Fells Point: Fighting the Same Battle Twice

Fells Point has had to fight to keep its quaint historic village-like feel. Those who remember that fight will say that it was well worth preserving the Neighborhood. Those who don't remember the fight will take a look at the Neighborhood and say that it was well worth the fight as well. So why is history repeating itself? Well it isn't exactly repeating itself, different forces are looking to destroy Fells Point as we know it but the outcome must be the same; Fells Point must retain its historic character.

Fells Point is one of the first settlements in what would become Baltimore City. This is not surprising due to the fact that it's on the water with numerous wharves and piers to create a hub for manufacturing and importing/exporting. Further inland, quaint row homes began popping up to house said workers. Thus began the tradition now known as Baltimore City. Given that brief history lesson, it's easy to see why preserving housing stock and water views is crucial for Fells Point.

As industrial Fells Point experienced the decline that manufacturing based economies across the Country were faced with in the mid 20th Century, the Neighborhood began to decline. The once bustling wharves and piers had become empty with businesses either going under or relocating overseas with a workforce a fraction of the size than that of their heyday. As the job market dried in Fells Point, Residents began to flee the Community. 

As industry was declining in Fells Point, Baltimore, and America as a whole, a new force to be reckoned with was changing the American Landscape as we know it; Interstates. Fells Point and Baltimore were no different. I-70 was supposed to run through the heart of West Baltimore although it never connected, construction began and 2 miles worth of row homes demolished in the process leaving the Neighborhood in shambles. The original alignment of I-95 was supposed to take out the Otterbein Neighborhood but was since realigned to where it is now. Of course Families in the Otterbein were uprooted anyway and some demolition already occurred before this decision was made but Otterbein rebounded and became one of Baltimore's most sought after Neighborhoods.

Fells Point was also a Community whose future was bleak due to interstate construction. I-83 was supposed to continue past Fayette St. and make a sharp eastward turn Aliceanna St. and eventually Boston St. in Canton before crossing the Harbor and then meeting its terminus at I-95. This would have had a devastating effect on the already fragile Fells Point Community that was plagued with vacant homes and an abandoned waterfront. Fortunately, Community Activists saw the beauty in Fells Point and its waterfront. Luckily, activists were successful in stopping I-83 from destroying Fells Point.

When I-83 was no longer a threat, Fells Point began a rebirth. People seeking City life were drawn into the beauty of the Neighborhood and began buying and rehabbing vacant homes. As Row Homes became more and more scarce, developers looked to the waterfront. Since the waterfront was vacant, it became easy to redevelop it into luxury Apartments, Condos, and Town Homes while Broadway and Thames St. became the Retail Center of the Community.

Now that Fells Point has become one of Baltimore's most sought after addresses, more and more people want to call it home. Needless to say that makes the Real Estate Market very tight. Since the Neighborhood is all but built out, large scale development is restricted to neighboring communities like Inner Harbor East and Harbor Point and Canton to a lesser extent. For the most part, Fells Point is meant to be an historic Community of quaint row homes much to the chagrin of developers. 

But now, much to chagrin of Residents, Fells Point is another fight for its future. This time the enemy is the City Zoning Code. Every so often the City amends its Zoning Code which allows densities and building heights to change which can then influence redevelopment if there's interest in that area. Given the fact that Fells Point is a sought after address, higher density and building heights could theoretically usher large scale redevelopment in Fells Point. 

Although Fells Point is nearing build out, the small row homes and the water view offered by their low height are in grave danger. There are proposals to allow parts of Fells Point to be rezoned to allow much taller. buildings to invade the neighborhood. The water view that's so attractive could be walled off by sky scrapers. In addition, developers could buy out current property owners, knock down historic row homes, and build tall glitzy Apartment Buildings.

Now didn't we go through this already? Fells Point was saved when Community Activists convinced Planners not to build I-83 through it. Although they were successful in eradicating an elevated highway, saving Fells Point didn't mean saving it from itself. By that I mean having the land value get so high that the very houses that Activists are trying to save are endangered due to the fact that developers want to make money off the land by cramming more and more sky scrapers on it.

There's only one real solution to this; Keep the Zoning Code as is. It's just that simple. If nothing changes zoning wise, everything that makes Fells Point special has to stay as is. Tall buildings will not be permitted and the narrow quaint row homes of Fells Point will remain as they are. Fells Point already fought and won this battle when I-83 was nixed. There is no reason they should be fighting the same battle twice.

Canton Crossing: Mixed Use Coming Soon

The first buildings of Canton Crossing were built just before the start of the recession. For years it was the lone office building containing the headquarters for First Mariner Bank with President and Canton Crossing Developer Ed Hale using the top floor as his pent house Apartment. Also in the first stages of development, there were some Neighborhood Retail buildings containing a few Restaurants and a Merrirtt Athletic Club. This phase of Canton Crossing is located at the intersection of Boston St. and Clinton St.

Once this phase was competed, the recession hit. The future of Canton Crossing which was to be Baltimore's First Big Box Shopping Center as well as a slew of Office Buildings and Apartments was in grave danger. The industrial wasteland on which this ambitious project was to be built sat as vacant as a bleak reminder of the fate this once ambitious project was suffering. Indeed, Developer Ed Hale had to sell off the remaining land banks of Canton Crossing as well as other stalled development investments to keep his primary venture; First Mariner Bank afloat. 

The buyer of this land bank was "Corporate Office Properties Trust" better known as "COPT." As I was always a fan of the original concept of Canton Crossing and what it would do not just for Southeast Baltimore but the City as a whole. I made an impassioned plea on this very blog to COPT to "Keep Ed Hale's Canton Crossing Alive." Luckily, this plea was not necessary. Not only did COPT have any intention of making huge changes to the original concept, the land was and is zoned for that exclusive purpose. 

True to their word, COPT began negotiations with potential tenants and announced anchors such as Target and Harris Teeter as well as "Junior Anchors" Old Navy, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Michael's Arts & Crafts, as well as several restaurants and smaller Retail ventures. Sketches of the layout of the Shopping Center as well as the decidedly urban style of the buildings began flooding local newspapers to drum up excitement for the soon to be opened center dubbed "The Shoppes at Canton Crossing" which was slated to open in November of 2013. 

Perhaps it was for best that the construction of Canton Crossing was delayed several years. Had it opened in '08 or '09, that part of the Canton/Brewers Hill Neighborhoods was still quite sparse. However, the Residential Market in particularly the Rental Apartment Market was recession proof. Projects in Brewers Hill just across the street for Canton Crossing such as the Gunther, Domain, and Hanover Brewers Hill created a population boom as well as the need for additional Retail. New town homes in Neighboring Greektown have also added to the demand.

Finally,after years of planning and waiting, the Shoppes at Canton Crossing opened to a huge fanfare. This once forlorn and forgotten part of industrial Canton had experienced a true rebirth as a big box Retail haven flanked by the adjacent First Mariner Tower and Apartments that are both new construction as well as reused industrial buildings. COPT had truly done what Ed Hale had dreamed up and gave Canton and all of Baltimore a successful urban big box Center.

With the success of the newly completed Shoppes at Canton Crossing, many had thought that the entire Canton Crossing Development had been completed. I was beginning to think so as well as my searches for "Canton Crossing Apartments" and "Canton Crossing Mixed Use" came up empty except for articles written years earlier when Ed Hale still owned the land. I had simply thought that COPT had scaled back the project which was not uncommon for developments that stalled the recession. and that those remaining undeveloped parcels would remain so and/or eventually get sold.

Recently I received the exciting news that it's still intended for Canton Crossing to be mixed use. The land that is currently a surface level parking lot on Clinton St. is slated to be at least four office buildings. The swath of undeveloped land next to the target is slated to be a six story 350 unit Apartment Building with underground parking and ground floor Retail. One reason that the additional phases of Canton Crossing were held up was because the design board didn't like the plans presented to them by developers so they were literally sent back to the drawing board especially when it came to the Apartments.  

After close to a decade of waiting and wondering if the finished product of Canton Crossing will be the mixed use haven that was promised to us by Ed Hale, I can now safely that mixed use is coming soon to Canton Crossing.

Let the Gentrification of Russell Street Begin

Russell St. has always been the back door to Downtown via I-95. Its gritty industrial appearance doesn't scream "Welcome to Baltimore" the way I-395 does what with Camden Yards on the left, Otterbein on the right, and Downtown straight ahead. When M&T Bank Stadium opened, little changed as far as the appearance of the surrounding area. And why should it have? It's not like the Ravens are playing home games all day everyday. I'm saying the Stadium isn't a draw, I'm just saying it didn't do much for Russell St.

Fast forward to August 2014 and a new large institution has opened on Russell St; The Horseshoe Casino. Unlike M&T Bank Stadium this is meant to attract crowds all day every day and even into the night. This gives people on Russell St. the opportunity to explore the area around the Casino instead of just speeding by it as has been the case. Well there's nothing really there to explore along Russell St. besides the Casino itself and it doesn't have any outward facing Restaurants or Retail of any kind. All Russell St. has is Gas Stations, Storage Facilities, a Holiday Inn Express, and lots of aging industrial properties with varying degrees of occupancy. I'm proposing to turn the Russell St. Corridor into a mixed use haven anchored by the Casino. So let the gentrification of Russell St. begin!

The opportunity for Waterfront Development along the Middle Branch was largely hindered by the construction of the Casino's parking garage. This is why I'm huge a proponent of underground parking garages. Since that won't be happening we'll have to deal with the hand we were given. As luck would have it there is a parking lot at the corner of Warner St. and Stockholm St. that can be turned into a mid rise Apartment/Condo building that directly overlooks the Middle Branch as well as the Casino, the Stadium, and the Gwynns Falls Trail. 

I'm not big on either of those Public Storage Buildings that flank . I think they could be put to more productive use further in the Carroll Camden Industrial Park. In their places would be more mid rise Apartment/Condo buildings with ground floor Retail wrapped around a garage. I would like to emphasize affordability on these projects to make the area a magnet for Casino Workers. The block that contains the Game Day Warehouse would be demolished except for the facade of the Game Day Warehouse where you guessed it! More Apartments and Condos would go. This time they'll be loft style. Ground Floor Retail can be found along Alluvion and Warner St.

On the north side of the train tracks, I'm proposing a broader mix of uses. On the north side east of Russell St. I'm proposing tearing down the dilapidated vacant industrial buildings in favor of parking garages. I'm not a fan of parking garages especially exposed ones like I'm putting here but the Stadiums will lose two lots to development I'm proposing so I'd like them to regain those spaces and perhaps more.

There are two parking lots here that can be developed as mid rise Office Buildings both with Ostend St. frontage. Whether or not there's ground floor Retail will depend on the demand for it. The parking garage for the building that will be built on Lot "O" will face the Railroad Tracks. The Paradox night club will be redeveloped as a higher end Hotel. A new Paradox Club will be integrated with the Hotel with separate entrances. In keeping with the theme of the two Offices Buildings, the Hotel/Paradox Night Club will have Ostend St. frontage.

What I'm proposing a merely just the beginning of a long gentrification process that is sure to take off as Housing, Retail, Office and Hotel needs grow around the Casino. I've left out certain parcels along Russell St. because they're successful in the current use. The Gas Stations for instance, although they take up a lot of land, it's at the beginning/end of a highway so drivers would want to fill up as they enter the highway or are low gas as they exit the highway. Like I said, this is just the beginning but let the gentrification of Russell St. begin!

Could the New Apartments in South Baltimore Help its Parking Woes?

Ever been to South Baltimore? Of course you have, it's a great up and coming part of the City mixed with classic Baltimore Row Homes, New Apartments, Condos, and Town Homes as well as old industrial buildings being converted into Residences. Lets not forget the growing of Restaurants,Pubs, and Boutiques popping up throughout the Neighborhood especially around the Cross Street Market. So, if you want to experience Baltimore's day and night life, hop on the Light Rail and/or the Charm City Circulator and have a ball.

Oh, you want to drive to South Baltimore? You live in one of South Baltimore's classic row homes? So how and where do you park? This is one of the parts of the City that has been drawing young people from the suburbs as well as DC due to its relative affordability. This demographic has a high number of people who have ditched their cars. And why not? Urban living when done right, there is no need for a car. All one has to do is hop on a bus or rail transit of some sort if your destination isn't within a short walk from home or work.

Sadly South Baltimore is one of the parts of the City where a car is needed. This is also one of the oldest parts of the City so streets are only barely able to support two way traffic with on-street parking and those are the "wide" roads. This has created a problem; There's nowhere to park in South Baltimore. That's why in the first paragraph when I was singing South Baltimore's praises, I said take the Light Rail and/or the Charm City Circulator to avoid parking here. If you do live here or decide to bring your into South Baltimore, you will no doubt spend an extra 10-15 minutes circling the blocks surrounding your destination hoping to find a parking spot that isn't a driveway or doesn't have a fire hydrant in front of it. Keep in mind once you do find that miracle parking spot that's too good to be true, you're probably stealing from the true Resident of the Row Home you parked in front of. 

Like I said in the beginning, South Baltimore is an up and coming Neighborhood. What does that mean? It means that in addition to population growth from Residents rehabbing existing row homes and vacant industrial uses turned into Residences, new construction is going up at a break neck pace. Fortunately for those renting or buying new construction you most likely can bypass the parking woes since most new Apartments come with a parking garage with reserved parking. The same is with new Town Homes in South Baltimore as they are usually three or four stories tall and are much wider than their old row house counterparts, they have a driveways with either a one or two car garage. If it's a Community of new Town Homes it may even be gated.

Well it's obvious that the solution is more parking garages. Granted these structures are ugly and take away from the historic nature and welcoming environment all communities strive to achieve. South Baltimore is no exception. If one takes a look at the two recent mid-rise Apartment buildings that were just built along Wells St. near Charles St., don't appear to have an unsightly garage attached to them. Well that's what they want you to think. These buildings do in fact have their own garages but their buildings cover them up. In high density Apartment buildings these days, the parking garage is in the center of the structure much like a pool and outdoor gathering space does as well. This shields Residents of these buildings from South Baltimore's parking woes, but what about everyone else?

We can't expand the parking garages on the two new Wells St. buildings because they've been completed but there are several new Apartment buildings coming down the pipeline that can help address these problems. Even better news, they're not all concentrated in one place. They're spread throughout South Baltimore so a new parking garage could be near you. These proposed garages have enough spaces for their future Residents and perhaps a few extra spaces. If they were to add a couple of levels to these garages for visitors and nearby Residents, that would be a huge step in the right direction by lessening the parking woes.

First there's Stadium Square. This new multi building mixed development is located in the Sharp-Leadenhall Neighborhood will be built along the blocks of Race St. and Leadenhall St. between Hamburg St. and Ostend St. that are currently dead industrial zones. Plans for two of the buildings have come one is an Apartment Building with ground floor Retail. The Second Buildings is an Office Building (also with ground floor Retail) which will address the demand for Office Space in the area. Stadium Square is billed as a Tech Incubator for Baltimore. Both of these buildings and other buildings to come will have parking garages wrapped around them. If both buildings expanded their garages underground, then parking in this section of South Baltimore will become much easier.

Next there's a proposed Apartment Building where the currently vacant University of Maryland Specialty sits on S, Charles St. in Otterbein. Although the currently peaceful Neighborhood may feel threatened by this large new building and the life it will bring to it, current Residents can rest assure that ground floor Retail is not planned for this building as well as the fact that it will have a parking garage wrapped around which I'm also proposing to have extra spaces reserved in the area although this area isn't as effected by parking woes than as other parts are. 

Next there's Anthem House. Located at the entrance to Locust Point, this nine story ultra luxury Apartment Building may not need to have additional parking due to the fact that it's right near lots of other parking garages in McHenry Row and there's surface level parking in Southside Shopping Center both directly across the street from the Anthem House site. Still, I would add the additional spaces anyway just in case somebody intends on taking a westward walk along Fort Ave. where the parking becomes much tighter.

Perhaps the most crucial development proposal is the redevelopment of the Cross St. Market. Located in the heart of Federal Hill boutique Retail has popped up all over this popular destination. There is a stand alone parking garage next to the market but I would like to see more parking. My preference would be under-ground parking just beneath the redeveloped Market so as not further disturb the historic nature of the Community. 

Many South Baltimore Residents think that the addition of new high density Apartments will only increase the parking woes they're currently experiencing. If developers kept this in mind and added parking that's meant for people other than the tenants of their buildings, they would be an asset to the Community and help South Baltimore continue to thrive.

Port Covington Retail:Could It Be Revived?

Disclaimer!!!!! I had roughly composed this post BEFORE Kevin Plank took interest in Port Covington. I had enough Material to publish it as is.

Do you ever drive through the desolate streets of Port Covington and wonder what went wrong? I have googled earthed it many times and wondered the same thing. Finally I made it out there to take pictures and I wondered what went wrong. This was supposed to be a Mecca for Suburban Style Big Box Retail in the City that was previously unknown to City Residents. The Buildings and infrastructure of Downtown's Westside couldn't and wouldn't support this so Port Covington was hand-picked successor of Baltimore's Retail Future. Yet here we are today.

Port Covington is located at the southern edge of the South Baltimore Peninsula. Before the construction of I-95, this once industrial area was integrated to rapidly gentrifying Neighborhoods of South Baltimore north of the I-95 overpasses. Of course these large intrusive overpasses created a barrier between South Baltimore and Port Covington and the continuing decline of industry only increased the bleak future of the area. At this point in time South Baltimore itself was in decline with exception of Federal Hill and Otterbein.

In the early 2000s, it became obvious that the City needed to be home to the same type of suburban big box Retail that City Dwellers were going to in the County for to keep those tax dollars here in the City and lure more Residents in due to the convenience of big box Retail that's in the City. It also became obvious that the Westside of Downtown, Baltimore's historic Retail Mecca doesn't have the parking capacity, infrastructure, or the type of buildings that are required to host these large chain stores.

Meanwhile the Walton Family (owners of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club) have noticed the increase in population surrounding Downtown and they wanted to get in on it. They also noticed the lack of competition as their main competitors K-Mart and Target were nowhere to be found in Downtown Baltimore or anywhere near it. Now all they had to do was find a site, build on it, and they would be ready to roll and smaller suburban chain stores such as Restaurants or medium sized box stores were sure to follow.

The question now became where can a vacant land parcel that's large enough for a big box center AND is very close to Downtown? At the time the best and perhaps only answer was Port Covington. Although there are a few active uses going on in Port Covington, there was also lots of vacant land especially the land directly overlooking the Middle Branch. At this point, the idea of building luxury Apartments along the shores of the Middle Branch was still a-ways away. 

Long story short WalMart and Sams Club built their stores in Port Covington. No other businesses ever followed suit. WalMart is still open but Sams Club(pictured above) had gone out of business years ago. Although it's close to Downtown it's not convenient to I-95 traffic, Cherry Hill, Brooklyn, or any other Neighborhood for that matter. This little island of failed would-be big boxed Retail just exists on mostly in a world of its own. One lesson painful lesson was learned from this little experience; Baltimore just can't support Big Box Retail.

Fast forward to 2013 and another waterfront Community proved the above statement wrong. Canton Crossing (pictured above) opened a big box Shopping Center in (you guessed it) Canton. Canton Crossing comes with a Target, Harris Teeter, Michaels, Old Navy, DSW Shoe Wharehouse, and Five Below. Not to mention a generous selection of Restaurants including Baltimore City's first Chick-Fillet. This time the Center was built in the middle of a densely packed Row House Neighborhood filled with new Apartments, Condos, and Town Homes with many more on the way. In short, Canton Crossing has a critical mass of consumers located within walking distance.

Two lessons were learned from Canton Crossing that could be transferred Port Covington. The first is that Baltimore City CAN in fact support Big Box Retail but that sight must be accessible and on the grid so to speak. The second lesson is that it must be near a critical mass of Residences and Offices who will automatically support these stores. These are both things that Canton Crossing has and Port Covington lacks. 

So, in staying true to the title of this post, how can we revive Port Covington and the Big Box Center that has died before our eyes? To answer that I suggest we would look at the more successful Canton Crossing. Port Covington simply needs a critical mass of Residences and Offices surrounding it. Now what is surrounding the ill-fated Center? Industry. It's no secret that industry is on the decline and has been for quite some time now. It might not be a bad idea to look at the industrial area west of the Center to see full the space is. 

Should this space become available, it would be perfect to redevelop as a mixed waterfront enclave not unlike Inner Harbor East and the soon to be built Harbor Point. Remember this is prime waterfront property granted it's the Middle Branch rather than the Inner Harbor but the Middle Branch is bound to be a magnet for those looking to buy waterfront after the Inner Harbor is built out. There's also the sad truth that the Baltimore Sun may not need a distribution plant as large as the one in Port Covington. If that closes, it can be torn down and redeveloped with Town Homes in a traditional urban grid fashion. 

With Port Covington as a real Neighborhood, the big box center can turn into a community gathering place where Retailers and Restaurants alike can flock to the area and will no longer be off the beaten path.

Edmondson Village Redevelopment II: The Rest of the Neighborhood

The title of this post may seem misleading. I have no intention redeveloping all of Edmondson Village. In fact, I think Edmondson Village has some of Baltimore's most well kept and beautifully designed Row Homes that nobody knows about. Given that Edmondson Village has had run ins with crime and its Shopping Center is going down hill all too quickly (addressed in my previous post) people tend to shy away from this diamond in the rough. But if a few target spots in the Neighborhood were redeveloped or reused along with the population influx from the new Uplands, Edmondson Village can in fact become the safe clean Neighborhood it's always wanted to be.

Edmondson Village started out as a middle class white Neighborhood. In the mid to late 1950s, Inner City social constraints made the Black Neighborhoods just a few miles away burst at the seams and "blockbusting" Real Estate Agents began selling to Middle Class Black Families. This scared away most White Families and by 1965 Edmondson Village was almost 100% Black. Similar to the White Families who abandoned Edmondson Village in the 1950s and '60s, Middle Class Black Families began doing the same in the 1970s as the suburbs became more affordable and welcoming to them. As the Inner City continued to clear out, Edmondson Village went from a Middle Class Neighborhood to a poorer Neighborhood.      

One thing Edmondson Village has retained throughout its entire existence has been its high rate of home ownership. In order to make the Neighborhood more viable, the high rate of home ownership must be preserved. In addition to the high number of privately owned homes, there are only a very small number of vacants. Don't get me wrong, there are some vacants and some rentals. However when compared to many other West Baltimore Neighborhoods the amount of boards on windows is very low. Since the aim of this post is for Edmondson Village to be the best it can be, how about we try to eliminate the number of vacants no matter how few there are.

So how we do that? Well first we have to find them. I've found that they tend to be clusters. The two largest clusters are in the vicinity of W. Franklin St. and Normandy Avenue. The other is in the Hilton/Denison/Edgewood St. area. If these two blocks of Edmondson Village were redeveloped, I believe it would give the Neighborhood a face lift and can in turn entice other single blighted properties throughout the Neighborhood to make improvements. Hopefully private investment in the form of redevelopment in the areas I've selected will help steer some public dollars towards Edmondson Village by way of alley cleanings, new sidewalks, and repaved roads.

Now no discussion about Edmondson Village can be complete without discussing the road that runs right through it; Edmondson Avenue. This is where the vast majority of vacants in Edmondson Village are and at the same time gets by far the most vehicular and foot traffic. I don't think it's a good idea to simply rehab the existing structures due to the fact that one reason their vacancy rate is so high is because there's not enough parking. I would build new town homes that are more set back from the road that have garages in the back allies to ensure adequate parking. The corner stores would not be allowed as these blocks of Edmondson Avenue would be rezoned to purely Residential as would the remainder of corner stores not with Edmondson Avenue frontage.

Another area in Edmondson Village that needs to be addressed is the Fair Foods Market (nee Hilton Supermarket) and surrounding blighted Retail. I would have that whole area rezoned as purely Residential and have it redeveloped as Apartments for low income Seniors similar to the Greens at Irvington Mews just a few blocks south. I would relocate the Fair Foods in a brand new building as well as other Retail uses in the area along Fredrick Avenue so as not to create a food desert. The last area I will address in this post is what is known as Saint Joseph's park. Some maps and master plans list it as a park while others list it as several vacant lots. The Edmondson Village Master Plan goes as far as to create a rendering as the area developed. If this is truly a park I say let it stay as such. If it's truly vacant lots, build the homes as the Master Plan gas laid them out.

Although the Uplands redevelopment has the potential to keep Edmondson Village from falling further, there are still a few aspects of Edmondson Village proper that need to be addressed to make this diamond in the rough shine once again. Hopefully more people will begin to see the potential.