South Baltimore Development Updates (Photos)

Port Covington

Former Sam’s Club – Under Armour

Under Armour will be relocating to Port Covington from Locust Point’s Tide Point as the company builds a new campus with more than 3 million sq. ft. of office space. The company’s growth into Port Covington is already underway as it is fully converting the former Sam’s Club at the shopping center into a new 170,000 sq. ft. office building for its finance and IT department. New windows and entrances have been installed and it was recently painted a dark color. New signage and landscaping. as well as improved parking lots, are also in the works. According to Baltimore Business Journal, approximately 600 employees are expected to move to the facility in January.

Sagamore Distillery

Work on the Sagamore Spirit distillery at 301 E. Cromwell St. in Port Covington has begun as crews have started clearing the site for infrastructure improvements. The plan for Sagamore Spirit distillery includes four buildings that are designed to feel like a part of a waterfront park. This includes a 27,000 sq. ft. distillery building, a 22,000 sq. ft. processing building, a 10,000 sq. ft. restaurant, and a 2,000 sq. ft. support building, all of which will surround a green courtyard space. There will also be a 120-foot water tower which will hold water from the Sagamore Farm spring. An official groundbreaking will take place next week.

West Covington Park

After eight years in the making, West Covington Park, a former brownfield on the shores of the Middle Branch just northwest of the Hanover Street Bridge, has finally opened as a new park with native vegetation, trees, educational signage, pathways, parking, and a pier out on the Middle Branch. The park is owned by the National Aquarium. The project was funded through state and federal grants and the landscaping was completed by Baltimore City.

City Garage – Under Armour

Sagamore Development recently opened the 133,00 sq. ft. “hub for manufacturing” and its three sections – The Foundery, Main Street, and the Under Armour Lighthouse. City Garage, named for the building’s former use as a garage for Baltimore City, was most recently used for police training exercises. 

Federal Hill – South Baltimore

The Enclave

Construction is moving along well at the Enclave of Federal Hill, a 13-new construction townhome gated community at the former site of a machine shop and vacant lot facing W. Fort Ave., Clarkson St., and Race St. The structure of all the homes has been built and the first group of homes have brick, windows, and exterior finishes installed.

All the homes will feature two-car garages and will have three to four bedrooms and up to three-and-a-half baths. Prices will start in the $400,000s and first deliveries are expected before the end of the year,

Projects at Fort and Charles 

A former church and parish at 1500 S. Charles St. in Federal Hill/South Baltimore is being redeveloped. The church has been demolished and three new-construction townhomes are now under construction. Three existing rowhomes on Charles St., Fort Ave., and Olive St. will also be renovated. Originally the development called for four new-construction townhomes, but now they will be renovating the existing rowhome on Charles St. instead. Exterior work is nearing completion and work continues on the interior.

A former doctor’s office and apartment building at 1501 South Charles St. was renovated into a large single family rowhome. The home is listed for $575,000.

The Pabst Castle

The Pabst Castle at 1834 S. Charles St. is currently under construction for a conversion into office space. The exterior of the building has been restored with extensive brick work and the windows, which were covered in brick, have been opened up. A side two-story addition is currently under construction.

The building was originally a bottling plant for the Pabst Brewing Company. The property has been vacant since Maryland Glass & Mirror left about 10 years ago.

Heath Street Lofts

Since starting SouthBMore.com in February 2012, few topics have produced more inquiries than the condition and future of the Raffel Building at Heath St. and Clarkson St. in South Baltimore. Construction started last summer to convert the building to Heath Street Lofts. The property will include 59 apartments broken down as seven studio apartments, 41 one-bedroom apartment, and 11 two-bedroom apartments.

Work is nearing final completion. A new parking was constructed and the first tenants have moved in.

Federal Place Phase 2

Federal Place in Federal Hill first began in the mid-2000s at a former industrial site between Key Hwy., Jackson St., Gittings St., and Covington St. Lennar originally built 26 new-construction townhomes and now Phase 2 is under construction. The site has been purchased by ©Richmond American Homes, Inc. (RAH) which will be completing the development with 23 new townhomes. The structure has been completed on the first row of homes and interior and exterior work is ongoing. RAH will be opening the model home in December.

Stadium Square

Stadium Square is an approximately $250 million mixed-use project that covers three consecutive blocks of South Baltimore in Sharp-Leadenhall and the South Baltimore Neighborhood. It is located between Cross St. on the north, Race St. on the east, Leadenhall St. on the west, and both sides of Ostend St. to the south. Existing buildings are being demolished make way for the new development.

Construction on a new building with 293 market-rate apartments, 14,000 sq. ft. of retail, and 450-500 parking spaces is expected to begin before the end of the year. Construction on a proposed six-story, 60,000 sq. ft. office building that will be the future home of United Way of Central Maryland (leasing 27,000 sq. ft.) is expected to begin in early 2016.

Stadium Area – Carroll-Camden

The Parker Building

Construction has begun to convert The Parker Building at 333 W. Ostend St. in the Stadium Area of South Baltimore into approximately 50,000 sq. ft. of office space. Developer Himmelrich Associates has begun stabilizing peripheral structures on the site and window installation is currently taking place.

Bus Developments

An MTA bus garage is currently under construction at MTA’s Baltimore headquarters at 1515 Washington Blvd. in Carroll-Camden. Work has also begun for a new Greyhound Bus Station at 2110 Haines St. just south of Horseshoe Baltimore.

Russell Street Updates

The Holiday Inn Express at 1701 Russell St. is currently getting remodeled. This includes a new paint job, new stone columns, and additional exterior renovations.

The Shell gas station at 1712 Russell St. is getting redeveloped as well with the addition of a new Dash In Food Store.

Locust Point

Anthem House

Construction began on Anthem House in February at a former GE Electric Site at 900 E. Fort Ave. in Locust Point. The $80 million project will include 275 apartments and 14,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail, as well as 5,000 sq. ft. of rooftop/sky lounge retail space. The team of Solstice Partners, Scott Plank’s War Horse LLC development firm, and The Bozzuto Group has been working on the property’s infrastructure and the first floor has begun to rise from the ground. It is expected to be completed in Spring 2017.

McHenry Row II

The former Phillips Headquarters at 1215 E. Fort Ave. in Locust Point is currently getting redeveloped. Buildings 1 & 2 have been renovated and expanded to make room for offices for Under Armour, MindGrub, Samuel Shapiro & Co., MAIF, Kiddie Academy, and additional tenants to be announced.

Developer 28 Walker has begun construction on a 600-car garage and the remaining three-four acres will developed into future office or apartment buildings.

Key’s Overlook

The first phase of the 53 new-construction townhome project at Silo Point, which will include 28 homes in the lot southeast of the Silo Point tower, has been completed. Phase 2, which will include 25 homes on the lot northwest of Silo Point, is well underway and also nearing completion.

Otterbein

Banner Hill 

Work has begun on Banner Hill, a 349-unit luxury apartment building at 601 S. Charles St. in Otterbein. Orlando-based ZOM is currently demolishing the existing building that was formerly University Specialty Hospital by the University of Maryland Medical Center and replacing it with a six-story building with two stories of below-grade parking.

Pigtown

Three vacant rowhomes, adjacent to a vacant lot at the corner of Washington Blvd. and W. Cross St., will be demolished at 923, 925 and 927 Washington Blvd. The property, consisting of the demolished homes and vacant lot, has become a new parking lot.

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.