Development News

Baltimore County has been awarded a $4 million grant from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Baltimore County Office of Community Conservation received the funding for the Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Program to create lead-safe, healthy, energy-efficient homes in Baltimore County.

"For decades, childhood lead poisoning has tragically impacted the lives of children and communities in Baltimore County. he Office of Community Conservation will use these funds to pursue its goal of ending childhood lead poisoning in the County. I'm pleased to announce that Baltimore County was the sole jurisdiction in the State of Maryland to receive this grant. I also want to thank Senator Barbara Mikulski for her support with this important funding," says Smith.

The Lead Hazard Reduction Program will provide lead inspections/risk assessment of 350 homesin targeted area communities in Baltimore County for lead-based paint and healthy homes hazards; perform lead hazard control (including window replacements) in 300 homes; conduct 150 outreach and education events to reach at least 16,500 citizens; and provide lead worker certification and Green and Healthy Homes training to 30 individuals. Effectively immediately, the demonstration program will run for three years.

"Lead poisoning from old paint is a parent's worst nightmare. It's practically invisible in your home, but its effects can be devastating. I'm so proud this grant will be used to create lead-safe, healthy homes in Baltimore County," Senator Mikulski says. "This funding will help protect kids from lead exposure and make a real difference for Baltimore County's families."

Baltimore County is partnering with other Baltimore County departments, including the Department of Health, the Department of Permits and Inspections and the Department of Social Services, as well as the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning.

"This strong network of partners will be invaluable in identifying older, lower income properties where children reside and pose the most danger to our community," says Baltimore County Chair Joseph Bartenfelder.

Source: Jim Smith, Baltimore County
Writer: Walaika Haskins

St. John Properties, Inc. has completed a comprehensive $3 million renovation and revitalization program of Lakeshore Plaza, a 161,000 square foot retail center located near the intersection of MD Route 100 and Magothy Beach Road in Pasadena, MD.

The center, which was constructed in the mid 1980s, is anchored by Safeway, Ace Hardware and Blockbuster Video and features a variety of national and locally-operated in-line and pad site merchants. A grand re-opening celebration will be held at the center on Saturday, October 24 from 11 am to 3 pm.

Harbor East recently welcomed a new and much needed resident -- a pizzeria. Bagby Pizza Co. located at 1006 Fleet Street, right across from Whole Foods, is the culmination of owner Blake Smith and chef Kyle Gillies hard work. The pair realized that amidst the high-end clothing and accessory stores, the upscale restaurants and glittering apartment/condo towers there was just one thing missing.

And so, Bagby Pizza Company was born to provide the Harbor East community a place to get affordably priced gourmet pizzas, pastas, salads and sandwiches.

The restaurant also doubles as an art gallery for local artists who are welcome to display their art on the exposed brick walls. Proceeds from artwork purchased at Bagby Pizza help support the artist or a charity of his/her choosing.

Source: Bagby Pizza Company
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) The Council of State Community and Economic Development Agencies (COSCDA) awarded the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) its Sterling Achievement Award for the state's comprehensive nine-year long efforts to revitalize the town of North Beach in Calvert County. The DHCD partnered with other state agencies including the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) on revitalization efforts in North Beach that were cited as a successful model of coordinated reinvestment strategies.

"Our efforts in the town of North Beach serve as great example of Maryland's commitment to long-term community revitalization based on Smart, Green, and Growing principles," says Gov. Martin O'Malley. "This award endorses our wise investment strategies, ensuring that North Beach and communities throughout our State will be economically strong and sustainable and remain attractive places to live and work for all Marylanders."

Originally platted in 1900, North Beach served as the home for local watermen who made their living by fishing the Chesapeake Bay. It soon became a well known resort town, serving as a summertime destination for part-time residents from Baltimore and Washington, DC. With the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 1955 and the end of legalized gambling in Maryland, North Beach's status as a resort destination soon faded, and, by the 1970s, the town was experiencing rapid disinvestment.

With the adoption of Smart Growth policies under former Gov. Parris N. Glendening, North Beach was identified as a "Designated Neighborhood," which is defined as a mixed-use area in need of social and/or physical revitalization. Projects located in Designated Neighborhoods receive priority for financial assistance through federal programs like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the HOME Investments Partnership Program (HOME) which are administered in rural areas by DHCD, as well as state programs managed by DHCD and additional state agencies. This status as a targeted area paved the way for coordinated reinvestment to revitalize the town of 1,800 residents.

Since 2000, DHCD has invested $2.5 million in North Beach, which has leveraged millions more in additional funding. Concentrated investment by DHCD, MDOT, DBED, and other state agencies has exceeded more than $20 million. This investment has transformed North Beach into an attractive, year-round community that is economically vibrant and provides a high quality of life for its residents.

"The revitalization of North Beach is a testament to the great work that can be done through partnerships between State agencies and local governments," said Skinner. "The coordinated efforts involved in this partnership provide a great model for Maryland and the entire nation for small town revitalization."

News updates also are available by following DHCD on Twitter (MdDHCD), Facebook (Md DHCD) and LinkedIn (MD Dept of Housing).

Source: Gov. Martin O'Malley
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The long delayed Fells Point Recreation Pier could be back on track soon. The city's Board of Estimates on Wednesday approved a deal that will pay for the costs to move Moran Towing, which currently held a 20-year lease on the pier, to a new location in Canton.

Under the agreement, both the ciy and developers J. Joseph Clarke and H&S Properties, will be $300,000, respectively for the tugboat to move to its new location at 1820 S. Clinton Street.

The move should clear the way to renovate the rotting pier in preparation for the planned $50 million, 132-room Aloft hotel. The refurbishment and building has been held up since 2004 by a series of issues, not the least of which was moving Moran.


Source: J. Joseph Clarke
Writer: Walaika Haskins.

All Nations Restaurant is set to open at the end of October at 7 E. Lexington Street. The new downtown eatery will be open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, serving a melange of international dishes from around the globe, including pizza, overstuffed subs, sandwiches, pasta, and salad for eat in, carry-out or delivery.

"We will have foods from all over. We'll have chefs who have experience with Mexican foods, African foods, and American foods , says Felix Chikwere, owner All Nations.

A Baltimore resident for 16 years, Chikwere has owned several Subway franchises as well as an international food market.

"Since I have experience with international foods, I decided to open a restaurant that offers people a variety of foods. I'll have a little bit of something from different countries. I will mix it up so diners can have from another part of the world and not just what they're used to -- a hamburger and the french fries," he says.

The 70 table restaurant will hold approximately 280 guests and Chikwere also plans to include patio/sidewalk seating outdoors.

"Here in downtown, after four o' clock everything dies down. I want to have a place whereby the judges, lawyers and anyone else can have some fresh air before they go home," Chikwere explains.

The restaurant will be hiring front of the house and back of the house staff to cover three shifts.

Source: Felix Chikwere, All Nation's Restaurant
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Developers in Baltimore came together last Thursday to celebrate their own. The Baltimore District Council of The Urban Land Institute  hosted the first annual WaveMaker Awards event at the Legg Mason Tower in Inner Harbor East. The awards were given to developers whose local projects are unique, innovative, and visionary; the seven WaveMaker recipients were honored alongside the national ULI's Heritage Award Winner, Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Earlier this year, ULI Headquarters honored Baltimore's Inner Harbor with its prestigious Heritage Award. The award is bestowed periodically on developments that have demonstrated industry excellence and made substantial contributions to their community's well-being for at least 25 years. Only eight developments have been selected to recieve the prestigious award in the past 35 years.

"Through the redevelopment of 192 acres of dilapidated and abandoned waterfront property, the Baltimore Inner Harbor catalyzed reinvestment in Baltimore -- supporting more than 50,000 new jobs, generating $60 million in new tax revenue, and generating a $4 billion tourism industry that was previously non-existent. The harbor now stands as the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world," states the national selection

The ULI Baltimore also recognized the seven recent local projects that demonstrate industry excellence with the WaveMaker Award.

These projects are respectful of their surrounding neighborhood, economy, history, geography, and local government, and provide strong economic returns to stakeholders. The WaveMakers  were able to stretch the boundaries of what was considered possible and accelerate sustainable, prosperous development in Baltimore.

"ULI Baltimore is excited to build on the Heritage Award presented to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The WaveMaker Award is an excellent opportunity to acknowledge the developers and projects that are shaping Baltimore's skyline," notes ULI Baltimore Chair, Caroline G. Moore.

The 2009 WaveMakers are:

Miller's Court, 2601 N. Howard St., Seawall Development Company

Silo Point, 1200 Steuart St., Turner Development Group

Legg Mason Tower, 100 International Dr., H&S Properties Development Corp.

Fairfield Inn by Marriott, 101 S. President St., Summit Associates LLC/A&R Development Corp.

Towns at Orchard Ridge, 4020 Maple Ridge Dr., Pennrose Properties/Doracon Development LLC

Baltimore Medical System's Highlandtown Healthy Living Center, 3700 Fleet Street, Highlandtown Development, LLC

American Brewery, 1701 N. Gay Street, Humanim

Federal Hill's Scarborough Fair Bed and Breakfast was named one of the country's top urban BnBs for 2009-2010 by Bedandbreakfast.com last week.

The award is based on both quantitative and qualitative analysis of the independently posted reviews on BedandBreakfast.com, according to the site.

"They read all the individual reviews that guests have left, star-ratings for different aspects of the inn rating system and using that somehow select the best inns in the country," explains Barry Werner, the inn's co-owner.

Owning a BnB in Baltimore is "pretty different," according to Werner.

"It's not what people traditionally think of when they think of a bed and breakfast experience. We have all of the normal comfort and luxuriousness, but there's, in my opinion, a heck of a lot more to do here than there is at BnBs in more traditional settings," he continues.

"You have all of the different things in the city to do. All of the festivals, tourist attractions and museums. You can do the normal thing, spending all day exploring the city and then come back to a very comfortable setting that's more like staying at your best friends house, except that its yours and its private," says Werner.

Werner was bitten by the BnB bug as a child, playing BnB with his grandmother "all the time."

"I'd design the rooms and pretend what they looked like. And grandma and I would make pretend menus and have pancakes. She's really the reason," Werner says.

Now, 76, his grandmother is an occasional honored guest at Scarborough Fair.

Werner says he hopes that the award will help travelers see that staying at a BnB is preferrable to to choosing a hotel.

"Hopefully it will help people see that a bed and breakfast is about more than where it's located but also about what it offers. You can find wonderful accomadations in BnB in almost any larger city nowadays and have a wonderful, personalized experience. Hotels tend to be too sterile where the shouldn't be and not sterile enough where they should be. This will hopefully help get the message across that there are many more options," he concludes.

Bmore (www.bmoremedia.com) is a new weekly e-zine covering all that's new and cool in Baltimore. We are looking for a regular freelance contributor to cover weekly news about real estate development and new businesses in the city. We're looking for someone who loves the city, knows what's up and coming in the neighborhoods, and is passionate about telling good stories. This is a paid, part-time, freelance position. The writer would also have the opportunity to contribute feature stories, too.

If you're interested, please send your resume, a few clips, and a cover letter. We're looking to fill the position immediately.

Though the streets of Mt. Vernon offer a veritable cornucopia of dining options, the one thing the area has long lacked is a place students from nearby University of Baltimore and Maryland Institute College of Art could go grab a bite or check out the Orioles or Ravens and enjoy an ice cold brew.

Enter, Turp's Sports Bar and Restaurant, which replaced Neo Viccino at 1317 N. Charles Street. As Mount Vernon's newest and only sports bar, Turps offers a large menu of pub-style munchies and entrees, including burgers, subs, sandwiches, pasta, and pizza in a casual atmosphere.

"Right now, Turp's is just as a much a restaurant as it is a sports bar. It has delicious sports bar-type food, which we've labeled sports grub, but more importantly its abou the area. We have the University of Baltimore, which was a huge consideration for putting Turp's where it's at. There really wasn't a venue for students to go to hang out, see the game, hang out with friends in that type of sports oriented atmosphere," says Lee Morton, director of marketing and design at Jay's Restaurant Group

With Pennsylvania Station, just up Charles Street, unloading its trains packed with commuters and travelers as well as neighborhood residents eager for a bridge between the local carryout and more refined dining options, there was a gap for a sports bar in Mt. Vernon.

"We aren't some corner bar, but at the same time its casual. You don't have to worry about anything when you walk in," says Morton

One big draw for students and residents alike are Turp's 30 cent wing night.

Several months after it shut down following a bar fight that ended tragically, Kolper's is back up and running again thanks to new owners Lucky Singh and his wife.

Located at 1520 Clipper Mill Road, the Singh, owner of Hopkins Deli at University Parkway and 39th Street, says it was the neighborhood and the building itself that sold them.

"We liked the location and the building is beautiful with a lot of potential," Singh says.

Also working to its advantage, from Singhs perspective, was the fact that there wasn't another bar similar to Kolper's in Hampden.

"There aren't any sports bars with good food nearby. You have to go downtown or to Towson," he explains.

Sold on the location, the experienced restauranteur has created a restaurant and bar that offers upscale food including steaks and seafood, in a casual atmosphere.

"You don't need a suit and tie. People can come in with their families and have a good meal made from fresh ingredients. Nothing is frozen," he says.

Monday through Friday, Kolper's hosts several events such as the Monday night wing contest, kar"aoke on Tuesday, trivia on Wednesdays and Thursday, of course, is ladies' night. When the weekend comes, Kolper's undergoes a transformation after 10 p.m. into Club Kolper's with a DJ spinning out beats live.

"We push the tables back and make a dance floor. We have a bit of something for everyone," say Singh, adding that "people should give us a fair chance to prove ourselves."

All Wayne Robinson wanted was a "nice place to open a bar." He found it, he says, in Locust Point. Banner's Bar and Grille opened at 1401 Decatur Street in August.

"Locust Point is a growing neighborhood and a nice place to open a business," Robinson explains.

The Catonsville native envisions his new restaurant as a favorite stop for area residents to stop in for a pint and some bar food, or take it up a notch and order a steak or crabcakes.

So, far the response has been good.

"We're just a patriotic bar with good food and good clientele," he says.

Latrobe Park in Locust Point has become the site of the city's second dog park. Located on the Andre Street side of the park, the 10,000 square foot playground for dogs cost about $200,000, paid for in part by the Locust Point Dog Park Supporters (LPDPS), a community organization.

"We kicked off the effort [to build a dog park in Locust Point] about two years ago. We raised $50,000 towards the cost of the park. Once we accomplished that, we went to the city and the city realized that we had a committed volunteer group and they offered to do a public/private partnership with us,"explains Meg Kelley, LPDPS treasurer.

With the city onboard, the park quickly took shape with extra elements thrown in for good measure.

"There are things in the park that we otherwise wouldn't be able to have [without the partnership with the city]. Initially we were hoping to just have a fence around some grass so that the dogs can get off the leash. Now, it has a water feature where dogs can play, a hill made out of special dog turf so we can keep the park as clean as possible. We're one of the first dog parks to have that. It helps keep the park clean because we can hose it down and disinfect it.," she says.

Drainage was installed to make the park environmentally friendly and the city also added a "big tree stump" as an additional play feature for the dogs that they run over.

"It's quite a nice addition to our neighborhood," Kelley says.

For those familiar with the city's original dog park in Canton, this one is about the same size, but with a few more bells and whistles. For instance, there's a water feature that snakes, creek-like across a corner of the park -- dogs can splash in it or even have a drink. And a big hill in the middle is covered with artificial canine turf, to keep it looking green all year.

Turner Development has signed a $40 million deal with Landex Development, LLC to purchase land that will used for an aparment development at the Westport Waterfront.

Westport Waterfront is a $1.2 billion, 50-acre transit-oriented, mixed- use development located on Baltimore's Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. The 1.07 acre Parcel L is located on the newly created John Moale Boulevard at the southern end of the Westport Waterfront site just a block from the Light Rail station.

Landex plans to build a luxury apartment building as part of Westport Waterfront's first phase of development. Accordin to the architectural plans the building will be six stories with a glass fa�ade, LEED certified with 200 apartments featuring balconies and terraces with views of the waterfront and surrounding parks. The spacious, contemporary apartments will have a variety of suite layouts and will include secured underground parking with concierge services. Construction on this site is slated to begin by the 4^th quarter of 2010.

"The Westport Waterfront offers very strong market potential", says Peter Siegel, CEO of Landex Development."Its proximity to rail and highway transportation as well as the availability of outdoor recreation activities such as biking, walking trails and kayaking at the front door make it a very desirable location for professionals looking to combine beautiful living space with outdoor activities and easy access to Washington and Baltimore. "Landex is very excited about collaborating with Patrick Turner and helping to implement his vision for the Westport Waterfront Master Plan."

Westport Waterfront is on the forefront of sustainable "green" design. The project is presently the only neighborhood development on the East Coast seeking LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) platinum designation. The Maryland Board of Public Works recently voted to award more than $800,000 to aid with the development Westport's wetlands.

"Landex is exactly the kind of partner that we want to bring to Westport Waterfront � an experienced developer that takes a holistic approach to housing, neighborhoods and communities," says Patrick Turner, president of Turner Development. "Their design mandate that the building must be attractive, contemporary and sustainable over the long term fits our vision for Westport Waterfront."

Source: Patrick Turner, Turner Development
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Interior and Environment appropriations bill for FY 2010 recently passed by the Senate contains $2 million for the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Dorchester County. The Refuge is currently separated into two sections by an area of unprotected land that could potentially be the site of future development and deforestation. The funding would be used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help acquire additional land in the refuge, protecting it from future land conversion.

"The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is one of Maryland's treasures. It supports more than 300 species of birds, fish, and wildlife and provides an engaging environment to residents and visitors," said Senator Mikulski, a member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee that funds this program. "I will continue to fight for funds to preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay and its fragile habitat."

"The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a national treasure that encompasses some of the most important marshlands in North America and it is vital to the health of migratory birds," said Senator Cardin, chairman of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee of the Committee on Environment and Public Works. "We have a duty to protect this very important wildlife area for the future."

The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1933 under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act. It is widely though of as a  showplace because of its abundant and diverse wildlife and its critical wetland habitat. More than 300 species of birds, fish and other wildlife call the refuge home, including the largest nesting population of bald eagles north of Florida on the Atlantic Coast, the largest extant population of Delmarva fox squirrels in the world, and some extremely rare aquatic plants.

Blackwater NWR also is a major tourist attraction for Dorchester County and the Eastern Shore. Some 250,000 visitors come to Blackwater each year, bringing an estimated $4 million annually to support the local economy.

Source: Sen. Barbara Mikulski
Writer: Walaika Haskins