McHenry Row Open, Nears Completion

Based on the large crowds at the new Harris Teeter, I know many of you have got a glimpse at the future of the McHenry Row development.  With the addition of many new stores, and more apartments on their way, McHenry Row is nearing its completion.  South Baltimore has seen an explosion of new restaurant and retail in the last year and McHenry Row has been a big part of that.

The $120 million mixed-use project features 400,000 sq. feet of offices, apartments, stores and, of course, the Harris Teeter grocery store. The project, which was formerly the Chesapeake Paperboard Company site, was developed by Mark Sapperstein and has been under construction for more than three years.  The site is located at the west entrance to Locust Point and is very accessible from Fort Avenue, Key Highway and I-95.  McHenry Row is also across the street from the Cruise Baltimore boat port.

Adding some much needed retail to the area, McHenry Row brings in a mix of stores from some local, regional and national companies.  The 61,000 sq. foot Harris Teeter provides a second grocery option on the peninsula and most importantly provides an attached beer and wine store that is open 7 days a week.  Local Baltimore chains Dogma, a boutique dog store, running store Charm City Run (opening soon) and Horizon Family Dental offer some needed local flavor to the development.  Also local is newcomer Fresh Cleaners and Yogi Castle.

Update:  I recently had an appointment with Horizon Dental, and they are a great new addition to the neighborhood, and I definitely recommend them to anyone looking for dental care.

When it comes to national stores, McHenry Row offers Dunkin Donuts, Hair Cuttery, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, M&T Bank, Massage Envy, Nail Trix, PNC Bank and Verizon Wireless.  On the restaurant front, Red Parrot Asian Bistro and Green Turtle also join the complex.  Red Parrot, also in Hanover, offers South East Asian cuisine featuring Thai Food, sushi and Asian fusion cuisine.  Greene Turtle, once known as a popular bar in Fells Point and Ocean City, opens their 22nd Maryland location at McHenry Row – so, we’ll see if it has become too mainstream for the SoBo pallet.

There is currently a 4,000 sq. foot store front available and two other sites are currently under negotiations. We’ll let you know when they are announced.

McHenry Row also features a six-story office building in the northwest corner of the development.  This building features  GKV, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, Advertising.com spin-off Videology, and Real Estate Title and Escrow. The site also features local real estate group Yerman Whitman Gaines and Conklin, which is about to be purchased by  Prudential PenFed Realty.  We’ll see how that affects local offices by both companies including spots in Southside Shopping Center and on Light Street.

Tapping into the sizzling hot South Baltimore rental market, McHenry Row also offers 250 rental apartments.  The development has an east and west building, both six stories in height with the retail space on the main level.  The east building features 120 apartments, 65 of which are occupied.  The west building, which will be completed in May, will feature 230 apartments.  Studio and 1-bedroom apartments range from $1,475 to $1,790 per month and the 2-bedroom apartments range from $2,030 to $2,580 per month.

Assistant Property Manager Emily Graczyk gave me a tour of the apartment building and it sure is nice.  The lobby is nicely designed with a modern Asian feel.  The building was full of amenities including a beautiful demonstration kitchen attached to a wine room, a fireside lounge and an internet cafe with Mac and PC computers.  If you love watching football or movies, you’ll love the 24-seat theater featuring a large television and stadium-style lounge chair seating. The building also features a game room with a pool table and TVs, as well as a yoga room and a really nice gym.

Although not huge, the apartments are packed with character.  On a tour of their 2-bedroom model I really was impressed.  The 10-foot high painted metal ceilings with exposed duct work really give the apartments terrific character. The apartment truly has an open feel as the large kitchen flows into the media and dining area. Big windows also give the place nice light.  The bathrooms are stylishly done and the bedrooms are a good size and have nice closet space.  If you are tired of the space limitations of rowhouse living, these apartments could be a nice alternative with the open floor plans and all the amenities.

McHenry Row has provided a terrific new addition to the area with additional shopping, office and and Class A living options.  Maybe a chain store or two less would have been nice, but it certainly brings some good shopping to the area.  Having a second grocery store is not only good for variety, but also provides two places that will compete with each other which is great for us consumers.  Now that McHenry Row is off and  running, we’ll keep you posted on three potential developments in the works around Lawrence Street. This includes new town homes behind Rallos, a new Walgreens development on Key Highway and a potential apartment building behind the Royal Farms on Fort Ave.

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About the Author: Kevin Lynch

Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.