Edmondson
Village wasn't always like it is today. It opened in 1947 as an upscale
Shopping Center for the fast growing Edmondson Avenue corridor. It
originally boasted tenants such as Hoschild Kohn, Hess Shoes, a Movie
Theater, and eventually a Bowling Alley among many others. The Shopping
Center was deemed as one of the first suburban Shopping Centers in the
region. Even as blockbusting completely change the population from
almost all White to almost all black in less than a decade, the Shopping
Center still retained a nice mix of tenants.
The
biggest blow to the Center was and still is slumlords. One could make
the argument that newer Shopping Centers just over the County Line were
to blame but Edmondson Village and its surrounding Neighborhoods didn't
experience population at nearly as high a rate as many in other parts of
the City. There are also Shopping Centers throughout the City that
despite losing large amounts of population, spent tens of millions of
dollars renovations and modernizing their properties and have enjoyed a
new lease on life such as Mondawmin Mall, Reisterstown Road Plaza, and
the Rotunda which is currently undergoing redevelopment. There are also
areas in the City where brand new suburban style Shopping Centers (more
than Edmondson Village) have breathed new life into Neighborhoods with
little to no Retail and perhaps may have curtailed further population
loss. South-side Marketplace and Greenspring Tower Plaza come to mind.
So
while all these other Shopping Centers were either being built or
renovated, what happened to Edmondson Village? Very little. Perhaps some
minor facade improvements were made over the years but other than that
the Center looks almost identical to itself in its heyday. When I say
almost I don't take into account the years of neglect it has suffered
but how many 60+ year old Shopping Centers are successful today without
major renovations or redevelopment? The original neglect of the Center
started in the late 1970s when Harry Weinberg owned it. Although he
would later become Baltimore Royalty post posthumously due to the
generosity of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, he was
actually a slumlord.
Although Edmondson Village
changed hands from between the days of Harry Weinberg and the present
day, Edmondson Village is once again owned by a slumlord. This time it's
Carl Verstandig, owner of America's Realty Corp. Though they're not
quite notorious for their lack of upkeep on their properties, they're
beginning to make a name for themselves most famously in Columbia when
they bought Long Reach Village Center and let it decay so bad that
Howard County bought from them and will redevelop it themselves. They
also own some low market strip centers in Glen Burnie that are also
suffering from lack of upkeep. In addition they want to buy Owings Mills
Mall, which if you thought couldn't get any worse, just America's
Realty Corp buy it and prove you wrong. In fact, all of the upkeep (or
lack there of) problems that are plaguing Edmondson Village are the
fault of America's Realty Corp.
Now comes the
hard part; actually turning Edmondson Village back into a shopping
destination that draws people into the Neighborhood. First thing's
first; America's Realty Corp. has to sell Edmondson Village to an
experienced Retail Property Management/Leasing Agency that will make
long term investments to the Center.In the short term, they must address
all of the quality of life issues around the Center such as decaying
structures, parking lot, and infrastructure. After that is done, the
real planning comes into focus and the burning question will get
answered; Is Edmondson Village relevant in its current form?
Like
I had said before, Edmondson Village remains almost identical in layout
to its 1947 self. In Baltimore, all of the successful Shopping Centers
are either new construction or have gone through massive renovations
that the majority of the original structure(s) have been replaced with
new construction. In order for Edmonson Village to survive and thrive,
some major changes to the lay out of the Center must happen despite its
iconic status as a pioneer in suburban shopping centers.
When
talking redevelopment one must look at the trends. In the case of
Neighborhood Retail, these trends all point to one thing; mixed use.
Recently completed mixed use projects in the City include Jefferson
Square at Washington Hill and Twelve 09 N. Charles St. This works very
well for the Retail component because the Residences and/or Offices
above make for built in patronage for said Retail. On the same token,
the Residences and/or Offices above will have the convenience of Retail
offerings just a few floors below them. So does this translate into a
total tear down for Edmondson Village? It does.
A
compete tear down will also address infrastructure problems that are
currently plaguing the Center. One of the main draws of the Center in
its early days was that it has "acres of parking." which was a clear
indicator of the suburban mindset that the original Architects of the
Center were in. The mindset of mixed use is to built up not out. The now
setback Center will be much closer to Edmondson Avenue. and will be
more pedestrian oriented rather than automobile oriented. This will be
all the more important with the upcoming construction of the Red Line
which will have a stop at Edmondson Village. Speaking of automobiles,
where they park if their parking lot is being taken away from them?
The
answer to that is a parking garage. Not just any parking garage, a
hidden one. A large portion of mixed use developments build a parking
garage in the middle of the building site. The parking garage is also
the same height as the building(s) it serves. The parking garage at
Edmondson Village will have two different entrances; one for the Retail
Tenants and Patrons, the other for Residents of the Apartments and
Condos above. The structure(s) will be 4-6 stories high and will feature
a courtyard pool and sundeck. It will feature a broad mix of incomes
from Market Rate Home Ownership and Rentals to Low/Moderate Income Home
Ownership and Rentals.
Now what will the new
mix of Retail Tenants be? Well that would be up to the Community. Before
and during redevelopment, surveys will be sent out to Residents of the
following Communities; Edmondson Village, Rognel Heights, Hunting Ridge,
Ten Hills, Westgate, Allendale, and Uplands (new and perspective
Residents.) They will be asked what they would like to see at the new
Center such as more of this, less of this and what type of safety
improvements they would like to see as well and if they actually shop
there. Chances are most of the Residents would like to see more sit down
Restaurants, Banks, Coffee Shop, and fewer low end stores. My one
suggestion for Edmondson Village would be to get a Farmer's Market for
the area. The success of Farmer's Markets throughout Baltimore and the
lack of fresh quality produce at affordable prices would prove a big hit
anywhere in the City and Edmondson Village is no different.