Development : Development News

The owners of an eight-year-old Locust Point spa have renewed their lease and will begin renovations next month to polish up the space.

Studio 921 Salon & Medi Day Spa will get new floors, tiles, and front desk area to give it a "funkier, edgier" feel, customer service manager Carolyn Devlin says. The renovations, to start April 4, will cost around $200,000.

Owners Judy Sulisufaj Kelly and Colleen Smith have hired local furniture designer Jonathan Maxwell to design an industrial-looking front desk area, using wood and stainless steel. The lobby and entryway will get new tile floors and cherry wood will replace the tan parquet floors in the salon.

The owners also plan to tear down a wall in the salon so they can add two more styling stations that can accommodate up to four more stylists.

On the spa side, Studio 921 will get new women's locker rooms, carpet, and cabinets.

Named a best place to work by Baltimore magazine for offering a 401(k) and paid vacation, Studio 921 managers hope a rejuvenated salon will give its 50 employees another reason to stay, Devlin says.

The owners have extended their lease at the Foundry on Fort, a complex that also includes the Wine Market and Merritt Athletic Club.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Carolyn Devlin, Studio 921

Five Below, the discount chain where everything costs $5 or less, is opening a new Glen Burnie outlet as it launches an aggressive national expansion. The new shop at 6720 Ritchie Hwy., to open this summer, will be Five Below's 20th Maryland store.

Five Below also just opened a store in Catonsville and an expanded store in Severna Park March 25.

The Philadelphia company plans to open a total of 50 stores nationally in 2011 to feed the appetites of bargain-hungry consumers, Five Below Marketing Manager Elizabeth Romaine says.

The company is looking at additional opportunities in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., markets, Romaine says. The company looks for markets with large concentration of families since much of its merchandise is geared toward kids and teens.

Five Below currently operates 141 stores in 13 states.

Each Five Below store employs about 35 and is around 7,500 square feet.

The expanded Severna Park store, at 558 Gov Ritchie Hwy., is now twice its former size, with bigger aisles and a section devoted to party supplies. Five Below stores also sell fashion accessories, toys, video games, candy, and sports and fitness equipment.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Elizabeth Romaine, Five Below

Gilchrist Hospice Care is set to debut its second inpatient center and its first in Howard County this spring. Located within an assisted living facility in the Howard County Health Park, the $1.7 million, 10-bed unit will house a chapel, common area for families, and garden.

Howard County patients and their families have been asking for an end-of-life care center closer to them than Towson, Gilchrist's main hospice center, Gilchrist's Director of Development Lori Mulligan says. Gilchrist cares for about 100 Howard County patients per day.

The hospice is currently raising $2.5 million to pay for the construction costs and defray the costs of providing care that exceeds insurance payments. So far, it has raised $700,000 from foundations and individuals in the community, Mulligan says.

The Howard County center is modeled after Gilchrist's Towson facility with oriental rugs and wood floors.

"We try to make it look warm and inviting," Mulligan says. "It's been described as a Swiss chalet," Mulligan says of the hospice centers' look.

The new facility will be located within Lorien Harmony Hall Assisted Living. 

Gilchrist Hospice Care is a subsidiary of GBMC HealthCare.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Lori Mulligan, Gilchrist

Suds and grub will return to the Fells Point spot that formerly held DuClaw Brewing Co. before it closed in late 2009.

Three restaurant operators will open a 200-seat establishment that serves craft beers and upscale pub food.

Michael Mastellone, John Durkin, and Derek Blazer don't have a name yet for the new restaurant, to open in September. Bond Street Social is the name on the liquor license application, but that name is not set in stone, Mastellone says.

Durkin and Mastellone own Ladder 15, a Philadelphia bar and restaurant located in a former firehouse. Durkin is also owner of Federal Hill's Mad River Bar & Grill.

The partners will spend more than $1 million to revamp the interior of the former DuClaw space, Mastellone says. He's hiring T+Associates Architects, the same designer as Ladder 15, to outfit the new space, and imagines the new space will sport an industrial look, with steel and wood.

The owners hope to draw people in the summer months with the nearly 2,000-square-foot outdoor waterfront dining area. The restaurant's half a dozen fireplaces will hopefully draw diners in the winter months as well, Mastellone says.

The menu will be similar to that of Ladder 15, except with a heavier emphasis on seafood, Mastellone says. Korean tacos, made with pork belly and short rib, oxtail cheesesteak, and truffle fries are some of the menu items at the Philly eatery.

Prices will run about the same as well, with appetizers under $10, sandwiches and burgers $9-$11 and entrees running between $12 and $25.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Michael Mastellone, Ladder 15

A nonprofit is building a center to treat homeless veterans with drug or alcohol addictions in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of West Baltimore.

The center at 1611 Baker St. will cost the Baltimore Station $2.3 million to build and acquire the property, executive director Michael Seipp says.

The west Baltimore site currently houses a former Catholic Rectory and two rowhomes. The 16,800-square-foot Baker Street Station will be the nonprofit's second treatment center.

Funding for the center comes from four sources: the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Abell Foundation, and the France-Merrick Foundation.

The Baltimore Station is also hosting a fundraiser April 14 in Federal Hill's Cross Street Market to raise money for the new center.

Many military troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are being asked to serve multiple tours of duty, which puts them at a higher risk of getting post-traumatic stress disorder, Seipp says. And many of these men turn to alcohol or drugs, which, in turn, can lead to homelessness.

Veterans represent about one-quarter of all homeless people, twice that of the civilian population, according to the center's statistics.
The Baltimore Station employs 28 and has a $2 million annual operating budget.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Michael Seipp, Baltimore Station

A technology company is doubling its space as it outgrows its office in Howard County.

NewWave Telecom & Technologies Inc. has signed a lease with Merritt Properties LLC for 8,165 square feet of space at 6518 Meadowridge Rd. in Elkridge. The company will move in June, says NewWave Director of Operations Sherifah Munis.

"We've completely outgrown the space now," Munis says of their current home at 6095 Marshalee Dr. in Elkridge. "If we hired additional employees, we wouldn't know where to put them."


Munis says the company's staff decided to stay in Elkridge because they like the accessibility to the Baltimore Beltway, Interstate 95, and Route 29. The central location makes it easy to get to Baltimore or Washington, D.C.

A big area of focus for NewWave is health care technology, a growing concern for the federal government.

Its clients include the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, for whom it provides technology support for its Electronic Health Record Demonstration Project.

Part of the federal health care reform law, the project provides Medicare incentive payments to primary care physicians who use certified electronic health records. The goal of the project is to reduce medical errors by putting paper records in an electronic format.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Sherifah Munis, NewWave Telecom & Technologies

Greenberg Gibbons Commercial Corp. will break ground in the fall on a $2.5 million building that will bring eight to 10 new restaurants and service companies to Annapolis Towne Centre.

The 24,000-square-foot building will be located at the intersection of West Street and Summerville Road and be completed by fall 2012, says Greenberg Gibbons Chief Operating Officer Tom Fitzpatrick. The developer hasn't identified any specific tenants yet for that space.

The site will largely contain fast casual restaurants, or restaurants that offer quick service and higher quality ingredients than fast food. That's largely the type of tenant that's going into a separate $2 million building opening in May at Annapolis Towne Centre.

Greenberg Gibbons thought fast casual restaurants would be a good addition to Annapolis Towne Centre since it currently houses mostly full service restaurants. Those include Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant and Brio Tuscan Grill.

Tenants opening in May are:

• Flat Top Grill, a create-your-own stir-fry restaurant;
• Fidelity;
• Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwich Shop;
• Qdoba Mexican Grill;
• Saladworks;
• Scottrade; and,
• Zoe's Kitchen, which serves kabobs, hummus and other Mediterranean foods.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Tom Fitzpatrick, Greenberg Gibbons

Sinai Hospital's multimillion-dollar inpatient pediatric unit, which began in July, is expected to be finished in April 2012.

The expansion will give patients bigger rooms, more privacy and enhance patient safety that will hopefully reduce hospital readmissions, says

Dr. Joseph Wiley, chairman of the pediatrics department at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai.

The new inpatient center is part of a $30 million pediatric expansion that included a $2.3 million outpatient center. It will also include a children's diagnostic center, to begin construction once the inpatient facility is completed next year.

The new inpatient center will contain 26 rooms, up from 16 rooms. Rooms will be about 50 percent larger, at 350 square feet, and contain pull out beds and tables where families can eat. Each room will be private, allowing caregivers to consult with patients' families in the privacy of their rooms, Dr. Wiley says.

"We're adding a lot of features will enhance the overall experience for families," Wiley says.

Each room will contain a pharmacy lockbox where medicine will be delivered personally, reducing the risk of medication errors.

Sinai is part of LifeBridge Health, which includes Northwest Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital and Courtland Gardens Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. The Baltimore Hospital employs 4700.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Dr. Joseph Wiley, Sinai

Building an original slice of the Bronx in Baltimore will cost as much as $3 million.

The owners of Aldo's Italian Restaurant in Little Italy are teaming up with Hollywood actor Chazz Palminteri to open a coal-fired pizza restaurant in Harbor East.

Much of that money will go in the restaurant's design, Aldo's Co-owner Alessandro Vitale says. The owners have hired Baltimore's Rita St. Clair, who has put her stamp on the Prime Rib and Aldo's.

"We're trying to capture old-school Bronx" circa 1950, Vitale says. (That's the same era depicted in Palminteri's movie and play "A Bronx Tale.")

You can expect to see a black-and-white checker floor, marble tops, and subway tiles behind the pizza oven. Diners will be able to watch the guys making pizza.

"We're trying to create an immersive experience," Vitale says, adding, "You can't fake it."

Partners in the venture include the Vitales, Palminteri and Kerry Kessel, an investor and friend of the actor.

Palminteri forged a friendship with the Vitale brothers after falling in love with Aldo's marinara sauce.

The 7,000-square-foot restaurant will employ more than 40.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Alessandro Vitale, Aldo's Italian Restaurant, Chazz: A Bronx Original

In less than a month, Baltimore Orioles' fans will hear the crack of the bat at Camden Yards.

In about seven months, more than 100,000 people are expected to visit Charm City for the Baltimore Grand Prix Race. And restaurant owners Justin Dvorkin and Donald Kelly hope their burritos and margaritas will feed and quench the thirst of these sports' enthusiasts � and put some change in their pocket.

The business partners will open Charm City Cantina at 200 W. Pratt St. April 4, just in time for Opening Day. The 220-seat restaurant will be located next door to their other venture, the Pratt Street Ale House.

Since taking over the Pratt Street Ale House two years ago, the owners have gotten steady traffic from sports fans, convention attendees, concert goers at First Mariner Arena, and tourists, Kelly says. When the opportunity came up to take over the restaurant next door, they felt they had to take it.

The pair will spend as much as $400,000 to open the 6,800-square-foot restaurant. Some of that money will be spent to hire a designer to create a look that is a cross between an American pub and a Mexican eatery.

With no other full-service Mexican restaurants downtown, Kelly and Dvorkin say they hope the investment pays off.

But opening a second establishment will be challenging as the price of food and other commodities climb higher, Kelly says.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Justin Dvorkin and Donald Kelly

The owners of Donna's Coffee Bar hope to reopen their Mount Vernon shop by the end of the year following a five-alarm fire that devastated the historic building at 800 N. Charles St.

And when it does reopen, diners can expect tapas and a wine bar on the menu, co-owner Alan Hirsch says.

He expects reconstruction work on the restaurant to begin in October and be completed in three months. With the inside totally gutted, the owners have to redesign the restaurant and go through the permitting process all over again.

"If you go to that corner, it's pretty depressing," since the Dec. 7 fire, Hirsch says. "Part of the community is gone."

Meanwhile, the business owner says he expects renovations on the building to begin as early as June, based on meetings he has had with the building's developer, Dominic Wiker. The former home of Indigma and MyThai restaurants now has no roof and requires extensive electrical and mechanical work, Hirsch says.

Wiker could not be reached for comment.

Hirsch says he does not yet have an estimate on the cost of the renovations.

Serving wine and high-end beer, along with small plates, will help Donna's keep up with current market trends for European-style restaurants, Hirsch says. The restaurant is known for its extensive coffee menu and Mediterranean fare, including a roasted vegetable salad and hummus and pita.

The motive behind the wine bar was not solely money, as the profit margins are higher in coffee drinks, Hirsch says. Rather, the owners felt they needed to refresh the restaurant concept.

"We needed to update Donna's and do more."

It has other locations at the University of Maryland Medical System, the Village of Cross Keys, Charles Village and Columbia.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Alan Hirsch, Donna's

Remember Nike's message to folks who put off getting in shape?

Live Baltimore, a nonprofit that promotes home buying in Baltimore City, doesn't want home buyers to procrastinate, either, in its newest ad campaign, which starts later this month.

The message is "buy now," Live Baltimore Executive Director Anna Custer says.

With interest rates low, a depressed housing market, and cash incentives for buying in the city, purchasing a Baltimore home has never been more affordable, she says.

"We want to give people a reason to get off their hind legs," Custer says. "Stop saying someday," I'll buy a house.

The $40,000 multimedia ad campaign will include ads in DC Metro stations, Google pay-per-click ads, Facebook, and other social media sites. You will also see a viral campaign involving "flash mobs," or the idea that random people gather at a public location to chant, cheer, dance, or perform some other predetermined act.

Live Baltimore's goal is to reach the creative class of young, hip professionals who will view home buying in Baltimore an investment in their future.

Still, getting people to buy a home in Baltimore is fraught with challenges given that perceptions of the city are mired in images of "the Wire," and the latest census data shows that the city lost residents over the last decade.

Custer says she hopes the campaign will challenge people's perceptions and stir up conversations on everything from neighborhoods to food in Baltimore.

One key component of the campaign includes taking iconic signs throughout the city and using them to form words. So, for instance, the "O" from the Domino Sugar sign might be used to spell Baltimore. Folks who can guess where the shots were taken get a prize.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Anna Custer, Live Baltimore

Baltimore City Community College is embarking on an $11 million renovation that will spruce up its aging Liberty Heights campus and build a new computer lab to support growing online enrollment.

College officials plan to upgrade the HVAC, fire, sprinkler, and other systems in the administrative offices of the main building, college spokesman Patrick Onley says. That building dates to 1965.

"It's long due for an overhaul," Onley says of the main building.

The new computer lab will support distance learning. Currently, 2,143 students take at least one online course. That represents about one third of its total enrollment of credit students and is an 11 percent increase over last year, Onley says.

"That's why it's important for us to have a new computer lab."

Construction on the renovations should begin in October, and January 2012 for the computer lab. Onley says he is not sure when the projects will be completed.

The college hopes to get $2.25 million from the state's 2012 budget and another $8 million from that of fiscal 2013 to go toward the renovation.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Patrick Onley, Baltimore City Community College

HomeGoods will offer Maryland shoppers another place to buy its discount furniture in May.

The 25,000-square-foot shop will replace a former A.J. Wright store at the Harundale Mall Shopping Center at 7736 Ritchie Hwy.

Last year, parent company TJX Cos. Inc. said it would shutter all A.J. Wright stores nationally. Now the Framingham, Mass., firm is in the process of converting some of them to its other brands, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods.

HomeGoods opens in markets where shoppers want to buy home d�cor, including designer brands, at a discount, HomeGoods spokesman Philip Tracey says. Its other Maryland stores are located in Columbia, Gambrills, and Owings Mills.

The store will employ 60 full and part-time employees. Former A.J. Wright employees will be given the opportunity to work for the new
HomeGoods and get paid during the interim period when the store is closed for renovations, says TJX spokeswoman Doreen Thompson.

HomeGoods operates more than 330 stores across the country. The shops sell furniture, lighting, rugs, bedding, and bath decor.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Doreen Thompson, Philip Tracey, Robyn Arvedon, TJX Cos. Inc.

A 38-year-old health club in the Washington area wants to muscle its way to more Maryland locations.

After getting an undisclosed sum of cash last year from Capital One, Sport & Health Clubs is ready to expand, says Nancy Terry, the health club's senior vice president of marketing. That money comes on top of the $25 million the McLean, Va., company received from investors in 2009.

Sport & Health will open two to three new sites this year. Each location will be between 40,000 and 50,000 square feet. Terry wouldn't say exactly which towns or counties health club managers are eyeing because the leases have not been signed.

"There's lots of great opportunities throughout the Maryland area and we're exploring all of those options right now," Terry says.

The company is looking at both shopping centers and freestanding locations in high-income areas.

Sport & Health recently opened its 25th location in Frederick in a former Gold's Gym spot.

Describing the industry as somewhat "recession resilient," Sport & Health had a solid financial year last year, Terry says.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Nancy Terry, Sport & Health