Development : Development News

The Baltimore Development Corp. (BDC) hopes to spur commercial interest in five contiguous properties in the city's Pigtown neighborhood left orphaned after the original developer had to abandon its plans for the properties early this year.

BDC is seeking proposals from qualified developers "for a high-quality, mixed-use development that enhances and anchors the Pigtown/Washington Village Business District and achieves a positive impact for the city," most notably through the creation of jobs, increased tax revenues, community stabilization and opportunities for business run by minorities and women. The agency is looking specifically for proposals to create restaurants and cafes, coffee shops, small scale grocery stores, bookstores, bakeries, family video stores, pharmacies, upscale convenience stores, florists, ice cream shops, hardware stores, art-related stores, camera shops, lodging facilities, yoga studios, and art galleries.

The five properties concerned are 925 Washington Boulevard (a former two-story tavern of approximately 1,656 square feet); 927 Washington Boulevard (an approximately 1,438 square foot, two-story residential structure); and 929, 931, and 937 Washington Boulevard (a site comprised of three adjoining lots totaling roughly 4,525 square feet and a three-level building shell). BDC says it will give priority to projects that "preserve the historic fabric of the community" and involve rehabbing to the greatest extent possible.

The properties were first offered by BDC in 2006, however the developer selected, Historic Pigtown Development LLC, told the agency in January that it could not afford to proceed.

The agency would not comment on the number or nature of the proposals it has received until Nov. 1, when it will issue a press release, says the BDC's Mica Fetz.

Source: Mica Fetz, Baltimore Development Corp.
Writer: Lucy Ament

Wanna see a photo of two dragonflies mating?

Wait � don't answer that. Just head over to Gallery 788, a new artists' space at 788 Washington Boulevard in Pigtown, where provocative works from a dozen Baltimore artists whose mediums range from photography, painting, and sculpture, to illustration, filmmaking, singing and songwriting, poetry, performance art and various other media.

The new gallery, which hosted a "soft launch" for about 250 people on July 30, gives artists the opportunity to show their work and gain visibility without the expense and networking hurdles of breaking into the private gallery scene. According to photographer Terry Smith, who snapped the dragonfly dalliance and other nature-themed photographs currently on display, the building has been opened up to artists by owners Mark and Patrice Smith (no relation), who run Baltimore-based Magnum Construction. Artists who pass an informal jury pay just $50 to display their work for a month and help operate the gallery four days a week. In exchange, they receive full price for their pieces; the gallery does not charge a commission.

The first exhibit will run two months, and subsequent exhibits will rotate monthly. Smith, a supervisor for Magnum Construction, calls the two-story space with nine-foot high ceilings "clean, crisp, brand new and wide open," which, coupled with the great foot traffic at the corner of Washington and Scott Streets, make it the ideal space for displaying art.

"I think it's a good fit with the plans Mark has for Washington Boulevard," Smith says, alluding to  work being done in the area by Magnum. "He's making it a destination point and this gallery would add to that. As restaurants and businesses come in, people will visit the gallery."

Gallery 788 is open Thur. 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.; Fri. noon � 8 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m. � 8 p.m.; and
Sun. noon � 6 p.m. For more information, contact Eduardo Rodriguez at [email protected].

Source: Terry Smith, Magnum Construction
Writer: Lucy Ament

Don't let "Dancing With The Stars" fool you: formal dance instruction is not just for B-List celebrities and retired professional athletes, and it's certainly better to do than experience from the padded passivity of your couch.

Expressions in Motion, a new dance studio opening in Pigtown later this month, is making it possible for aspiring dancers to learn some moves -- whether they are 3 or 93. Kids are taught creative movement and ballet and tap basics, while teens and adults can pick from a host of classes in jazz, ballet, modern, tap, hip hop, and contemporary dance.

Owner Martha Reyner, a Baltimore native who studied dance at Columbia College in Chicago before returning to the area to run a dance studio with her childhood mentor, says the studio will resemble a gym in that adults can pop into whatever daily classes they wish. Reyner has assembled a team of a half-dozen dance instructors to teach the classes, which will cost about $7-15 depending on the package members buy. They can pay for classes individually, purchase a full ten-week session, or choose a full 30-week year.

Best of all, students get several chances a year to show their stuff. Reyner plans to host several "Open Marley Nights" (a riff on "open-mic nights" that alludes to the special flooring on a dance floor) where students will be able to perform for one another and perhaps students from other studios. She also pans to organize two large, formal performances for her students, one in December and one in June, at a local performance hall or school.

The two-story studio Reyner chose at 756 Washington Blvd., formerly a furniture store, has three studio spaces, a parents' waiting room, and a kids' lounge. Reyner, who says the grand opening is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 29, chose the area because she was impressed at how readily Pigtown is realizing its potential.

"Baltimore is my home, and even after living in Chicago a long time I wanted to come back," she says. "I chose Pigtown because I feel like it's a visibly growing neighborhood and it's kind of fun to be a part of something that has a lot of positive energy. People want to make it beautiful and nice and safe and I want to help facilitate that."

Source: Martha Reyner, Expressions in Motion
Writer: Lucy Ament

Most folks who work from home worry only about having ample grommets and surge-protected power strips, so it's understandable if residential real estate developers forget that the work of self-employed artists is a little more, well, messy. Fortunately for the artists in Baltimore's Station North neighborhood, sisters Kim Rutherford and C.J. Finnical of Reisterstown-based East-West Properties haven't forgotten.

The sisters have rehabbed 11 of 13 row houses on the 1600 block of Latrobe Street (between Lanvale & Federal Streets, just east of Guilford) that they purchased specifically to market to working artists, whose needs they determined through a series of pre-renovation interviews. What Rutherford and Finnical produced were two-story, 850-square feet homes with open layouts, slop sinks, an abundances of electrical outlets, exposed pipes and brick, and unfinished sheet rock walls that artists could decorate as they chose. For a special artistic flourish, they painted the exteriors of the houses, each of which have one bedroom and one bath, in "wild" colors, including pinks, greens, reds and oranges.

Rutherford says the homes, nine of which are now occupied by tenants, can be rented, leased with an option to buy, or purchased for around $120,000. Half of the homes have a full basement and backyard parking, while the other half have a half-basement and a backyard patio in lieu of a parking space. Work on the remaining two homes will begin in the fall.

So far, the response from the community has been great.

"It's in a great location as far as the Maryland Institute College of Art is concerned," she says of the school on Mount Royal Avenue. "And kids ride their bikes and people walk around, and it's quite. Artists love it in that area, that's why we chose it."

The homes, which abut the Cork Factory, have already been occupied by MICA students, a MICA professor, and some artists who commute to D.C.

Source: Kim Rutherford, East-West Properties
Writer: Lucy Ament

What does a $65 million renovation look like? Stroll down to 2 South Charles Street and take a peek at the Hotel Monaco, a new "lifestyle" hotel that's poised to attract not just business travelers but those seeking to explore a new city and experience the lux life.

The 202-room luxury boutique hotel, which occupies the circa 1906 Beaux Arts building, formerly the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad headquarters, boasts "Mediterranean Suites" with soaking tubs for two, 37-inch flat-screen TVs, and 500-thread-count Italian linens; "Tall Rooms" with extra-long mattresses and giraffe print robes; "Pet Parlor Rooms" for travelers with feline or canine companions, and a living room where guests can mingle during a daily wine hour.

It also showcases Tiffany stained-glass windows, marble floors, and imposing staircases. Best of all, it offers accommodation with a conscience: the lighting is energy-saving incandescent, showerheads are water savers, and the thermostats and HVAC systems are computer-controlled for optimal efficiency.

The Monaco represents the first Baltimore-based venture for San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, which specializes in super sumptuous accommodation. It is expected to help revitalize Charles and Baltimore Streets. It's also bolstering the workforce: the hotel and its restaurant have 135 to 140 employees. The first Friday and Saturday after opening were sold out, and management expects an occupancy rate of 50-60% for the duration of the year.

A big draw to the area will be the B&O American Brasserie, on the hotel's first level, with its exhibition kitchen, pizza oven and generous counter seating. Chef E. Michael Reidt, named one of the country's Best New Chefs in 2001 by Food & Wine, promises "approachable yet refined" fare, ranging from small plates, charcuterie, cheeses and flatbreads to fisherman's stew and pot roast using only sustainable seafood and local farmers' products. Cocktails are handmade with farm fresh ingredients and, with $3 glasses of wine and Champagne on top of lower-priced bar food specials, happy hour is don't miss.

Source: Dorothy Fuchs, Sandy Hillman Communications
Writer: Lucy Ament

The Baltimore Development Corp. has put $30 million in tax-exempt development money up for grabs.

The call for interested private sector parties to submit funding proposals is part of the $15 billion in Recovery Zone Facility Bonds created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 (a.k.a. the Stimulus Plan). The tax-exempt bonds were earmarked by the Feds for areas of the country with high poverty or unemployment rates. The moneys may be used for new construction, expansion, or substantial rehabilitation of office buildings, hotels, business parks, industrial and manufacturing facilities, retail, restaurants, certain qualifying residential projects, mixed-use projects and other types of private commercial uses.

Colin Tarbert, BDC Senior Economic Development Officer, says the bonds must be issued for projects by Dec. 31, 2010 -- the program's end date -- and that BDC as a result will prioritize "projects that are sort of ready to go, that have evolved to the point where [the developers] are looking to be financed and haven't been able to close on that financing."

The BDC is hoping the funding "will stimulate the lending field. At the end of the day, we're looking for projects that will create new city jobs and new city taxes," Tarbert says. Interest in the bonds from the private sector has already been strong, he adds.

The Notice of Funding Availability and Request for Proposals can be downloaded from BDC's website. The deadline for submission of proposals is 4 p.m. on Sept. 1. BDC will hold a pre-proposal conference at its offices (36 S. Charles Street, 16th floor) on Aug. 12 at 10 a.m.

Source: Colin Tarbert, BRDC
Writer: Lucy Ament

"Never confuse motion with action," warned the master of adages, Benjamin Franklin. It's the philosophy at the heart of Federal Hill's new South Baltimore CrossFit, a largely machine-free gym that employs strength training for results in lieu of spinning, running and cycling.

The gym, one of a loose affiliation of gyms operating under the CrossFit name, held its grand opening on July 25 with free demonstrations, workouts, and coaching. According to owner Troy Venuto, South Baltimore CrossFit teaches patrons to use "big movements" employing joints and muscles such as squats, deadlifts, and clean-and-jerk lifts.

"It's the most complete program that I've ever found for improving your general physical fitness," Venuto says. "These are movements that professional athletes have been using for decades but that the average gym-goer is not exposed to."

New members are required to take a fundamentals program three times a week for four weeks to learn the basic movements (experienced resistance trainers may test out). They are then free to choose from a variety of daily classes, each of which lasts about an hour.

Community interest in the gym has been strong, says Venuto, who said the first fundamentals program is 85 percent full. Venuto, who lives in Federal Hill, set up shop there because of his neighbors' evident love for fitness. "On a nice day there a million people out there jogging," he says.

Venuto says the "big movement" method will solve any defects of the physique.

"If you come in overweight, you'll lose weight. If you come in scrawny, you'll gain muscle. The body is an awesome thing," he notes. "Give it the right moves and it will take care of itself."

South Baltimore CrossFit is located at 1800 South Hanover St.

Source: Troy Venuto, South Baltimore CrossFit
Writer: Lucy Ament