.

He's not sure when that will be as getting financing these days is tough, bringing many developments to a "screeching halt." Nonetheless, St. John executives are hopeful that they can attract office tenants who want to upgrade their suites to a shiny new business park as a lot of the buildings in the area are older.

"The Eldersburg market is tight. There's not a lot of space," Wit says.

St. John also hopes to sign up food and services, including a dry cleaner, day spa, convenience store and restaurants. Wit says he is talking to one local Carroll County resident who is interested in opening a wine bar. An Italian eatery, sandwich shop, and Chinese restaurant would also be ideal tenants.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Al Cunniff, Jerry Wit, St. John Properties

Get out the chopsticks. Manchurian Rice Co. will open in the former Harbor News spot this August at 1010 Aliceanna St.

The 75-seat restaurant will serve Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese cuisine, including made-to-order stir-fry, fried rice, pad Thai, soup, Kung Pao chicken, and traditional desserts. That is according to an investor in the Harbor East restaurant who wanted to remain anonymous.

Fast-casual Asian concepts are hot nowadays, with the expansion of P.F. Chang's China Bistro's Pei Wei Diner and Chipotle's announcement this year that it is launching an Asian concept called ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, the first of which will open in Washington, D.C., this summer.

The investor says he and his partners will spend at least $500,000 to open the new restaurant. That's the amount of investment Baltimore City requires of restaurant owners gunning for a new Class B liquor license.

Some of that money will go toward outfitting the second mezzanine that will house the seating in the 1,600-square-foot restaurant.
Most dishes will cost between $6 and $8.

Harbor East is home to numerous restaurants and shops, including Charleston, Cinghiale, Arhaus Furniture, and White House|Black Market, which opened this month.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Manchurian Rice Co. investor

The Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland is giving an A+ rating to the Federal Reserve Bank Building in Otterbein.

The agency moved into its new office last month at 502 S. Sharp St. after eights years at 1414 Key Hwy. in Federal Hill. The 4,300-square-foot space is slightly larger than its old one.

The bureau's lease was up and picked the bank building because it offers free parking, a cafeteria, and meeting space for its educational programs, BBB spokeswoman Jody Thomas says.

"We're getting all that we could for our monthly investment," she says. The building's rent costs about $18 per square foot.

BBB's 15-person staff like the location because it offers easy access to Interstate 95 and is easy to find as it is across the street from Camden Yards.

Terri Harrington, of MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services LLC, brokered the deal.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Jody Thomas, BBB of Greater Maryland

The food options keep growing for residents of the Hamilton/Lauraville neighborhood.

Clementine Owner Winston Blick is opening grocery store and caf� Green Onion at 5500 Harford Rd. in July. Rich Marsiglia, owner of Hamilton Vacuum & Janitorial Supply, and Baltimore Tattoo Museum's Bill Stevenson are Blick's partners on the new business. Located one block from Clementine, the store is a cross between Atwater's and Milk and Honey Market, Blick says.

Blick says a grocery store will hopefully bring more families to the area and make it a better place to live. He also wants to introduce shoppers to local farms that will supply the produce, meats, and cheeses. Sauces, charcuterie, dressings, and soups from Clementine will be sold at the store.

Green Onion is the latest food venture for the area. Hamilton Bakery opened at the end of April. The area is also home to top-rated restaurants Chameleon Caf�, Hamilton Tavern, and, of course, Clementine.

The store will sell 30 types of cheeses, along with olives, soups and sandwiches, and bulk laundry detergent supplied by local business Healing Fields Whole Body Care LLC. The grocer will focus more on fruits and vegetables rather than dry goods.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Winston Blick, Green Onion and Clementine

A Howard County developer will break ground next month on a green retail and apartment building along the Route 40 corridor in Ellicott City.

Built by Waverly Real Estate Group LLC, Forest Green will take between 12 and 18 months to complete, says Waverly's Donald Reuwer.

The site consists of three buildings totaling 85,000 square feet, with nearly two-thirds retail and one-third residential, with 38 apartments. A small portion, 1,500 square feet, will house offices, according to the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning.

"It's one of the first of its kind on Route 40," says Jill Manion-Farrar, of Howard County planning. "It's a fairly new concept to bring retail and residential on the same site," in that area.

Forest Green will hopefully achieve a LEED Silver certification.

Reuwer wouldn't say how much it will cost to develop the project or what tenants it may get.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Jill Manion-Farrar, Howard County; Donald Reuwer, Waverly Real Estate Group

The University of Baltimore broke ground this month on an 11-story student apartment building to open by the fall 2012 semester.

The $24 million apartment at Maryland and West Biddle Street has been dubbed the Varsity, the same name that developer Potomac Holdings of Bethesda is using for a student-housing complex at College Park.

Potomac will own and operate the 124,000-square-foot housing unit. Apartments will be available to students at the Maryland Institute College of Art and other area schools.

The 323-bed building will house a green roof jointly designed by Baltimore's Floura Teeter Landscape Architects, Inc. and Colbert Matz Rosenfelt, Inc., a civil engineering, land planning, and surveying firm. Potomac was to include 5,000 square feet of retail space, but has backed away from that, says Principal Donnie Gross. The developer thought the space would be better used for amenities such as a gym and study area.

"The amenities are more important than having a Quiznos," Gross says.

Apartments like the Varsity will get people to live closer to campus at a school historically known as a commuter college, UB spokesman Chris Hart says.

"People are moving back into Midtown. It's becoming easier to live within steps of the school."


Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Chris Hart, University of Baltimore; Floura Teeter; Donnie Gross, Potomac Holdings