As always, there is a lot of construction and redevelopment in South Baltimore, but it actually could be the quiet before the storm as the $80 million 900 East Fort Ave. project should break ground shortly. In addition, the 700+ apartments proposed for Otterbein could get underway soon, the $250 million Stadium Square has been proposed for Sharp-Leadenahall, and many other townhome projects are in the works.
Here’s a look at what is underway right now:
The new South Baltimore development on Wells St., which will feature 153 apartments, 6,000 square feet of retail, and a 260-car parking garage, has been under construction since July 2013. The former McCall Warehouse has been demolished and the development is taking shape as exterior brick, siding and decks are being installed and drywall work is underway in the interior. They are hoping to open the complex in early 2015. No tenants have been named yet for the retail space.
Since starting SouthBMore.com in February of 2012, few topics have produced more inquiries than the condition and future of the Raffel Building at Heath St. and Clarkson St. in South Baltimore. Construction is finally underway to convert the building to Heath Street Lofts, which will include 59 apartments broken down as seven studio apartments, 41 one-bedroom apartment, and 11 two-bedroom apartments.
Work has been underway for several months. Framing has begun inside, blocks have been removed from the windows, and restoration work is in progress. The project is expected to be completed in late 2015.
The first phase of the 53 new-construction townhome project at Silo Point, which will include 28 homes in the lot southeast of Silo Point, is underway with several homes nearing completion. Infrastructure work is also underway for phase two which will include 25 homes on the lot northwest of Silo Point.
Work is in progress for the redevelopment of the Phillips Headquarters at 1215 E. Fort Ave. now part of the McHenry Row Complex. MAIF will occupy a 60,000 sq. ft. space that is being built atop Building 2 of the property, which is more than 110 years old and formerly a Coca-Cola plant. When MAIF moves into the Phillips headquarters, the property will be nearly 100% leased as Under Armour will be occupying both floors of Building 1. MAIF, Phillips, and MindGrub, which recently agreed to a 13,000 sq. ft. lease, will be occupying most of Building 2. Construction is expected to be completed in mid-2015.
Phillips will eventually relocate from the space in a few years and at that point developer Mark Sapperstein will look to redevelop six additional acres of space located behind the property.
The $800,000 project of three new-construction townhomes on the 1700 block of Marshall St. is wrapping up. Each of the three-story, brick-front townhomes are nearly 2,000 sq. ft. and feature a one-car garage, a one-car parking pad, a second-story deck, and a rooftop deck.
The building of five new-construction townhomes is underway at the former McCully-Polyniak Funeral Home at 130 E. Fort Ave. The former building has been demolished and the footers have been laid for the new homes.
Construction is in progress at Crossbar. The plan includes turning four properties at 12-18 East Cross St. into a German Biergarten. Three of the former buildings were demolished and work is underway to reconstruct the beer garden section of Crossbar, which will be enclosed with a glass roof. Crossbar recently faced a setback at the liquor board, but ownership is still optimistic they can open by January.
Work has begun on the construction of 1201 South Charles, a 16-unit apartment building with ground level retail adjacent to Ropewalk in Federal Hill. The former Lutheran Mission building was demolished about a year ago and infrastructure work begun last month.
