A Rundown of the Eight Buildings Presented for Chapter 1 of the Port Covington Redevelopment

Planning for Chapter 1 of the Port Covington development is moving along as eight new buildings have been presented to Baltimore City Planning Department’s Urban Design & Architecture Advisory Panel (UDAAP). At least six of these buildings are expected to begin construction between late-2019 and early-2020.

The Port Covington development is a 235-acre, $5.5-billion, multi-decade project led by The Port Covington Development Team. The Port Covington Development Team is comprised of owners Kevin Plank’s Sagamore Development Company and Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group. Weller Development Company is leading the development and construction.

Chapter 1, which takes place along E. Cromwell St. on the eastern section of Port Covington, will eventually have 3.025 million sq. ft. of new buildings across more than 12 city blocks. It will include approximately 1.38 million sq. ft. of office, 337,450 sq. ft. of retail, 976,667 sq. ft. of residential, and 285,000 sq. ft. of hotel space. Infrastructure work for Chapter 1 is expected to begin this spring.

Chapter 1 Site plan courtesy of Weller Development

Overhead shot courtesy of Google Maps

The eight buildings proposed will total approximately 1,142,100 sq. ft. with 403,000 sq. ft. of office space, 166,885 sq. ft. of retail space, and 548 apartments on five city blocks. All five blocks will be created on the grass lot and parking lots surrounding The Baltimore Sun’s Sun Park. The blocks are across E. Cromwell St. from the already-completed Sagamore Spirit Distillery.

Below is a look at the buildings that have been presented so far for the first phase of Chapter 1.

Rye Street Market
Block: E7
Number of Buildings: 4
Stories: 2-6
Total Sq. Ft.: 243,500 sq. ft.
Office Space: 180,000 sq. ft.
Retail Space: 63,000 sq. ft.
Expected Groundbreaking: Late 2019
Expected Opening: Early 2021

Rye Street Market is a four-building, block-long project at E7 totaling 243,500 sq. ft. It will include a 13,000 sq. ft. open-air market and food hall, 50,000 sq. ft. of pedestrian-oriented retail, 180,000 sq. ft. of office space, and a rooftop event space.

Rye Street Market will include a two- and three-story glass and steel public market building that will have a large rooftop deck overlooking the Patapsco River. The market will have glass garage doors along the first floor so that it can have an indoor/outdoor feel on nice days. There will also be an indoor courtyard connecting all four buildings and outdoor seating along the sidewalks.

There will also be a “19th Century mercantile-inspired” five-story office building  and two six-story office buildings with a traditional brick design. All of the buildings will be connected by an outdoor shared courtyard, skywalks, and other design features.

Rye Street Market is designed by Morris Adjmi Architects.

Rendering from UDAAP courtesy of Weller Development and Morris Adjmi Architects

Apartment Development at E6
Block: E6
Number of Buildings: 1
Stories: 6
Total Sq. Ft.: 290,000 sq. ft.
Retail Space: 17,685 sq. ft.
Amenity Space: 10,75o sq. ft.
Number of Apartments: 242
Expected Groundbreaking: Late 2019 or early 2020
Expected Opening: Late 2021

The apartment building at E6 will be a six-story building shaped like an H with an interior courtyard and 17,685 sq. ft. of retail lining the first floor. This 290,000 sq. ft.-building will have 242 apartment units and 10,750 sq. ft. of amenity space. The building’s first floor will be mostly glass with a canopy structure that goes over the retail spaces. The top floors will have large windows, brick and steel facades, and terraces, many of which will overlook the Patapsco River.

This building is designed by architecture firm Hord Coplan Macht.

Rendering courtesy of Weller Development and Hord Coplan Macht

Apartment Development at E5B
Block: E5B
Number of Buildings: 1
Stories: 7
Total Sq. Ft.: 121,600 sq. ft
Retail Space: 8,200 sq. ft.
Amenity Space: 5,900 sq. ft.
Number of Apartments: 148
Expected Groundbreaking: Late 2019 or early 2020
Expected Opening: Late 2021

The apartment building at E5B will be located adjacent to the southwest of E6. This seven-story, rectangular-shaped building will be 121,600 sq. ft. and feature 148 apartment units, 8,200 sq. ft. of ground floor retail, and 5,900 sq. ft. of amenity space. The building will have large windows and black, brown, and white accents.

This building is designed by architecture firm Hord Coplan Macht.

Rendering courtesy of Weller Development and Hord Coplan Macht

Office Building at E5A
Block: E5A
Number of Buildings: 1
Stories: 8
Total Sq. Ft.: 233,000 sq. ft
Office Space: 223,000 sq. ft.
Retail Space: 10,000 sq. ft.
Expected Groundbreaking: No expected groundbreaking date has been announced
Expected Opening: No expected completion date has been announced

The office building E5A will be a brick building with large warehouse-style windows. Designers from MGMA were inspired by brick warehouse buildings in Baltimore like Camden Yards, Henderson Wharf, and the Admiral Fell Inn.

The first six stories will be brick, the seventh story will be set back and have a gray color, and the eighth floor will be a small amenity floor for the 12,000 sq. ft. rooftop deck that overlooks the water. E5A has a one-story section on the eastern edge of the building facing the private street. The southern end of this floor will be for a retail tenant and will feature skylights. The northern part of the one-story section will be an open-air courtyard. It will have a screen structure, featuring live plants, to match the windows on the building.

The building will have a total of 10,000 sq. ft. of retail along the first floor.

There will be a small one-story parking garage inside the building.

This building is designed by MGMA.

Renderings courtesy of Weller Development and MGMA

Mixed-Use Building with a Parking Garage at E1
Block: E1
Number of Buildings: 1
Stories: 7
Flex Space: Up to 16,000 sq. ft.
Retail Space: Up to 68,000 sq. ft. including a grocery store up to 48,000 sq. ft.
Parking Spaces: 1,4000
Apartments: 150-158 units
Expected Groundbreaking: No expected groundbreaking date has been announced
Expected Opening: No expected completion date has been announced

The new building will be constructed on plot E1. It is just east of The Baltimore Sun’s Sun Park and northwest of the other office and apartment buildings in Chapter 1. Just northeast of E1 will be a triangular grass public park.

The building is inspired by old Baltimore warehouse architecture with touches of modern and mid-century modern architecture. It will have different setbacks to give the appearance of multiple buildings.

E1 is planned to have 1,400 parking spaces; a first-floor grocery store up to 48,000 sq. ft.; up to 16,000 sq. ft. of first-floor flex spaces which could be used for residential, offices, or retail; up to 20,000 sq. ft. of first-floor retail; and 150,000 to 170,000 sq. ft. of apartments on the upper floors totaling 150 to 158 units.

The parking garage will serve the entire development and its parking decks will face Sun Park. The parking garage will be built so it can be converted to different uses if less parking is needed in the future.

Torti Gallas + Partners Architects is the designer of E1.

Renderings Courtesy of Torti Gallas + Partners Architects and Weller Development 

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.