Coldstream Homestead Montebello Redevelopment

In the Lower Montebello section of the neighborhood vacant and blighted row homes were demolished to make way for...........???? Well nobody knows for sure exactly what the city has in mind to redevelop sites where demolition has occurred. In fact I don't think the city itself knows it's just bulldozing acres of houses that have gone to the dogs. This has been done in O'Donnell Heights, Mount Winans Homes, Westport Homes Extension, and a section of Cherry Hill Homes. Somerset Homes has been vacated and the wrecking ball is not far behind. There is talk of doing the same thing with Perkins Homes, Latrobe Homes, Gilmor Homes, and Douglass Homes. Now back to Coldstream Homestead Montebello. It was once located on the successful Baltimore Belt Line (now CSX) so its southern section (Coldstream) has a lot of industry although it's ghost of its former self. Much of the residential neighborhood in fact almost all of it was built on former estate land. The Homestead section was deemed Baltimore's first "Suburban Row House Village" although I consider any development outside of the first three that made up Baltimoretown to be suburbs in their time.

With much of its housing stock eligible for historic designation it will make a hurdle for redevelopment efforts. On the flip side much of the housing stock even well preserved homes are very outdated making reoccupying and keeping current residents a shot in the dark. There has been massive population loss especially in the lower Montebello section of the neighborhood where demolition has begun. Not only are the physical structures outdated and blighted but the infrastructure is outdated as well. Allys are unkempt, streets need paving, sidewalks need to be resurfaced, and there is little lighting creating an unsafe environment for crime of all sorts which Coldstream Homestead Montebello suffers from. Retail is very lack luster and is ready for a new mix of retail elements. The answer is clear; redevelopment.

Redevelopment is a welcome addition to this neighborhood but even more important than that would be giving it an identity. Including it on Baltimore history tours whether it be walking or bus tours would be a start. Baltimore City College one of the nations oldest public schools, Historic Homestead Village, and the fact that much of the community was built on the estate of Johns Hopkins would make the neighborhood noticeable to outsiders and make it less generic, something the neighborhood suffers from and will hold back redevelopment efforts. Historic markers and plaques and directional signs like those Downtown would be a welcome addition. The eastern end of the neighborhood is Harford Road which in my tweaked version of the 2002 Regional Rail Plan the Green Line would run under allowing new development to be TOD. Another way to promote the neighborhood through Clifton Park by hosting neighborhood cookouts and luring golf events there. Lake Clifton would be restored once again and the school torn down.

Now the nitty gritty redevelopment, first to go would be any remnants of industry in the neighborhood's southern edge. The CSX Line would be tunneled restoring connections to the revitalized East Baltimore Midway (this plan would occur after the East Baltimore Midway Plan) in its place would be low to mid rise condos that take advantage of the breathtaking views of Clifton Park and Lake Montebello. The existing housing stock in Coldstream varies when possible land will be assembled for redevelopment. This new development would be modern town homes while at the same time having them fit in with the existing architecture. There are parts of the Coldstream section where rehabbing is a better solution low interest loans will be available for those willing to take that on. Homestead will be preserved and marketed as the city's first suburban row house village however, there are vacant lots located in homestead so there will be new development but nothing further will be torn down. The section of known as lower Montebello will be completely torn down which I think the city's going to do anyway. In its place will be more town homes that are 21st century ready. All buildings on Harford Road will be torn down and more upscale retail with housing above will go in its place. All roads and sidewalks will be resurfaced, upgraded and additional lighting, a community center, a day care center, and streetscape enhancements will round out the infrastructure improvements.Not only will Coldstream Homestead Montebello have a new housing stock with better retail but it will have an identity.

Memorial Stadium/Old York Road TOD

It's no secret that there is land available on the grounds of the former Memorial Stadium. The namesake Memorial still remains and a YMCA, a large community playground and affordable senior housing was built. I like the fact that this site's uses are very community friendly and I would like to keep it as such. Plans call for a new Waverly Elementary/Middle and I think this will be a great site for it. Any land left over will be open space.

Now for Old York Road on both sides it's prime land for TOD. It runs from between 31st and 32nd st. in Better Waverly to Radnor Avenue in Govans just east of York Road. Much of Old York Road is blighted outdated homes and commercial uses that used to cater an arterial road which Old York Road was until the current alignment was built. The current alignment of York Road is poised to have the Yellow Line run through it. Since Old York Road is literally a block away from York Road it should capitalize on the TOD possibilties and as neighborhoods like Better Waverly and Pen Lucy redevelop the closer they get to Old York Road, the higher the density. So might bemoan the continuation of commercial uses along Old York Road let alone a drastic expansion but the retail sector of the York Road/Old York Road TOD will provide a much better selection of shopping options that will cater to the influx of new residents into the area. The infrastructure of Old York Road will be improved just like that of York Road with streetscape enhancements, road and sidewalk resurfacing, brick crosswalks, additional lighting, and rebuilt traffic signals with "countdown" pedestrian signals.York Road north of Northern Parkway has had these streetscape enhancements and it looks great. The implementation of future enhancements will be done in phases. Phase I Northern Parkway to Cold Spring Lane, Phase II Cold Spring Lane to 40th St. Phase III 40 th St. to 33rdSt. Phase IV 33rd to 25thSt. and Phase V 25thst. to Belvidere St. If Old York Road runs parallel to any of these sections it will receive the same enhancements at the same time as York Road.After the redevelopment of Old York Road nobody will recognize it in fact having "Old" in its name will make it contradict itself.

East Baltimore Midway Redevelopment Phase II

Now the previous post doesn't cover the entire East Baltimore Midway neighborhood. This post will. This plan will commence around 2014-2016 after the initial plan is well underway and the market can absorb the additional units. This area of East Baltimore Midway has a healthier housing stock so there will be less demolition and more preservation. The boundaries of this plan are as follows North Avenue to the south, Kennedy Avenue to the west, 22ndSt. to the southwest, 25th St. to the north and Harford Road to the east.

As I mentioned in my previous post the Kirk Avenue Bus Station will be relocated to Greenmount and 25thSt. to create a Multi Modal Transit Hub and Cecil Elementary will close and students will be redistricted to Harford Heights Elementary/Middle. In addition to Cecil Elementary Johnston Square and Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. Elementaries will close and be sent to Harford Heights which will be renamed South Clifton Park Elementary/Middle.The targeted area for intense redevelopment will be below Bonaparte Avenue where there is more disinvestment and blight. There is also industrial land here which isn't in sync with the new development. New development like that in the previous post will be TOD condos and town homes with a smaller retail element than that of the previous post. Above Bonaparte Avenue will be mostly infill development and low interest rehab loans to invest in the existing housing stock. However, the 25st. corridor is in desperate need of a makeover. This will be the retail spine of the neighborhood hopefully luring a full service Grocery Store here with sit down restaurants that include outdoor seating. The CSX tracks will be berried underground via Eminent Domain to speed up the process.The income mix will be similar to but not identical to that of the previous post. This 60% will be market rate homewnership 30% market rate rental and 10% public housing.

East Baltimore Midway has been in a sea of blight and urban decay for too long to let it continue to rot. The same can be said about its neighbors which will see the same level of reinvestment and redevelopment in the coming years.

Barclay East Baltimore Midway Redevelopment

First off, let me congratulate the Barclay in its drastic reduction in violent crime. This drastic drop will no doubt help in redevelopment and marketability efforts to attract new residents and retain current ones.

In an effort to attract new residents and retain current ones there's still the problem of vacant and dilapidated houses, undeveloped land, lack luster retail, and disinvestment of infrastructure. Another major catalyst for both Barclay and East Baltimore Midway is the proposed Yellow Line that will run along Greenmount Avenue, the street that divides the two communities. What I'm proposing is TOD with the highest density of residences and retail the closest to Greenmount Avenue. Actually, it can stay high TOD level density throughout both communities because the Charles/St. Paul Trolley will be on the western border of Barclay and the Green Line extension will be (in my plan)on the eastern border of East Baltimore Midway (Harford Road).The boundaries of the redevelopment area are as follows; St. Paul St. on the west, 22ndSt. on the north, North Avenue on the south, and Esnor Avenue on the east. Just outside of the plan boundary is the Kirk Avenue bus station. That will be relocated also just outside of the plan at Greenmount Avenue and 25thSt., a proposed stop on the Yellow Line. The new bus station will be Multi Modal transportation hub that will help fuel redevelopment in its surrounding neighborhoods.

Now this redevelopment plan can't be orchestrated until the housing slump turns around so we're looking at anywhere from 2010 to 2012. However, certain parts can still be implemented in the short term to "prepare" for redevelopment. First off, the development of the east parking lot of the City Schools Headquarters on North Avenue which will be a combination of Dallas F. Nicholas, Barlcay, and Margaret Brent Elementary/Middles into Station North Elementary/Middle. Also the closing of Cecil Elementary and redistricting students to South Clifton Park Elementary/Middle (currently Harford Heights). Also in the interim the Kirk Avenue Bus Station can move to its new location at the southeast quadrant of Greenmount Avenue and 25thSt. Lastly infrastructure improvements such as repaving roads, recementing sidewalks, lots more lighting, community signage, streetscape enhancements and promoting the neighborhoods on websites such as Live Baltimore.com. I don't suggest actual demolition of properties until they're ready to be built on. The city has been doing this lately and due to the size of this effort letting all this land sit vacant for three years will make the land seem worthless and make it a playground for crime.
Fast forward to a time when the housing slump is over and the market for new construction is booming. Almost everything in the planning area will hit the wrecking ball. There are a few rows of homes on St. Paul that will stay in place and the City Schools Headquarters which will now have underground parking because its parking lots will be developed on one of which will be the new Station North Elementary/Middle School. Other than that everything else will be history. In its place, due to the proximity of three proposed rail lines and the Greenmount Multi Modal Transportation Hub will be predominantly midrise condos with underground parking and ground floor retail. Also there will be some row house style condos that mimic large row houses that were converted into condos and that's exactly what they will be. Now of course there will be room for open space there will be "pocket parks" with seating and ball fields. In addition to pocket parks there will be two swimming pools one in Barclay the other in East Baltimore Midway. Each pool will be outdoors but will have retractable roofs so they can stay open all year.

The break down of income mixes are as follows 55% Market Rate Homeownership 25% Public Housing (scattered sites), 15% Market Rate Rental, and 5% Subsidized Homeownership. The population will be higher than before Barclay and East Baltimore Midway went into decline and lost population. This is because of the higher density of the new development due to its proximity to transit lines.Both Barclay and East Baltimore Midway will retain their current names but after their redevelopment is complete they will no longer be associated with crime, blight, and disinvestment but a truly diverse mixed use mixed income community.

SoWeBo: What's Hot and What's Not

If you don't know the phrase SoWeBo you're not a local so I'll tell you what it means. It means Southwest Baltimore. SoWeBo has become an affectionate nickname that's caught on over the years.

The housing stock and neighborhoods in SoWeBo is as diverse as the people who live there. As is the case with pretty much all Baltimore communities, the oldest development is the closest to Downtown and it gradually gets newer and more suburban the further away from Downtown you get.
The first housing of SoWeBo is almost as old as the first three settlements that made up Baltimoretown. They're what's known today as Ridgley's Delight, Pigtown, Hollins Market, and Poppleton. These neighborhoods came up to house B&O Railroad Workers at Camden Yards, the present site of the Orioles and Ravens Stadiums. Development pushed westward into the "Gentlemen's Communites" of Union Square and Franklin Square with larger homes and public squares for wealtheir businessmen and their families to escape from the smog of Downtown. These were the earliest of the Baltimore suburbs. Along the B&O railroad and Wilkens Avenue Industrial Mill Villages began popping up around the turn of the 20th century such as Mill Hill, Carrollton Ridge, Gwynns Falls, Mount Clare, Morrell Park, and Violetville. Wilkens Avenue became the "Main Street" for these newly created Mill Villaages and near the B&O Railroad is where the Mills were centered. The rise of the affordable automobile led to the creation of the Carroll Camden Industrial Park with acres of parking for factory workers. Almost all of SoWeBo was created to house tradesmen whether it was in Camden Yards, the Mill Villages, or the Carroll Camden Industrial Park.The 1960s marked the demise of the American Industrial Sector of we know it. SoWeBo was no different Mill Villages downsized before closing all together as was the case with factories of the Carroll Camden Industrial Park. Today SoWeBo is at a crossroads. The crime, blight, population loss, job loss, and the threat of bulldozing homes for the creation of Freeways has done a number on SoWeBo and its remaining residents but there's hope in the air. Both big development projects and small rehabs have helped breath new life into the community. There is a lot more work to be done but I believe with the momentum of the Harbor SoWeBo will continue to improve. Housing is not overpriced yet so in these tough economic times buying an old vacant row house for chump change and rehabbing it in an otherwise stable block would be a great place to call home. If several hundred people bought into and invested in the existing vacant housing stock the appearance of SoWeBo would be forever improved. Now it's time to get into what's hot and what's not for SoWeBo just like I did with East Baltimore.

First What's Hot

Poppleton-I never thought I'd see the day that Poppleton became an up and coming neighborhood. The UMB Biotech Park, The Townes a the Terraces replacing Lexington Terraces, the redevelopment of West Poopleton and the Redline will transform this former no mans land into a place that families will be proud to call home.

Pigtown-Camden Crossing has been a big help in turning around Pigtown. Some worry that Pigtown will become the next Federal Hill or Canton. Others hope that it will be the next Hampden which has made a turn around but maintained its own identity without pricing out long time residents while at the same time making it appealing to new comers. Pigtown will never be Washington Village. Pigtown is close to the MARC Camden line for DC commuters.

Ridgleys Delight-It's east of MLK Boulveard which was once a dividing line between the good and bad neighborhoods. Ridgleys Delight being on the "better" side of MLK has allowed it to gentrify at a pace unlike the other neighborhoods of SoWeBo.Hollins Market-Located in between Pigtown and Poppleton, Holllins Market has a housing stock that's not too big meaning it won't cost a lot to buy and or renovate one. It would make great student housing for UMB students due to its proximity to Downtown.

Saint Agnes Hospital-This ever expanding facility will be a catalyst to the neighborhoods surrounding it. Since the neighborhoods nearby are not over priced medical staff from St. Agnes can live a stones throw from it.Montgomery Park-Thank goodness this wasn't torn down. The former Montgomery Ward warehouse is a Baltimore landmark that has been put to good use once again as offices.

Now What's NotFranklin Square-The Redline may be the only thing that could save this former gem.Wilkens Avenue-I'm including the neighborhoods of Carrollton Ridge, Gwynns Falls, and Mill Hill when I say Wilkens Avenue. Years of population loss, vacant housing, and disinvestment have taken their toll on these once thriving Mill Villages. Operation Reachout Southwest hasn't shown results yet. They're not at the point where massive demolition is required but if one were to buy a vacant home here it would require a complete gut job.

Morrell Park-Can you say White Ghetto? Morrell Park is a textbook example. If you live here send your kids to a private school because Morrell Park Elementary/Middle is one of the worst in the city. Morrell Park east of I-95 may improve from Patrick Tuner's Westport redevelopment.

Now What's Up & ComingUnion Square-Right now it's depends on what block you're on. It's a mix of vacant land and houses and some blocks look as gorgeous as they did 200 years ago. Union Square would have been the next target of the housing boom had it continued. Since we're in a housing slump at this point Union Square will remain as is. Luckily, most of its housing stock is protected under historical preservation laws so once the economy turns around the homes will no doubt be restored to their former glory. The size of the homes are very large so the price of buying and restoring one is high. Some homes did not make it in time for historic preservation so there is room for new development when the economy turns around.

Mount Clare-Just south of Union Square and west of Pigtown, the housing boom would have come here too. There is plenty of room for investment and development here. It needs better linkage to Carroll Park and Mount Clare Junction Shopping Center needs tenants to better serve the neighborhood. The B&O Railroad Museum is another attribute to this diamond in the rough. Housing is not over priced and would be a fixer upper's dream.

Truth of the matter is SoWeBo is a great part of Baltimore just waiting to be repopulated. It's the city's most diverse section both economically and culturally. There are lots of long standing residents who have lived here for generations and would love to have you as their neighbor.

Could the Armistead Gardens Experience Be Applied Today?

Everybody knows about Armistead Gardens right? A working class neighborhood on the far eastside of the city. It really whethered the storm of urban decay despite being near the industrial wasteland of Orangeville, Freedom Village and Claremont Homes public housing and Hollander Ridge another public housing development. Now I'm sure you're wondering how did Armistead Gardens wedge itself in between two public housing developments when it's privately owned market rate condos?Well that's simple Armistead Gardens was once itself public housing. It was built in the late 1930s and early 1940s and ended it life as a public housing development in 1956. So it got HOPE VI funds, was demolished and rebuilt right? Wrong, the transformation of Armistead Gardens took place decades before HOPE VI. At the time the city wanted to shed excess public housing developments (sound familair?) and Armistead Gardens which aged much better than its public housing counterparts was at the top of the list. Residents made an unprecedented move by forming a group known as the Armistead Gardens Co-Op and "bought" the development from the city. The 1500 units that make up Armistead Gardens are "owned" by the Co-Op but residents have 99 year leases on their property. They pretty much own the homes seeing as homes stay in the family for generations. What I call the "Armistead Gardens Experiment" was deemed a success, however it wasn't really duplicated. There's Co-Op housing in Washington Hill that came about in the late 1970s but it wasn't to my knowledge public housing originally.

For Baltimore, a City that wants to shed public housing units with or without the help of HOPE VI as part of its massive blight removal initiative couldn't the city try to readapt some of the methods used in the Armistead Gardens Experiment to try to minimize displacement and turn public housing residents into homeowners without displacement and at the same time shedding public housing units thus saving the city money because of the constant maintenance required for the aging developments? It seems like a no brainier.

Now in order to make this endeavor as successful the city would have to choose a development where its surroundings are up and coming and have had successful new developments nearby. Crime at this particular development should be relatively low as well. There have been successful pre World War II public housing developments in other cities that have been reused as other uses, this is something Baltimore has missed out on, it has demolished its blighted public housing and rebuilt. Lets try reusing some pre war public housing and applying some of the principals from the Armistead Gardens Experiment.

My development of choice? McCulloh Homes. It's located near so much past present and future new development that it should get some attention as well. Its location rather than acting as a Donut hole between new development will tie it all together and in some cases encourgae future development and investment. It's located between the Westside redevelopment, the State Center redevelopment aka the Eutaw District (McCulloh Homes was originally supposed to be part of the State Center), Heritage Crossing, Bolton Hill, Mount Vernon, and the UMB Biotech Park.

Now there will be some differences in the Armistead Gardens Experiment. First of all, there will be no CoOp each residents will own their homes free and clear. They can continue to live in it or sell it and get instant cash for a down payment on a house. Second of all residents will not have to "buy" their homes from the city. They will be given away giving residents instant equity and they will no longer be public housing residents, this help get rid of poverty in the city Third of all, residents will have their units renovated before the city wipes its hands clean of McCulloh.

There will be some demolition and redevelopment at McCulloh. The high rise of McCulloh Homes Extension will be demolished and rebuilt to match the garden apartments that make up the majority of McCulloh Homes. Also the schools around McCulloh Homes will be demolished and relocated to other under utilized schools, mainly Fredrick Douglass High. The schools with frontage to MLK Boulevard will be condos with ground floor retail that matches the existing garden apartments and the retail will front MLK Boulevard. The courtyards in between buildings will be converted into "pocket parks" each with a theme like ball fields, nature oriented, fountains, statues, a swimming pool, and a playground. Also within McCulloh Village as it will now be called will have a community center run by the community and a daycare center run by an outside party. McCulloh Village is what the demolished McCulloh Homes would be called if it were part of the State Center redevelopment.

If McCulloh Village is as successful as I project it to be (with residents as homeowners upkeep and crime deterance will be a major priority) it can be duplictated in other public housing developments that are pre World War II like the original 600 units of Cherry Hill Homes (the other 794 would be demolished and redeveloped into mixed income housing) and Poe Homes in Poppleton.

Can Big Boxes be Integrated Into Existing Urban Fabric?

Answer: Yes

Now here's a hot button issue that can determine a City's marketability to outsiders and residents who may flee for the suburbs. One thing the suburbs have that older Cities like Baltimore don't is land for "Bog Box" retail. Those suburban retail drags that have all the chain store like Wal Mart, Target, Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, Petsmart, DSW Shoes, Staples, Marshalls, Trader Joes, Costco, Best Buy, Office Depot, Dicks Sporting Goods , Toys R US, The Room Store, Linens and Things, 20 Screen Movies Theaters, and the list goes on.

Baltimore City has done a good job in attracting some Big Box style retail within its urban fabric most notably the Office Depot at Pratt and President Sts. and Lockwood Place at Pratt St. and Gay St. that includes a Best Buy and a Filene's Basement with a P.F. Changs and a Panera Bread.Other sites of Big Box Retail in the city are suburban like roads. They include Mondowmin Mall, Reisterstown Road Plaza, and Dundalk Avenue. There aren't any multiplex Movie Theaters in the city the closest would be the Rotunda in Hampden/Roland Park/Keswick with two screens. Also perhaps the most laughable urban planning failure since civilization; the Wal Mart and Sams Club in Port Covington. I Believe the Sams Club has closed and the Wal Mart may not be far behind. On the drawing board is a Target and Harris Teeter for Canton. Locust Point is also set to receive a Harris Teeter.I have done posts on the state of the suburban retail drags that run through the city and how they should be upped in the density category and Port Covington forget it, that's Waterfront Property. For Baltimore, it needs a centralized and established retail district that has the "urban grid" infrastructure to support high density retail typically found in suburban big box centers.

Hey wait a minute? Isn't the Westside of Downtown supposed to be Baltimore's retail district? Why yes I do believe it is and wouldn't you know it? There's lots of vacant and underutilized land and buildings built with the "urban grid" infrastructure. Ladies and Gentlemen Boys and Girls I think we have a match.

The Westside of Downtown was once the premier shopping destination for Baltimoreans and Baltimorans alike. Lexington and Howard St. was the center of it all with three Department Stores flanking its intersection. Two of the three, Stewarts and Hechts have been converted but the gigantic Hutzler's building remains vacant. This building along with its adjacent parking structure can be easily converted to a few "big box" type stores on the lower floors with offices or residences on the top floors.One block north of the Hippodrome on Eutaw St. can be redeveloped into a multiplex movie theater to complement its newly restored neighbor to the south. Further up Euatw, Howard, and Paca Streets there's still more vacant blocks that can be turned into big box retail with underground parking and offices or residences above.

Another project of note in the Westside is "The Residences at Lexington Market" (not shown here)this is slated to be built above a parking garage west of Lexington Market with 3 100 units towers with a mix of condos and apartments and 21 town homes. This will certainly put a more upscale twist on Lexington Market.

When it's all said and done The Westside of Downtown will Baltimore's retail mecca once again having evolved with the trends of retail it should play host to host "big box" retailers including Dicks Sporting Goods, Toys R Us, Ross Dress for Less, Kohls, Staples, Wegmans, Bed Bath and Beyond, Linens and Things, Costco, Trader Joes, Borders Books and Music, Michael's Arts and Crafts, Wal Mart, Sam's Club, The Room Store, Petsmart, and Ethan Allan. All stores will fit into the existing "urban grid" with underground parking and offices or residences above further expanding Baltimore's skylne.