rehab/renovation : Development News

The Fells Point Recreation Pier is one of the state's most endangered sites. At least so says Preservation Maryland, the oldest historic-preservation organization in Maryland, and partner MarylandLife magazine, the team behind the annual list of Maryland's 11 most endangered sites, artifacts and groups of people.

The pier, famous for its place in the city's history as the "Ellis Island ofBaltimore" became well-know once again in 1992 as the location for the hit TV show Homicide: Life on the Streets. The show's run ended in 1999 and now the distinctive brick building with the 500-footpier sits neglected, its decrepit structure falling into the waterfront. Saving the slowly disintegrating pier became a rallying point for members of Fells Point Main Street, whose mission is to promote, strengthen, and revitalize Fells Point's commercial and historic districts. The group nominated the site because it has been sitting vacant for a decade. The building and pilings are rapidly deteriorating, and the area is in need of extensive repair.

"We are excited and gratified that Fell's Point Main Street was successful in its nomination of the Recreation Pier to be named as one of the state's most endangered places by Preservation Maryland. We have always thought that the Recreation Pier is an important part of Fell's Point's history and promises to be an important part of its future.Several years ago,Baltimore City officials decided (with the community's approval) that Baltimore developers J. Joseph Clarke and H&S Properties Development Corporation should relocate Moran Towing Corporation, a tugboat company, from the pier and develop a hotel and restaurant," says Jannette Barth, Fells Point Main Street board president.

"The epicenter of Baltimore's renaissance is the harbor, and the architectural jewel in the crown is the Recreation Pier;' says Lori Guess, a longtime Fells Point resident, attorney, and former chair of the Fells Point Task Force Recreation Pier committee, tells MarylandLife. "This beautiful building-one of very few publicly owned waterfront properties-desperately needs preservation to continue the positive momentum of Baltimore development:' Once the second-leading port of entry (after Ellis Island) on the East Coast, Fells Point's pier was declared a public recreation center in 1914. The head house even has a grand ballroom and served as one of the first municipal dance halls in the country."

While work has yet to begin to restore the pier, Baltimore Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano recently indicated that work should begin shortly on the new 132-room hotel that wil be the piers new occupant, according to the announcement. 

Source: Jannette Barth, Fells Point Main Street
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Consumers in Greater Baltimore will soon have more choices for buying flat-screen TVs, refrigerators and iPods. Electronics store hhgregg will open five stores this spring in Baltimore and Anne Arundel Counties, marking one of the region's biggest retail expansions in years. A sixth store, a distribution center, will open in Brandywine, in Prince George's County.

The Indianapolis, Ind.-company is spending around $2.7 million to open each new store this year, according to public financial documents. That means it will invest about $14 million in the Greater Baltimore region. Each store occupies around 30,000 square feet.

The company is capitalizing on cheaper real estate by expanding at a time when many chains are scaling back, says Jeff Pearson, hhgregg's vice president of marketing.

Hhgregg also sees a void in the consumer electronics market since  Circuit City went out of business shuttering all of its stores nationwide last year. Four of the new hhgregg stores will land in former Circuit City locations. One outlet, at 6711 Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie, is the site of a former Best Buy that moved across the street earlier this month to 6722 Ritchie Highway.

The other hhgregg stores will be located at:
• 6026 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville;
• 7667 Arundel Mills Boulevard, Hanover;
• 801 Goucher Boulevard, Towson;
• 14301 Mattawoman Drive, Brandywine; and,
• 150 Jennifer Road, Annapolis.

The electornics retailer put Baltimore on its expansion map because of it's high household income, population density and an interest among residents in buying electronics, Pearson says. Baltimore ranks No. 3 on its list of cities in which it will add new stores this year, after Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

In choosing a location, hhgregg looks for areas that contain a number of retailers � including competing big-box retailers like Best Buy and Home Depot, Pearson says. That way, it can catch the eye of shoppers on the hunt for new gadgets.

Hhgregg currently operates around 130 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. It pulls in about $1.4 billion in annual sales.

Sources: Jeff Pearson, hhgregg
Writer: Julekha Dash

Ned Atwater could have baked bread in a brand new facility.

But the businessman didn't want to take the easy way out when he opened his latest bakery and retail store last month in a historic building in Catonsville.

Picking charm over convenience came with a price tag, however. Atwater plucked down $200,000 to open Atwater's Naturally Leavened Bread. He says he spent that money renovating the 100-year-old building, including upgrading the utilities and plumbing for the 2,700-square-foot store.

He received some financial assistance from the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development with a $60,000, zero-interest loan that the county offers for businesses that open in areas that have been targeted for revitalization efforts.

But spending the extra dough was worth it Atwater. "I love old buildings," he says. Renting out a single-story warehouse would have cost about one-third less, he estimates. But the Catonsville store is located in the town's main thoroughfare � accessible to folks who want to walk to pick up a loaf of bread.

"I wanted to have a neighborhood bakery in town right," Atwater says.

The location is also close to several businesses, including an antiques store and a couple of restaurants, which means he should get steady foot traffic.

"I think we're in the right place," he says.

The bakery includes a full kitchen, where Atwater bakes his baked goods to supply his four other locations in Annapolis, Towson, Lutherville and in Baltimore's Belvedere Square shopping center.

Why Catonsville? Atwater lives in the Baltimore County town.

"I always wanted to do something in the town where I lived," he says. Abundant with historic buildings, Catonsville has a real "neighborhood feel," making it not that different from his flagship store in Belvedere Square, he says.

Atwater, whose five stores employ 125, says he would like to open other stores in Greater Baltimore, though he doesn't know where yet.

Source: Ned Atwater, Atwater's
Writer: Julekha Dash

The economy may have soured some business plans. But for Scott Nash, things couldn't be better.

MOM's �My Organic Market, Nash's 23-year-old business, is planning a major expansion this year.

The Rockville-based grocer, which Nash describes as a cross between Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's, plans to open two more stores by the end of the year. One will be in Greater Baltimore, and possibly the Timonium area where MOM's has signed a letter of intent for a new store. Nash declined to identify the location. The second store will likely be in Northern Virginia, he says.

Opening a new score costs MOM's anywhere between $500,000 to $1.5 million.

MOM's will be expanding its Columbia store from 8,000 to 10,000 square feet and its College Park store from 5,000 to 8,000 square feet in the next few months. Nash says the company is doing well in spite of the recession. One reason is that people are looking to save money by cooking meals at home. MOM's sells more produce, rather than prepared foods.

So in 2010, the company is going to take advantage of the good real estate deals and availability of labor.
 
"It's time to begin an aggressive expansion," Nash says.

The company just opened its sixth store in Bowie this month after seeing an untapped market. Having grown up in Prince George's County, Nash knows the area is often overlooked by the major chains, with no Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in the area. Bowie is also in between Annapolis and the Washington, D.C., beltway, making it a good location to draw customers from both areas, Nash says.

Located at the Hilltop Plaza shopping center, off Route 3, the Bowie store is also located at a busy intersection that gets a lot of traffic from the surrounding area, Nash says.


Source: Scott Nash, MOM's
Writer: Julekha Dash

Everyone dreams of owning their own winery. And Monica Beeman wants to make that dream a reality.

The entrepreneur is starting a custom wine-making business called Vines to Vino, and has set her sights on the long-vacant Mama Cellina property in Little Italy.

Beeman's concept is this: You select the kind of wine you want. Let's say, a Chilean Chardonnay. Vines to Vino gets the grapes from the South American country. You press them on site once the grapes come in. Then six months later, you take it out of the barrel and bottle it. Then you bottle it and create your own wine label.

The whole process takes about 6 to 12 months, depending on the varietal. Customers pay anywhere from $450 for an eighth of a barrel to $3,250 for a full barrel.  Beeman has tapped Chris Kent, a winemaker at Woodhall Vineyards and Wine Cellars, to help her blend the reds and whites.

Beeman got the idea after seeing similar concepts in New Jersey. She hopes Baltimore takes a big gulp out of the idea. A former director of marketing for the Center Club, Beeman is investing more than $200,000 in the new business.

Initially, she had hoped to open a store in Harbor East. But unable to find the right space, her broker at MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services LLC showed her a spot at 300 Albemarle Street that is undergoing a renovation by its owner Steve Himmelfarb. The Washington, D.C., developer paid $1.1 million to buy the property in 2005 from Orioles owner Peter Angelos. 

She decided on Little Italy because it was a good location after all as it is close to Harbor East, a swanky part of town whose residents would hopefully be receptive to a custom wine shop. It is also close to the Inner Harbor.

Beeman hopes to open the store in April.

Source: Monica Beeman, Vines to Vino
Writer: Julekha Dash

Most business owners wouldn't want to open their doors during a snowstorm. But James Butler was forced to do just that when a heavier-than-expected dose of the white stuff hit Baltimore Jan. 30  �  opening day for Butler's new business, Perfecto Coffeehouse.

The snow didn't deter residents from showing their support for the newest Pigtown business. Nearly 100 people showed up at 784 Washington Boulevard, Butler says.

The Ohio native who currently resides in Washington, D.C., has spent $20,000 of his own money to open the 1,000-square-foot shop. He saw the Pigtown neighborhood as a good opportunity to get in on a neighborhood early on. Pigtown still hasn't reached its full potential, unlike other neighborhoods, such as Harbor East or Mount Vernon, Butler says.

"PIgtown is still in the revitalization stage," Butler says. "I want to get in when it's good."

Butler saw encouraging signs that the neighborhood is taking off. A wine shop and Caribbean restaurant are set to open in the coming months on the same block and a gallery and hair salon opened their doors in recent months. (See related story).

Butler says he's wanted to open a coffee shop for five years but it never came to fruition until a friend told him about the space available in Pigtown. He hopes to soon call Baltimore home for himself and not just his business.

"I look at Baltimore as one of the few lasting gems on the East Coast," Butler says. "You can still get good residential and commercial property at a reasonable cost in nice areas.  We couldn't do what we do in Manhattan or Philadelphia because the cost would be prohibitive."

The caf� is open seven days a week and sells coffee from Baltimore's Zeke's Coffee. The shop also sells baked goods, paninis, salads and, on the weekends, waffles.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: James Butler, Perfecto Coffeehouse

A fast-growing pizza franchise is moving into Charles Village and plans to open 10 to 12 new stores this year.

Ledo Pizza System Inc. of Annapolis will open a 108-seat standalone restaurant next month at 3105 St. Paul Street near Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore Museum of Art. That is according to the restaurant's General Manager and franchisee Burhan Ahmed.

He and his three partners invested $400,000 in the new restaurant. The bulk of that money is going toward equipment, design and construction. The restaurant will employ 40 and house two separate dining areas. Construction on the store began last month.

The pizza chain, which currently counts 90 locations, is eyeing Northern Virginia, Prince George's County and West Virginia  for the new stores it plans to open this year, Ledo's Vice President of Marketing Will Robinson says.

Though the average Ledo Pizza restaurant is between between 2,000 to 2,500 square feet, Ahmed plans to go bigger with the Charles Village eatery. He hopes the 3,500-square-foot restaurant can attract Johns Hopkins students and staff craving its square-shaped, thin-crust pizza, pasta and salads. Pizzas will cost between $6 and $25, depending on the size.

The Charles Village restaurant will also serve beer and wine as Ahmed has applied for a "Class B" liquor license, available to business owners that invest more than $200,000 into a new restaurant.  Store owners are also applying for a license to cater and serve customers outside during the warmer months.

Ahmed expects the restaurant to open between March 15 and March 25.


Sources: Will Robinson, Ledo PIzza;  Burhan Ahmed, Ledo Pizza
Writer: Julekha Dash

When Nicole Selhorst wanted to feed more hungry customers during the cold winter months last year, she didn't have the space to seat all of them at Red Canoe Bookstore Cafe.

But now she's got the space -- and new menu items and products -- to keep them longer at her Lauraville business. After a renovation, that is now in its final stages, Selhorst will seat twice as many patrons at the Lauraville business.

Selhorst added 20 more seats by merging the bookstore and cafe areas that had been in two adjacent rowhomes so seats are spread throughout the space. Patrons now also get more food options, with pizza and grilled sandwiches. Red Canoe now has a fireplace on the first floor to keep customers cozy inside during winter.

In an appeal to families, the bookstore and cafe now sells more childrens toys.  An expanded book selection includes more title that appeal to kids and young adults.

Selhorst has already been building up a fan base among families. In conjunction with Loyola University Maryland's radio station WLOY, Red Canoe hosts regular events that get children to read and write stories.
"We are able to really build up a community of families," Selhorst says. "I see us growing."

The bookstore is among a growing crop of small businesses that have sprouted in the Hamilton/Lauraville area. Selhorst praises the neighborhood's diversity and the fact that it has drawn a number of artists, authors and activists intent on making the area a better place to live.

"It's a wonderful, growing community," Selhorst says.

Source: Nicole Selhorst, Red Canoe Bookstore Cafe
Writer: Julekha Dash

The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) is reviewing a proposal submitted by the Southeast Community Development Corporation (SCDC) received in response to its RFP (Request for Proposals) for the former Highlandtown Library Site at 3323 Eastern Avenue in East Baltimore.

If the BDC and city government approves the proposal, it will clear the way for the SCDC to undertake a $1.2 million renovation of the entire building in order to provide 5,045 square feet of office or classroom space on the second and third floors and 2,933 square feet of ground floor retail space.

The SCDC has facilitated a number of community revitalization projects in Highlandtown, including the move of the Creative Alliance to the former Patterson Theatre, and the construction of the Southeast Anchor Library at the site of the former Grand Theatre. Along with many partners, the Southeast CDC operates the Highlandtown Main Street program and the Highlandtown Arts and Entertainment District.

Wolfe Street Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of the SCDC, plans to develop, construct and operate the building. Other team partners include: General Contractor � Hostetter Construction; Architect � RM Sovich Architecture; MEP Engineer � Min Engineering; and Structural Engineering � Carroll Engineering. Wolfe Street Development proposes to purchase the property from the City of Baltimore, which has been vacant since 2007.

The site, at the southwest corner of the Eastern Avenue/Highland Avenue intersection, is located in the Highlandtown Main Street District and is part of the Highlandtown Urban Renewal Area in close proximity to Johns Hopkins Hospital, Bayview Medical Center, I-95 and 895.

Source: Baltimore Development Corporation
Writer: Walaika Haskins

A consortium including Healthy Neighborhoods, the city's Department of Housing and Community Development, Saint Ambrose Housing Aid Center, Druid Heights Community Development Corporation and Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity as well as the for-profit partnership with Telesis Baltimore Corporation, has been awarded $26,092,880 in NSP2 funds.

The group will use these funds to address stagnant and declining housing markets across targeted areas in 12 census tracts. Addressing the blighted properties in these targeted areas will stem decline and build value in the city's real estate market. The consortium will acquire, rehabilitate and resell or rent more than 350 vacant or foreclosed properties and will also provide financing mechanisms in the form of gap financing, second mortgages and closing cost assistance for 981 units. 

A portion of the funds budgeted for acquisition-rehab activities will be used to support a "homestead" model to stabilize neighborhoods by attracting young urban pioneers. The hope is that these activities will attract new homeownership in the neighborhoods, strengthen the real estate market and support active residential involvement. Neighborhood stabilization will be further maximized by the leveraged commitment of $7,429,472 in other funds.

"The award of these funds reaffirms the strength of our neighborhoods and Baltimore's history of effective partnerships with neighborhoods, lenders, non profits and the city government," says Mark Sissman, President of Healthy Neighborhoods, Inc.

Made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), this round of NSP grants is being awarded competitively to applicants who developed the most innovative ideas to rebuild local communities by purchasing vacant, foreclosed properties and putting them back into productive use, while demonstrating that they have the capacity to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. There were 482 applicants, requesting over $15 billion in support. These two agencies were the only recipients of funding in the state of Maryland.

"This is wonderful news for Baltimore City and its neighborhoods," says Mayor Sheila Dixon. "I want to thank all those individuals inside and out of City government who collaborated, breaking down silos, to produce two visionary and highly competitive applications."

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also awarded another $5,289,216 to Chicanos Por La Causa Inc. to support efforts by Mi Casa Inc. in Johnston Square in Neighborhood Stabilization Program II funds.

"Mi Casa is very excited to receive this funding which serves as a testament to the partnerships established with the Baltimore City Housing Department and Chicanos Por La Causa. The NSP2 funds will allow us to develop a significant number of vacant houses for low and moderate income households and support the ongoing redevelopment of the Johnston Square community," said Fernando Lemos, Founding Executive Director, Mi Casa Inc.

The federal government appropriated $2 billion dollars in NSP2 funds on an emergency basis to mitigate the impacts of foreclosures and abandonment on communities around the country. The proposed neighborhoods in Baltimore where work will be focused are: Belair-Edison, Better Waverly, Coldstream Homestead Montebello, Reservoir Hill, Patterson Park/McElderry Park, Barclay/Old Goucher, Johnston Square and Ednor Gardens.

"It is extraordinary that two NSP2 applications from Baltimore received awards. We have wonderful neighborhoods that were turning around and poised for continued long term investment before the foreclosure crisis," said Housing Commissioner Paul T. Graziano. "This support will ensure that those investments will not be in vain."

The award also requires housing counseling for families receiving homebuyer assistance funds through NSP. In addition, it will protect homebuyers by requiring grantees to ensure that new homebuyers under this program obtain a mortgage from a lender who agrees to comply with sound lending practices.

Source: Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development
Writer: Walaika Haskins

After several months of delay construction has finally begun on Turner Development's Westport Waterfront. Workers have started the first phase of public improvements for the $1.2 billion, 50-acre transit-oriented, mixed-use development, located on Baltimore's Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, including construction of a living shoreline

"I'm very pleased that we've been able to come up with the financing and are finally able to begin work on this project," says Patrick Turner, president of Turner Development Group.

Monies awarded by the Maryland Department of the Environment, a total of $620,500 in American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (stimulus) funding, will be a portion of the funding used to reconstruct the shoreline and create the waterfront tidal wetlands

The intertidal wetland project will include the installation of an environmental cap and wetland sill as well as a floating boom to minimize floating debris in the wetland. Once the wetland reconstruction is underway, construction of new utilities, roads, landscaping and bike paths will commence in the spring of 2010. Construction of a luxury apartment building by the Landex Companies will begin a year later in 2011.

"The shoreline reconstruction is the first step in making 25 acres of the Westport Waterfront site ready for building construction," says Turner. Our master plan goes beyond a traditional mixed-use community. We're targeting platinum certification under the US Green Building Council's LEED for Neighborhood Development program and the soft shoreline will enhance our efforts." wetland along approximately 900 linear feet of the Patapsco River.

The wetland reconstruction is part of Turner and Baltimore City's strategy to restore the ecology of the Middle Branch, which is home to abundant populations of fish, birds and other wildlife but has suffered from degradation due to decades of industrial development. Restored wetlands improve water quality by filtering contaminants while also providing important habitat for juvenile fish that provide food for larger fish and birds. Wetland restoration in the Middle Branch is a key priority of Baltimore City as it focuses on the redevelopment of the Middle Branch watershed as Baltimore's "green harbor." Turner is planning additional wetland areas in Phase II of his project as part of the development's overall green infrastructure.

Although the recession meant it took a little longer than originally expected to raise the money to start the project, Turner says he expects the project to continue without any additional delays.

"[Now that we've begun] we expect the project to continue to develop. We've still got some hurdles to get through because it's a very complicated financing mechanism to do these types of projects. There are hurdles to get over but every time we accomplish one the next one is easier. The first one is always the most difficult, so as we progress it gets easier," he explains.

The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company will act as construction manager for the shoreline reconstruction, wetland installation and infrastructure construction.

Source: Patrick Turner, Turner Development
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Mahan Rykiel Associates (MRA), a Baltimore based landscape architectural, urban design and planning firm, is the 2009 recipient of a Merit Award from the Maryland and Potomac Chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects for the renovation of Baltimore's Charles Center Plaza. 

"It is always rewarding as a landscape architect to take a space which has been neglected for years and transform it into a vibrant, space that revitalizes the surrounding businesses and neighborhood and this project has really done just that," says Scott Rykiel, FASLA, LEED AP, the principal in charge of the project.

Charles Center Plaza was the keystone of Baltimore's Inner Harbor revitalization effort of the 1960's. Recent decades however, brought significant deterioration. Baltimore City and the Downtown Partnership launched a national design competition to identify new solutions that could respond to the current needs of this important urban space.

As part of the winning team, Mahan Rykiel Associates' goal was to create a successful destination space that would recapture the vitality and energy of the original Charles Center vision, but would also introduce new elements to accommodate the changing downtown experience. The designers incorporated well-known characteristics of successful public spaces, characteristics that did not exist in the original plaza, which include: a walkable environment with engaging retail and programmed spaces; flexibility of spaces to support a variety of events, day and night; high quality detailing, including accessible green space; create places to which people are naturally drawn, individually or in groups; with convenient access to parking, restrooms; security.

The $7.5 million plaza renovation took six years to complete, moving from design to construction and has become the catalyst for other development and capital improvements in the area.

Source: Scott Rykiel, MRA
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) says that, it will enter into negotiations with the development team of Seawall Development Company, owned by Donald and Thibault Manekin, and Cormony Development LLC, owned by Samuel Polakoff, for the Parkway Theatre Redevelopment Project located at 1820 North Charles Street, 1 West North Avenue and 3 West North Avenue--the former Parkway Theatre.

Baltimore's Parkway Theatre was designed by Oliver B. Wright and patterned after the West End Theatre near Leicester Square in London. The theatre was acquired in 1926 by the Loews organization and extensively remodeled. Movies remained the mainstay until the theatre was acquired and closed in 1952 by the Morris Mechanic organization. It reopened in 1956 as the Five West Art Theatre, continuing that operation into the mid 1970's when it again closed and remained so until the early 1990's when an attempt was made to open commercial office space in the rear orchestra level. The theatre has remained vacant since 1998.

Seawall and Cormony have proposed a $12.2 million mixed-use project, featuring a 26,189 square foot build-out that incorporates the three properties into a seamless development that celebrates the arts. The team's design incorporates a performing arts venue, bar, a museum and related support space.

The Parkway will undergo an historic renovation, becoming a multi-faceted theatre able to accommodate a wide variety of entertainment. While the focus will be on live music, other options are expected to include community theatre, children's shows, comedy, movies, lectures, and a catering hall.

The existing building at 1 West North Avenue would be replaced with new construction in order to achieve a vibrant, illuminated corner. The new structure will feature a lobby and office for the theatre on the lower levels and commercial uses on the upper floors. Meanwhile, the fa�ade of 1820 North Charles Street will be retained. Each floor in this building becomes an extension of the space on the same floor in 1 West North Avenue. The first floor will house the kitchen for the theatre.

"This proposal and this development team provide a great opportunity to revitalize a historic structure and reinvigorate the most critical area in the Charles North community," says BDC President M.J. "Jay" Brodie. "We are confident that this project will serve as a catalyst for more private investment throughout the community."

The proposal is the result of a Request for Proposals issued in May 2009,  in which the BDC offered the three properties, located within Charles North, the Station North Arts and Entertainment District and the City's Enterprise Zone, for redevelopment. BDC received just two responses to the RFP.

Both a community-appointed Advisory Panel and BDC's Project Review and Oversight Committee unanimously approved the Seawall/Cormony proposal. Subsequently, the Board of Directors of BDC endorsed the proposal and Mayor Sheila Dixon approved the Board's recommendation.

Source The Baltimore Development Corporation
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Two affordable rental housing projects in Anne Arundel and Howard Counties are the first in the state to benefit from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP). The Admiral Oaks Apartments project is the acquisition and rehabilitation of eighteen 3-story garden apartment buildings located on the west side of the city of Annapolis. The Sierra Woods project involves the acquisition and rehabilitation of 160 units located in Columbia.

"These projects are vital to our commitment to preserving and growing the number quality affordable housing units for Maryland's hardworking families. TCAP loans are important to helping us and our project partners do that," says Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Raymond A. Skinner. "In addition, HUD's support is beneficial in creating much needed construction jobs." The Admiral Oaks project is estimated to create 72 jobs while the Sierra Woods is expected to support the creation of 46 jobs.

Funded through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), HUD's Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) allows state housing finance agencies like DHCD to resume funding affordable rental housing projects while stimulating job creation in the hard-hit construction industry. TCAP provides grant funding for capital investment in Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects through a formula-based allocation to DHCD.

The rehabilitated Admiral Oaks property, located on the 400 block of Captains Circle, will consist of 104 two-bedroom units, 43 three-bedroom units and 12 four-bedroom units. The property will also contain a new community room and updated management offices. Units will be available for families with incomes between 30 percent and 60 percent of the Area Median Income or between $24,650 and $49,250 for a four person household.

The project financing includes a permanent mortgage of $7.8 million and Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity of $10.7 million through Bank of America. The equity was raised from the sale of $1.4 million of LIHTCs awarded by DHCD to the project. DHCD also provided $1.16 million in Rental Housing Program and $737,000 in Tax Credit Assistance Program loan funds.

The developer/owner of the project is Community Housing and Preservation Corporation of Washington, DC. The property will be professionally managed by Edgewood Management Corporation. The general contractor is Hamel Builders Inc and the architect is Wiencek & Associates.

The Sierra Woods property was originally built in 1973 and consists of two non-contiguous parcels containing four garden-style apartment buildings and eight townhouse buildings on 11.5 acres. The project will be the preservation of a mix of units including 28 one-bedroom apartments, 75 two-bedroom apartments, 39 three-bedroom townhomes, 16 four-bedroom townhomes, one leasing office, and one maintenance supervisor's unit. The proposed rehabilitation will allow the property to remain competitive in the market while preserving 32 project-based Section 8 units. One hundred eleven units will be targeted to serve families with household incomes at or below 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) or $39,420 for a two-person household.

The project received financing from a number of sources. DHCD provided a first mortgage of $7,605,000 from the proceeds of tax exempt bonds, a Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) loan in the amount of $900,000; and $408,196 in Low Income Housing Tax Credit that raised equity in the amount of $3,223,502. Other sources included a $50,000 Green grant from Enterprise Partners and a $250,000 Multifamily Energy Efficiency and Housing Affordability grant (MEEHA) funded by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA)

MEEHA provides grants for energy audits and the purchase and installation of equipment and materials for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures in affordable multifamily rental housing. The program is an ongoing partnership between the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Maryland Energy Administration and is part of Governor Martin O'Malley's emPOWER Maryland initiative, which aims to reduce the state's energy consumption by 15 percent by 2015.

The developer and owner of the Sierra Woods project is Enterprise Housing Corporation. The property will be professionally managed by Habitat America. The general contractor is Harkins Builders Inc.

Admiral Oaks and Sierra Woods are just some of the ARRA funded projects DHCD has undertaken that incorporate Smart, Green & Growing components. The rehabilitation of both projects will support local community revitalization efforts in areas served by public transportation and near employment centers. Energy efficiency improvements will include the installation of new Energy Star appliances and HVAC systems. Additional energy efficient building components include Energy Star replacement windows, site lighting and additional insulation to increase the energy efficiency of the units and reduce the projects' carbon footprints.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development works with partners to finance housing opportunities and revitalize great places for Maryland citizens to live, work and prosper. To learn more about DHCD programs, log on to www.mdhousing.org.

News updates also are available by following DHCD on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Baltimore Development Corporation recently released details on four proposals it has received for the historic Senator Theatre. Located in Northeast Baltimore, the theatre site is 20,517 square feet and the building measure 17,868 square feet. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the single-screen theatre opened in 1939 and seats about 900.

The first proposal, dubbed The Lofts at the Senator Theatre, would turn the theatre into loft apartments. The proposal from JR Owens Corporation would create a mixed-use development that would include the renovation of the existing movie theatre along with the new construction of 24 two bedroom, two bath rental apartments on three floors as well as 27 secure parking spaces in the basement of the new construction and existing retail space.

James Cusack, Jr. and Kathleen C. Cusack, owners of the Charles Theatre, with architect Alex Castro, envision a Senator Theatre that would maintain the building as a single screen movie theatre, adding a restaurant and crepe shop. Two alternates would provide for a second screen and an arts education area in the approximate 2,000 square foot triangle to the south of the theatre and a sliding glass door system in the front of the restaurant.

Noch-Noch Productions' The Theatre Project PUPKIDS proposes turning the Senator into a mixture of live performances and cinemaplex attractions simulating a staged Vaudeville Revue to attract interest in puppetry and puppeteers.

Towson University's WTMD submitted the final proposal that would see the radio station relocated to the Senator Theatre. The University with Zigler/Snead Architects and Whiting-Turner contractors would undertake a "historically sensitive renovation" of the theatre's interior. The pland would also build a new addition to the south side of the building as well as an expansion of existing space on the north side of the theatre. The Senator will be home to WTMD's daily operations, as well as a schedule of films, educational activities, concerts and community events designed to reach people from all over the region. The station will connect and promote the events taking place in the theatre.

Source: Baltimore Development Corporation
Writer: Walaika Haskins