Development News

For Sean Dunworth, owner of the Catonsville Gourmet, popular seafood restaurant and market located on Frederick Rd,  the time just seems right. Two years after he opened the seafood restaurant, Dunworth is ready to launch a new venture, Regions.

"We were thinking about expanding [Catonsville Gourmet], which is about 80 percent seafood, but we wanted to open something smaller that we could use as a banquet facility and would allow us to expand our cuisine," he explains.

Scheduled to open in about a month, Regions will be located at 803-805 Frederick Road in Catonsville. It will feature cuisines from seven  regions around the world including Italian, French, Asian, Cajun, classic Maryland, Southwestern, and a comfort food. Each week the restaurant will feature small (tapas) and big plate selections from each of those regions.

"You can come and get a selection of small plates. And we'll be doing a lot more chicken and beef, not just seafood. The comfort food will be like spaghetti and meatballs or chicken pot pie done in a little more gourmet way," Dunworth says.

The restaurant will seat about 35 people and have a much more intimate feel. "Regions is going to be more contemporary and hip than Catonsville Gourmet. It will have chocolate/burgundy walls with handpainted murals and subdued lighting," he says.

According to Dunworth, Regions will be a good place for a first date or a special occasion. And, unlike Catonsville Gourmet, the diners will need to make reservations for Regions.

A Catonsville native, Dunworth says that something like Regions will be a good addition for the area, providing an alternative to the quick food restuarants selling hamburgers and sandwiches on Frederick Road.

Source: Sean Dunworth, Catonsville Gourmet
Writer: Walaika Haskins

In a move to help promote local sustainability, Anne Arunde County Executive John R. Leopold and Annapolis Mayor Joshua J. Cohen have teamed up to certify and recognize green restaurants that are using locally grown products, improving energy efficiency, conserving water and providing environmental education.
 

Hanover, Md.-based Frank Parsons, Inc., a wholesale office supplier, has opened a Frank Parsons Express plus, the company's next generation of wholesale stores. In addition to the usual inventory of paper, envelopes, and ink, which have been the foundation of the company's existing stores, Frank Parsons Express plus will stock a full line of office supplies as well as an extensive selection of colored and textured papers that are unavailable at most office supply stores.

Patterson Park Public Charter School (PPPCS) broke ground on a new $13,665.000 middle school building on Monday. The new facility was a result of closing on a $13,665,000 bond issue March 16, 2010 by the Maryland Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority. The issue is the first of its kind for a charter school in Maryland and will allow PPPCS to refinance its existing facility and provide funding for the new middle school building.

As the largest traditional public charter school in Maryland, PPPCS enrolls 560 students in grades K-8 and will add a pre-K in fall 2011. The new building will complete the school's campus, fulfilling the vision that began with the school's opening in fall 2005,  adding six middle school classrooms and will also contain world class science and art facilities. 

The new building's design and construction will follow Baltimore City's Green Building Standards (equivalent to LEEDS silver). It will include solar panels, stormwater irrigation and recycled content materials. 

Principal Charles W. Kramer says the building will prove a major advance in the school's unique interdisciplinary curriculum by enhancing the school's science, art and technology instruction.

"The new facility is an important next step in providing superior education in Baltimore," says Ed  Rutkowski, spokesman, PPPCS. "Our middle schoolers will have the first-class environment they need."

Founded by community members who wanted educational choice, PPPCS offers all students a broad education. Besides reading, math, science and social studies, all students receive instruction in art, music, Spanish, technology and physical education. The curriculum makes extensive use of Patterson Park, the surrounding community and Baltimore City's rich heritage to widen students' perspectives and to emphasize community service.

Source: Ed Rutkowski, Patterson Park Public Charter School
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Fresh Market, a gourmet grocery market chain, has increased its presence in the Mid-Atlantic region this month with a new store in Annapolis, marking the company's second store in Maryland.

In an effort to help citizens fill out their Census questionnaires, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, joined by the Baltimore Hispanic Commission, community leaders, and Census staff opened one of the city's Census Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QAC). The QACs will assist residents in the completion of census questionnaires and offer language assistance. Questionnaire Assistance Centers will offer 59 different language assistance guides along with Braille and large print questionnaires.

"The faces of Baltimore continue to diversify, yet we know that our Hispanic community is historically undercounted," says Mayor Rawlings-Blake. "It is important that Baltimore and the Latino community not lose Census dollars because of language barriers and fear of government. What we do this year will have an impact on what we can do for the next decade. Together we must make sure that all Baltimoreans are counted on April first."

Mayor Rawlings-Blake stressed the privacy and security of the census and praised the efforts of organizations like CASA de Maryland to increase the return rate of Census questionnaires. Based on census track data, some households in Baltimore will receive bilingual forms. CASA de Maryland is assisting with questionnaires during their annual free tax return preparation.

The census count determines the allocation and distribution of over $4 trillion in federal funding over the next 10 years for school construction, housing and community development, road and transportation planning, job training and more. Census counts also determine the boundaries for state and local legislative districts. In Baltimore, the census helps determine the level of language assistance available in city agencies.

Language assistance in French, Russian, Chinese, Korean and Spanish (the city's five most spoken non-English languages) will be available at QACs throughout the city.

A complete list of QACs is available on the city's website, http://www.baltimorecity.gov/Government/AgenciesDepartments/Planning/2010Census/CensusHelp.aspx.

Assistance is also available by phone in:

• Spanish: 1-866-935-2010
• Korean: 1-866-955-2010
• Russian: 866-965-2010
• Chinese: 1-866-935-2010

Source: Baltimore City; U.S. Census Bureau
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Baltimore City officials closed a deal on March 10, with Recreation Pier Developers, LLC, for the sale of the Fells Point Recreation Pier. The deal marks a significant step in the Fells Point Recreation Pier redevelopment project. The transaction will require pier restoration, which is expected to be an $8.8 million dollar expense. 

When complete, the site will house a 132-room Aloft-brand hotel with a second floor restaurant. The entire project will be valued in excess of $35 million and will ultimately increase the tax base of the City through sales tax, room tax, and real and personal tax revenue. The project will also create a new job base for the City.

"The closing of the sales transaction marks the beginning of the Fells Point Recreation Pier redevelopment project," says Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "The restoration of this historic pier will stimulate the development of new businesses that will greatly enrich the community."

The next step is for Moran Towing Corporation, the sole remaining pier tenant, to relocate to its new facility on S. Clinton Street in Canton. The move is expected to occur by May 2010, allowing Recreational Pier Developers, LLC, to begin restoration of the site.

Built in 1914, the Fells Point Recreation Pier was once used for social and educational gatherings. A ballroom on the second floor of the Head House was used for weddings and dances, as well as for basketball and soccer games. More recently, the site has been used as a
filming location for the television series "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and two movies, including "Step Up." As part of the pier restoration, the developers will replace many of the piles that are sinking into the water. The project will receive federal and state historic tax credits from the U.S. National Park Service and the Maryland Historical Trust.

"Baltimore Housing recognizes the unique character of Recreation Pier and its historic significance to Fells Point, Baltimore City and the State of Maryland," says Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano. "We have been working for years to identify a viable and appropriate reuse for this legendary landmark. With the recent closing of the sales transaction with the developers, I am pleased that we can now move forward with the project."

Source: Housing Authority of Baltimore City
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Argentinian native Maximiliano "Max" Gonzalez never imagined he'd own an empanada restaurant in Little Italy. A professional tango dancer and teacher in Argentina, Gonzalez says he came to Baltimore to help spread his culture and teach people how to tango.

"A few years ago I started doing empanadas for my students so that they could experience more about Argentina. After a short time, people started calling me in advance to place orders. It developed into a business when I realized people really liked my empanadas," he recalls.

As demand for his empanadas increased, Gonzalez eventually began selling the tasty treats at local farmer's markets in Owings Mills and Highlandtown. Selling at the markets also helped him weather the warm summer months when people are less interested in being inside dancing, preferring instead to be outside.

"We started to get a crowd with people standing in line for our empanadas. Business exploded and I didn't have the space at home any more to keep making the homemade empanadas. We started renting a commercial kitchen and commercial storage to keep up with the demand," Gonzalez continues.

In September 2009, he hit the big time, at least regionally, when a Virginia-based Latino grocery store approached him about selling his frozen empanadas.

"After we got that account, we realized we couldn't just rent space any more." So began a search for a permanent location. Gonzalez search started in Fells Point, but he quickly found a location in Little Itally, a former deli.

"Empanadas is not a fast food but it's a fast snack or meal. We found this place on S. High Street. This place was actually perfect. It had everything that we needed, a oven, deli cases, refrigeration."

Though small, the 313 S. High Street shop will seat about 30 guests -- 10 at the "empanada bar" and another 20 at tables. With a new liquor license expected in a few weeks, Gonzalez says he'll add table service and also begin serving Argentinian wines and international beers.

His empanadas are traditional but witha gourmet flare. "We experiment with different flavors. You have more options for cheese, vegetables and meats. We have traditional beef, chicken, ham and cheese, a mixed vegetable that people request all the time. Then we have weekly specials -- three or four. Each country has an empanada and we try to represent each of those. Bolivia has a potato empanadas and another region combines brown sugar with ground beef," he explains.

In addition to his empanadas, Gonzalez also sells a variety of foodstuffs from Argentina.

"I'm so happy because this has been such a positive outcome," he says.

Source: Max Gonzalez, Max's Empanadas
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Fells Point Recreation Pier is one of the state's most endangered sites. At least so says Preservation Maryland, the oldest historic-preservation organization in Maryland, and partner MarylandLife magazine, the team behind the annual list of Maryland's 11 most endangered sites, artifacts and groups of people.

The pier, famous for its place in the city's history as the "Ellis Island ofBaltimore" became well-know once again in 1992 as the location for the hit TV show Homicide: Life on the Streets. The show's run ended in 1999 and now the distinctive brick building with the 500-footpier sits neglected, its decrepit structure falling into the waterfront. Saving the slowly disintegrating pier became a rallying point for members of Fells Point Main Street, whose mission is to promote, strengthen, and revitalize Fells Point's commercial and historic districts. The group nominated the site because it has been sitting vacant for a decade. The building and pilings are rapidly deteriorating, and the area is in need of extensive repair.

"We are excited and gratified that Fell's Point Main Street was successful in its nomination of the Recreation Pier to be named as one of the state's most endangered places by Preservation Maryland. We have always thought that the Recreation Pier is an important part of Fell's Point's history and promises to be an important part of its future.Several years ago,Baltimore City officials decided (with the community's approval) that Baltimore developers J. Joseph Clarke and H&S Properties Development Corporation should relocate Moran Towing Corporation, a tugboat company, from the pier and develop a hotel and restaurant," says Jannette Barth, Fells Point Main Street board president.

"The epicenter of Baltimore's renaissance is the harbor, and the architectural jewel in the crown is the Recreation Pier;' says Lori Guess, a longtime Fells Point resident, attorney, and former chair of the Fells Point Task Force Recreation Pier committee, tells MarylandLife. "This beautiful building-one of very few publicly owned waterfront properties-desperately needs preservation to continue the positive momentum of Baltimore development:' Once the second-leading port of entry (after Ellis Island) on the East Coast, Fells Point's pier was declared a public recreation center in 1914. The head house even has a grand ballroom and served as one of the first municipal dance halls in the country."

While work has yet to begin to restore the pier, Baltimore Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano recently indicated that work should begin shortly on the new 132-room hotel that wil be the piers new occupant, according to the announcement. 

Source: Jannette Barth, Fells Point Main Street
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Tucked away just off the corner of Howard and 27th Streets is Sweet Sin, a gluten-free cafe. The cafe, opened in October 2009, is the brainchild of Richard D'Souza and his wife, Renee, a Baltimore native.

"We moved to Baltimore from Hawaii for business reasons. My wife has Celiac's disease and is a pastry chef. She wanted to create something better than what was currently on the market. Five years ago there was almost nothing in the market and what was there was a lot like the sole of your shoe," D'Souza says.

Finding the location at 123 W. 27th Street, the former location of Charm City Cakes was a stroke of luck. "I didn't have a lot of money. The rent was dirt cheap and we liked the neighborhood," says D'Souza.
 
In five years and with just $8000, the couple had created a wholesale business selling their gluten-free cookies to national chains such as Whole Foods as well as regional chains including Wegmann's. "Every month we're in a new state."

The pair decided to invite the public into their shop with a retail location after they moved the bulk of their baking to a new location in Rosedale. "I was going to be paying rent for this place not matter what. A cupcake shop seemed like a good idea and people had been telling me they needed some gluten-free food, so I started cooking gluten-free food."

Sweet Sin was the result, but its only the beginning. With the recipes he's developed, D'Souza says he and his wife will expand their operations to include a restaurant next door in the former location of Three Sisters. He's just waiting to get a liquor license approved and expects the restaurant to open in about two months.

Source: Richard D'Souza, Sweet Sin
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Baltimore's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) First-Time Homebuyer's Program received $300,000 in renewed funding in February. The CDBG's gain is a windfall for 60 first-time homebuyers in Baltimore. With the additional $300,000 in funding, the income-eligible families will receive $5,000 in home buying assistance.

Baltimore Housing's Office of Homeownership established the first-time buyer program in August 2009. At the start of the program, $300,000 was available for down payment and settlement assistance to low-income families. Within two months, those funds were exhausted. 

"We're pleased to offer the Community Development Block Grant First-Time Homebuyer's Program to help make the dream of owning a home possible for income-eligible families in Baltimore," says Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "We're equally excited to announce that affordable housing stock is still available for purchase in many of Baltimore's 220 neighborhoods."

Homebuyers can use the incentive funds in combination with an $8,000 First-Time Home Buyers Federal Tax Credit for a total of $13,000 in home buying support. In November 2009, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 extended the tax credit for first time homebuyers purchasing a primary home between January 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010, with settlement by July 1, 2010. Additionally, active City employees may qualify for $3,000 in home buying incentive funds through the Baltimore City Employee Homeownership Program.

"This window of combined opportunities is time sensitive. First-time homebuyers are encouraged to take advantage of available City homeownership incentives while federal help is also being offered," says Baltimore Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano.

Housing counseling from a City- approved housing counseling agency is a requirement for this and all City homeownership programs. Approved housing counseling agencies and income eligibility criteria are listed on the Baltimore Housing website.

Source: Housing Authority of Baltimore City
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Students at Waverly Elementary Middle School in Greater Homewood will have a brand spanking new, state-of-the-art, LEED-certified school building within the next three years, the Greater Homewood Community Corporation announced.

In the works since 2004, the new school building will replace two relics of the last century situated roughly one and a half blocks apart in which students have been housed for the past six years.

"For many, many years, the school was K through 5. Back in 2003 there was a decision made to keep middle schoolers who had been zoned for Roland Park, closer to the community. The school board added grades making Waverly K through 8. They realized quickly though that there wasn't enough room for the middle schoolers and wound up putting them in building that was about a block away from the elementary school. The old Venable vocational special ed building plus a really ancient portable became the middle school for Waverly," explains Karen DeCamp, director Neighborhood Programs at Greater Homewood Community Corporation.

After several years during which the city would submit requests for funds to build a new school for the neighborhood that the state repeatedly rejected, progress finally came in 2007 after Dr. Alonso Gates became head of the Baltimore City Public School System.

With his support and that of local councilwoman Mary Pat Clark, the city was finally able to submit a plan that the state eventually approved in 2008.

A culmination of years of advocacy and community action, this new building will not only move students out of a sub-standard facility, it will bring competitive academic programs to the school and provide Waverly, Oakenshawe, and Ednor Gardens-Lakeside families with a great public school option in their neighborhood, says DeCamp

The new building, designed by Grimm and Parker Architects, will include a green roof of low-growing succulents and other energy efficient technologies. The building will be constructed in two phases. The new building will be constructed on the field adjacent to the current school building. Students will be able to continue to attend classes in their current building with the elementary school demolished and add the remaining classrooms and a gymnasium once the main structure has been completed.

"For us this is a huge victory for the community. The middle-schoolers have toiled away in substandard circumstances that we think affects achievement and this is just a great victory," DeCamp says.

Source: Karen DeCamp, Greater Homewood Community Corporation
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Bmore Media staff would like to thank all of our readers, Twitter followers and Facebook fans who came out to meet and mingle with us last Tuesday evening at Sam's Kid in Fells Point. We really enjoyed meeting you all and sharing why we all think Baltimore is one of America's best, if slightly underappreciated, cities.

A huge thanks to Andrea Rani, owner of Sam's Kid, for letting us host the Happy Hour event in one of Baltimore's best new restaurants.

For those of you who weren't able to make it this time, no worries! We'll be hosting another Happy Hour soon. So stay tuned for more details.


Thanks again!
The Bmore Media Crew

A California frozen yogurt chain is sweetening up Annapolis with its first East Coast location. Menchie's Frozen Yogurt will open early April at Annapolis Towne Centre, next to Target and Arhaus Furniture Co.

The growing Encino-based company currently has about 30 locations and is planning numerous new stores in Ohio, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania. Chains like Pinkberry and RedMango have expanded nationally in recent years, but the FroYo craze has largely left the Greater Baltimore region in the cold.

Menchie's co-owner Mary Carney says she chose the Annapolis Towne Centre location because she expects to get good foot traffic from the neighboring anchor tenants, Target and Arhaus. She also hopes that restaurants in the outdoor mall like Gordon Biersch Brewery and P.F. Chang's will pull diners craving dessert after their meal.
 
Located at 2505 Riva Rd., Annapolis Towne Centre is a $500 million retail, office and residential complex that includes a Main Street-style town center. Its other stores include Whole Foods Market, Bed Bath & Beyond, Brio Tuscan Grill and Real Seafood Co.

"It's an upbeat place," Carney says of the outdoor mall.

She declined to say how much she is spending to open the store. But the average Menchie franchisee spends between $340,000 and $400,000 on real estate, equipment, and franchise fee.

Menchie's will feature 14 frozen yogurt flavors and 50 toppings customers can add to the mix -- not unlike the concept behind ice cream franchise Cold Stone Creamery except that it is self serve. Patrons pay by the weight and can choose from low-carb, sugar-free and dairy-free options.

Source: Mary Carney, Menchie's
 Writer: Julekha Dash

Break out the banjo: Blue Grass is coming to town. Blue Grass restaurant, that is. The former chef and general manager of Ryleigh's Oyster, Patrick Morrow and Jorbie Clark, will open the Southern-inspired eatery this month at 1500 S. Hanover Street.

Morrow, who has lived in Federal Hill for nine years, had been looking for a restaurant space for a while and jumped at the chance when the spot that once housed the Vine became available. Though the economy has not been kind to some restaurant owners, Morrow sees a business opportunity in the downturn. He's able to find plenty of qualified staff and get better deals on kitchen equipment.

"You have a lot of people hungry for work, " Morrow says.  And a lot more people are willing to give you good deals because they are hungry to make a sale, he says.

Morrow also liked the spot in Federal Hill because it sits at the intersection of two major roads, Fort and Hanover, that should hopefully attract a lot of drive-by traffic. The business partners hope to capture Federal Hill's young professionals in their 20s and 30s, says Jorbie Clark. This is an age group that is not weighed down by a massive drop in their stock portfolio, Clark says.

"They still have disposable income and will still go out," Clark says.

Morrow and Clark both declined to say how much they are spending to open the 75-seat restaurant. Blue Grass will serve up contemporary American food, including Southern game and meat dishes. Pork chop with baked beans, crawfish hush puppies, and braised gunpowder short ribs reflect Morrow's culinary influences growing up in North Carolina and Texas. Entrees will cost between $19 and $25 and appetizers will cost between $6 and $13.


Sources: Patrick Morrow, Jorbie Clark, Blue Grass
Writer: Julekha Dash