39-Townhome Project at 1800 S. Hanover St. Moves Forward
A project that has been in the works since the mid-2000s is finally moving forward as Green Door Properties received zoning approval in December for a 39-townhome development at 1800 S. Hanover St. Now, Green Door will work with the Baltimore City Planning Department to subdivide the property, which is expected to take four to six months.
The property is currently occupied by a large white warehouse which will be demolished following subdivision. The site borders the 1800 blocks of Hanover St. and Clarkson St., the 100 block of W. Barney St., and the location of the commercial truck repair company Middleton and Meads.
The property was most recently the home of Couser Supply Inc. and the Law Offices of Edward J. Mayer, both of which have relocated. The building is currently used for storage as well as personal training sessions.
Three rows of 16 ft. by 40 ft. townhomes will be constructed with 15 homes facing Hanover St., 10 homes facing Clarkson St., and 14 homes in between the two. The middle row of townhomes will face a new courtyard on one side and a new alley or street (the official naming or classification of this thoroughfare is still TBD) on the other side. Each brick townhome is expected to be three stories, with the potential for a fourth-story penthouse, and will feature a one-car garage and one-car parking pad. All new construction townhomes in Baltimore City feature a five-year property tax phase-in.
Green Door purchased 1800 S. Hanover St. in the mid-2000s but delayed the project when the housing market took a downturn. The project was first presented to Baltimore City Municipal Zoning and Appeals Board (BMZA) in September 2014, but the plan was not approved at that time. After a required 12-month waiting period before they could present again, Green Door received approval the second time around. The project also received a letter of support of the South Baltimore Neighborhood Association (SBNA).
SBNA considers the project a “vast improvement” to the site which is a key property on the Hanover St. gateway into the South Baltimore Neighborhood. SBNA has been working on improving the gateway at Hanover and Wells St. It has supported the recent installation of traffic calming medians on the 1800 and 1700 blocks of S. Hanover St. and has been working with the Neighborhood Design Center on a plan to add signage, light pole banners, and landscaping improvements along the gateway. SBNA has also been working with the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA) on the PNC Transformative Art Prize in hopes of adding a sculpture to the median on the 1800 block of S. Hanover St.
The project is also within two blocks of Port Covington where Sagamore Development recently proposed a 266-acre Master Plan for the area and where Under Armour will be developing its new 50-acre campus and world headquarters.
Site Plan presented in 2014 (note one home was eliminated from each row)
Neighborhood Design Center Concept for Hanover/Wells
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.
