267-Unit Apartment Building Planned for the 1800 South Hanover Street in South Baltimore

In recent years, Caves Valley Partners (CVP) purchased the two properties that make up the 1800 and 1900 blocks of S. Hanover St. in South Baltimore and now the first new mixed-use building has been proposed.

CVP is selling what it is calling the northern 40% of the land it assembled at 1800 and 1900 S. Hanover St. to Wood Partners, which is proposing a 267-apartment, 367-parking space building with additional retail. The property is zoned C-2 and “by right” a property owner can construct a building up to 60 ft. high. The Baltimore City zoning for a C-2 district allows for a conditional use of up to 100 ft. for mixed -use development.

Wood Partners applied for a conditional mixed-use residential and retail permit to construct a structure up to 75 ft. high with Baltimore City Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals (BMZA) last month and it was approved.

The South Baltimore Neighborhood Association (SBNA) did not take an official position on the zoning application, but sent out information on the application and hearing date through its email and social media channels. SBNA said it was not directly contacted by anyone in opposition to this project.

SouthBMore.com was unable to get additional information on this project from Wood Partners.

A 75 ft.-building would likely be seven stories.

The land for this new mixed-use building is currently occupied by a vacant warehouse at 1800 S. Hanover St. and part of the Middleton & Meads property which spans all of the 1900 block of S. Hanover St. and part of the 1800 block. Middleton & Meads is in the process of completing a move Carroll-Camden Industrial Area by the end of the year.

A 39-townhome project was proposed for the site of the warehouse at 1800 S. Hanover in 2015, but the site was sold to CVP before breaking ground.

CVP is still in the planning stages for the southern 60% of these properties. CVP Partner Arsh Mirmiran told SouthBMore.com that they are aiming for mixed-use and are hoping to get a large retail presence on the property. “We will monitor both the office and apartment markets to determine which direction we go with the rest,” said Mirmiran.

CVP was closing in on a deal for a grocer to join the project, but it did not pan out. Mirmiran said they will continue efforts to try to lure a grocery store for the development.

Mirmiran also said plans for CVP’s portion of the project will likely be announced in about a year, and that the Middleton & Meads buildings will be demolished soon after the company moves out.

The S. Hanover St. properties intersect Wells St. which has been a hotbed for redevelopment in recent years. It has brought three new apartment buildings, plus retail and office buildings to the street.

The site is also one block from Port Covington where a 235-acre, $5.5-billion redevelopment from Sagamore Development Company and Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group recently began.

This is the second large mixed-use development CVP has underway in South Baltimore. It joins Stadium Square, the three-block, $300-million project which sits about six blocks southwest.

The site of this project 

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.