Work began in recent weeks on the infrastructure for 247 townhomes by Ryan Homes at the One Westport development in the Westport neighborhood of South Baltimore. The townhomes are phase one of a development by Stonewall Capital on a 43-acre waterfront parcel on the Middle Branch.
Stonewall Captial sold the 11.2-acre Parcel B of the development to H&H Rock, a land developer working to create townhome pad sites for Ryan Homes. Ray Jackson of Stonewall Capital said he expects vertical construction to begin on the townhomes in the first quarter of 2025 with the completed homes being delivered in the spring or summer.
Jackson said the homes will likely start in the high $300,000s with most sale prices in the $400,000s. He believes buyers will be drawn to the the development because of the waterfront location; the close proximity to I-95, I-295, and the Westport MTA Light Rail station; and being next to Westport Waterfront Community Park, a 14-acre park that will be built during this phase of construction.
Some of the new townhome blocks will be directly on the shore of the Middle Branch and some will be facing Westport Waterfront Community Park.
Westport Waterfront Community Park is a partnership between Stonewall Capital, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership (SBGP), and private fundraising. Jackson said the park will add more amenities in different phases, but a green space will be created in the short term. The master plan for the park shows a nature play space, event lawn, a Baltimore Black Sox tribute and garden, trails, a cove, and a fishing pier.
Parcels C, D, E, and F of the development were originally slated for multiple apartments buildings and an office building and retail spaces, but now the focus has turned to more townhomes and two-over-two condominiums, which are two-story units in four-story townhomes. For phase two of the project, Jackson is projecting about 300 more for-sale housing units along with some retail buildings that could bring a coffee shop, service retail, a seafood restaurant on the water, and an additional seasonal waterfront concept.
A community clubhouse is also planned for phase two. Jackson is not sure if it will include a pool.
Phase two is in planning now and Jackson expects to see land development for this phase beginning in about a year. Asked if phase two would wait for all the Ryan Homes townhomes to sell, Jackson noted the two phases are complimentary and offering different products at different price points, so he didn’t see a conflict.
Jackson said he is in discussions with DRB Homes, a townhome builder at the Locke Landing development in Baltimore Peninsula, about being a partner on phase two. DRB has been selling homes at a “wildly successful” pace at the development across the water from One Westport.
Discussing the pivot from office and multi-family to more townhomes, Jackson said “the community has always wanted homeownership.” He also said apartment buildings are oversaturating the area and too expensive to build with the current construction costs.
“We don’t want the land to sit vacant for 10 years,” said Jackson.
Parcel A will be an affordable housing complex by Sight Insight and the NHP Foundation. Jackson said it would be around 140 units of senior and affordable housing. He expects construction to begin on Parcel A in 2026.
Along with the vertical development, One Westport will have a path system along the water. The Reimagine Middle Branch plan, a partnership between the City of Baltimore, South Baltimore Gateway Partnership, Parks & People Foundation, and James Corner Field Operations, is looking to improve the shoreline of the Middle Branch. Part of the plan is a reimagined Smith Cove park space directly east of One Westport. The plan also calls for new path systems throughout the Middle Branch and a walking bridge connecting Westport to Baltimore Peninsula.
Work began in July on the relocation of Kloman St. which runs along the western border of the development parcel. Kloman St. on the southern half of the parcel sits in-between the light rail tracks and CSX tracks. Stonewall Development will be moving Kloman St. east and using the current section of Kloman St. as a future green space with a trail.
Development starting at this Westport waterfront parcel is 20 years in the making. Stonewall Capital got the land under contract in 2020 and began planning the One Westport development. The project was slated to start in 2022, but it was delayed due to a lawsuit by Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail (BWRR), which sought to condemn the property in its attempt to construct a high-speed Maglev train track between Baltimore and Washington on the portions of the Westport property. That lawsuit was settled in November 2023.
In 2004, Turner Development proposed a development at the Westport parcel with 2 million sq. ft. of office space, 300,000 sq. ft. of retail, and 2,000 residential units, but never moved forward after it demolished the existing buildings and remediated some of the existing land. The property fell into foreclosure before finally being sold at auction to Sagamore Ventures in 2015.
On getting the development started, Jackson said, “It feels phenomenal. We got through the case, we got through COVID. It took perseverance.”
The existing Westport community west of the project suffers from many vacant homes in disrepair. Jackson is working with the Westport CEDC, DHCD, and SBGP in an effort to see some of those homes renovated. He said renovated rowhomes will likely be offered for about $200,000.
Jackson also hopes to see a revitalization of the retail spaces on Annapolis Rd.
Renderings courtesy of Ryan Homes
Concept Plan for the Westport Waterfront Park at Kloman and Wenburn Streets. Rendering courtesy of Field Operations
Master Plan renderings courtesy of Stonewall Capital, Field Operations, CityScape, Assedo Consulting, Biohabitats, Moffat Nichol, Vines Engineering, and Black Sox Memorial Team
