Auto Auction Company Copart Assembles More Than 47 Acres for South Baltimore Facility
Online auto auction company Copart is assembling more than 47 acres of property along W. Patapsco Ave. in Baltimore City and Baltimore County for a new facility. The Dallas-based company closed on two properties last week in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of South Baltimore across the street from a property already in its portfolio.
According to tax records, Copart acquired 601 W. Patapsco Ave. in December 2018. The property is a former landfill and has 33.06 acres of land split between Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Copart is currently on site making improvements to the property.
Last week, Copart acquired 600 W. Patapsco Ave. in Baltimore City for $950,000. It has an 11,000 sq. ft. building with nine drive-in doors and a parking lot on a .73-acre property. The property, which was listed by Jim Chivers and Mitch Gold of Gold and Company, was recently renovated by D & I Development and Construction Finance Company.
600 W. Patapsco Ave. was vacant and damaged from a fire when D & I Development and Construction Finance Company purchased it in 2017. The team put on a new roof, new garage doors, installed an energy-efficient electrical system, and painted the building.
D & I Development is owned by Baltimore City firefighters Ian Horowitz and Dan Mathe. Horowitz told SouthBMore.com they saw the value in bringing a nice industrial space to the area and love the location because of its access to the Port of Baltimore and area highways. They also thought it was a unique building that could be used by one user or each garage could be rented out to separate users.
600 W. Patapsco Ave. is the only property Copart acquired that has existing buildings. Chivers said Copart will use the property as office space and light storage.
Copart also purchased 598 W. Patapsco Ave. in Baltimore City last week. The 13.233-acre piece of land was listed with Michael Roden of CBRE for $2.9 million. A purchase price has not been disclosed at this time.
Copart is one of the many growing car companies in Baltimore as the Port of Baltimore handles more vehicles than any port in the United States.
This 600 block of W. Patapsco Ave. has one other property and it is currently for sale. 614 W. Patapsco Ave., which is listed with Chivers for $1.795 million, has 7,500 sq. ft. of maintenance bays on 2.72 acres of property.
“The area will improve tremendously with Copart as new neighbors,” said Chivers. He said there has been activity on the 614 W. Patapsco Ave. property and some offers, but nothing has been signed yet. He said it’s ideal for a contractor in need of service bays and a laydown yard.
The property is currently partially-leased.
598 W. Patapsco Ave.
Overhead shot from CBRE
600 W. Patapsco Ave.
601 W. Patapsco Ave.
Overhead shot showing approximate boundaries of Copart’s properties
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.
