Developer Mark Sapperstein Planning 25-Acre Residential Development in Port Covington
Developer Mark Sapperstein and his company 28 Walker are planning a 25-acre residential development at the former Locke Insulators campus at 2525 Insulator Dr. in Port Covington. As first reported by Baltimore Business Journal, 28 Walker is under contract on the property and is currently working with Councilman Eric Costello and the Baltimore City Council to rezone the property from an I-2 industrial zoning to a PC-3 Zoning District which allows for mixed use.
This plan by 28 Walker would add to the flurry of development activity at Port Covington. The former Locke Insulators campus is next door to Under Armour’s 50-acre property which is the future site of the company’s headquarters. Across Cromwell St. is the under-construction Chapter 1b phase of the Port Covington Development. The Port Covington Development Team is planning a multi-decade, multi-billion dollar development on 235 acres of property in the neighborhood led by its development partner Weller Development Company.
“I’d like to build something that complements Weller’s magnificent project,” said Sapperstein. “I think I can add to that without doing a lot of the same things. I’m trying to follow their lead and do another successful project.”
While the Port Covington Development has a large component of office and retail space along with apartments and hotels, Sapperstein said his focus is on residential for this parcel. He will not be adding retail.
He said he does not yet have plans or drawings, but said different housing stocks such as apartments, townhomes, and condominiums are all possible. He also said he will work with Weller Development Company and the partners in the area to enhance the waterfront on the property.
The timeline for 28 Walker’s project is “as fast as possible.” Sapperstein said the first step is the zoning changes and the second step is closing on the property.
28 Walker has put a large focus on Locust Point in the past couple of decades, and will now be moving its attention to Port Covington, which is the next neighborhood south. 28 Walker’s projects in Locust Point include the Silo Point condominium and office building, the McHenry Pointe and Key’s Overlook townhome communities, the mixed-use McHenry Row project, and the under-construction Banner Row townhome project.
For comparison, the McHenry Row footprint is 20 acres compared to 25 acres at Locke Insulators.
“Weller Development Company isn’t involved in this transaction, and, as a result, we cannot comment. However, should the property be purchased and redeveloped, it certainly would add to the positive momentum that we are currently experiencing in Port Covington,” said a spokesperson for the Port Covington Development in an email.
Sagamore Ventures, which is a partner of the Port Covington Development Team, sold the 43-acre Westport waterfront parcel across the Middle Branch to Stonewall Capital this year. Stonewall is planning a residential-focused development.
South Duvall took over ownership of the 140,000 sq. ft. City Garage office building this fall. The company is partnering with Sagamore Ventures on revamped offices paces for life sciences companies.
This was first reported by Baltimore Business Journal.
From the City Council Zoning proposal
Screenshot from Google Maps
Locke Insulators photos from 2017 when the company announced it was closing the facility
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.
