Baltimore News

[StevenW]

Vol: 3 No: 61 Updated: September 12, 2002

TOP STORIES

City garage proposed
A block of mostly vacant downtown Baltimore buildings will be razed to make way for a parking garage on top of which an office tower might be constructed, an economic development official said yesterday.

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/newspics/waterst.jpg

:cool:

BTW, I'm "baltimore" from the old "worldskyscrapers" forum.
Just so there is no confusion.
PedroSmith, feel free to find out as much info as you can.

Thanks.

[StevenW]

City to pay cost to move salon across Water Street
Relocation deal OK'd as site eyed for parking
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Laura Vozzella
Sun Staff
Originally published September 12, 2002


The city plans to spend $186,000 to move a downtown hair salon across the street from its current location, a city-owned building that will be torn down for a parking garage.
The Board of Estimates approved the relocation deal for Monica's Spa Salon yesterday after City Council President Sheila Dixon raised concerns about the cost.


"It just seems like a lot of money," she said.

However, Dixon and the rest of the board approved the deal after an official with the Baltimore Development Corp. explained that moving a salon is more complicated than packing up an office.

Substantial plumbing and electrical work will have to be done to install about 10 sinks and a tanning bed, said Andrew B. Frank, executive vice president of the BDC, the city's economic development arm.

"When I started getting quotes from general contractors, the city was shocked and so was I," said Monica Carney, owner of the salon.

For 17 years, Carney has operated the salon at 117 Water St., which the city bought about two years ago with a parking garage in mind.

The city might not build the garage for five years, Frank said, but it has notified tenants that they need to move. Carney plans to relocate to 106 Water St.

The city has moved three or four other tenants out of the nine-story building, and at least two besides the salon remain, Frank said. The amount spent on the previous relocations was not available yesterday, he said.

All of the $186,000 will be paid directly to movers, except for $10,000 that will go to the salon to cover "re-establishment costs."

"We really don't want to move," said Carney, who said rent at the new location will be about $1,000 more a month. "But we don't want to be in the way of city progress."



Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun

:cool:

[StevenW]

http://www.sunspot.net/media/photo/2002-09/4590157.jpg

City's 1st skyscraper changes hands
Rockville firm buys Bank of America tower; 34 stories of history on Light St.; Nellis Corp., purchaser, plans no changes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Meredith Cohn
Sun Staff
Originally published September 13, 2002



The Bank of America building, Baltimore's first skyscraper and an art deco icon downtown, has been sold to a private Rockville company, the buyer confirmed yesterday.

The 34-story gold-crowned tower at 10 Light St. opened in 1929 just before the stock market crash ended the boom of the 1920s and heralded the Great Depression. It was the city's tallest building for 44 years, until the Legg Mason tower edged it out by 20 feet.


The Nellis Corp., which invests in commercial properties across the country, bought the land and building from New York-based Equitable Life Assurance Society for an undisclosed sum.

According to state land records, Equitable had owned the building since 1955. No previous owners or sale prices were recorded. The land and building are now assessed at $19.65 million.

Randall Levitt, Nellis' president, said the company is "delighted to be associated with such a unique asset."

While the building is no longer at the epicenter of downtown's financial district, the buyer as well as local historians consider it one of the grandest of Baltimore's office towers. It is still among the largest in the city.

The exterior is red brick and limestone. The top is 23-karat gold leaf. Built by the J. Henry Miller Co., its lobby has 45-foot elaborately carved wood ceilings, inlaid mosaic floors, and huge Greco-Roman style columns. Nellis said Maryland attributes include exterior carvings around the doors depicting the Great Fire of 1904 and the penning of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Bronze window grates are adorned with crabs.

The building is a holdover from the era when the area around Light and Redwood streets was known as the Wall Street of the South. From its windows, tenants have witnessed sweeping change as the city's financial district shifted to the modern offices that now ring the Inner Harbor and claim as tenants many of the city's most prestigious companies. Now, its occupants look out across Light Street and see two fenced-off pits, cleared of their structures beginning three years ago for developments that are stalled.

Civic leader Walter Sondheim Jr., who was 21 when the building opened, said he remembered it as "an exceptional thing in Baltimore. There was no building like it. There's been no building since like it. People admired it tremendously."

Sondheim said he worked on the top floors for a time early in World War II.

Bank of America holds a master lease on the building, which allows the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank to operate it as if it owns it. The bank, which occupies much of the 362,000 square feet of office space, sublets and collects rent from other tenants. It pays one fee to the building's owner. Nellis will not control the building until 2020, when the master lease expires.

Miles & Stockbridge, a regional law firm, is the next-largest tenant. The building is nearly full.

That probably helped sell the building. During the lackluster economy, vacancies in some downtown buildings have inched up while rents have dipped. Real estate brokers say that makes office buildings unappealing targets for acquisition. Major downtown office buildings have not changed hands for several years. One of the last was 250 W. Pratt, which sold in 1998.

The fortunes of the Bank of America building have, in some cases, been better than those of its tenants. The building has changed names a number of times over its 73 years as local companies vanished.

The building was originally called the Baltimore Trust Building, but that bank did not survive the Depression. The building has also been called the O'Sullivan Building and the Mathieson Building, depending on the largest tenant of the day.

It became the headquarters of Maryland National Bank in 1962. But the bank's holding company, expansion-minded MNC Financial Inc., began to run into trouble in the early 1990s. After nearly failing, it was taken over by NationsBank Corp. in 1993.

That year, about $900,000 in renovations began, including the removal of the prominent Maryland National "MN" logo that also told the weather by changing colors.

Terri Bolling, a Bank of America spokeswoman, said the company has no plans for change.


Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun

:cheers:

[StevenW]

:mad: I got some news on the heights of two Baltimore apartment towers that are going up. According to persons working at the Baltimore Development Team:


The "Zenith", a 21 storey tower will only rise to 214 ft. in the air.
The "Centerpoint" tower will rise 200 ft. tall.
I will have info on a much more exciting tower for Baltimore, tommorrow, the "Water Tower" luxury residential tower.This tower may hit 400 ft.
We'll see. :mad:

[StevenW]

No news yet on the Water Tower stats.

Stay Tuned! :guns1: :rant: :bash:

[StevenW]

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/newspics/Officerender.jpg
Vol: 3 No: 68 Updated: September 20, 2002

TOP STORIES

Inner Harbor East tower in trouble?
A lack of commitment from tenants will delay and potentially cancel construction of the 18-story office tower planned for Inner Harbor East, according to a report from the city’s economic development agency. But a partner in the project said the 330,000-square-foot office building is proceeding as planned.



:? :baaa:

[Erik W]

Ooops, I am back. Sorry for not participating a lot lately but the move (and the new job) has taken quite a bit of time. On top of that, Verizon must be the worst telecommunications company in the history of mankind. Two weeks and we still don't have phone service. So here I am with a half hour at the Enoch Pratt getting registered for this hopefully great "new" forum.

Steven, a couple of projects that I have seen around where I live but that I have very little info on, maybe you can help me?
First, the Mercy hospital is building a new wing at St. Paul's Plaza. The building is a low-rise (but quite a handsome little thing) designed by RTKL.
Across the street, next to Tremont Plaza Hotel there is also something happening. They are still working on the foundation so it is really hard to tell what it is going to be. The footprint is miniscule and the site is sandwiched between two fairly high buildings so I suspect that it might be something of decent height.
Just south of the One Light Street site (that hole in the ground is one of the biggest disgraces I have seen) there is a smaller site that has a rendering of a Radisson (13 floors or so). Do you have any info on that project or is it part of the sleeping project to the north?

Hopefully I will have Internet sevice here soon again and then I will do some research on my own. Until then, please fill in the gaps if you can.

Ciao!

[StevenW]

:D Ground broken on city waterfront development
Heather Harlan

Defying a shaky economy and uncertain real estate market, ground was broken Tuesday on Baltimore City's latest residential development: The $90 million Spinnaker Bay at Inner Harbor East.

The planned waterfront complex, which will feature 316 luxury apartments, 32 condominiums, 428 parking spaces and retail space, is expected to be completed within 24 months.

Developed by the Bozzuto Group of Greenbelt and H&S Properties Development Corp. of Baltimore, the residential project off President Street will add to the 760 new apartments that have sprouted up around the city in the last year.

Discussing what he called a "building boom'' and the public's appetite to live downtown, Mayor Martin O'Malley said, "Baltimore is actually thriving. Baltimore is actually moving ahead.''

He pointed to John Paterakis, the baking mogul behind H&S Properties Development Corp., as the impetus behind a lot of the building.

During the last several years, Paterakis has invested millions of dollars into a wave of development at Inner Harbor East, including the Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

"I think we're going to make a lot of people happy,'' Paterakis said of Spinnaker Bay following the groundbreaking ceremony.

The development — designed with the help of SKG Architects, Beatty Harvey Fillat Architects and engineering firm Morris & Ritchie Associates Inc. — will be constructed on what is now a parking lot.

© 2002 American City Business Journals

[StevenW]

Hi Erik.

Glad to hear from you.
I've been pretty busy myself. I have found out some new things and am waiting on some more.
I hope it comes this week.
I have not heard from PedroSmith lately, either. Hope he gets to get back on the forum.

The Radisson is going there, I think.
That building you're talking about between the two tall buildings is the "Atrium Tower" I believe. I might be wrong on that though.
I'm not too sure about the other places you mentioned.
When I hear more news, I'll post it here.
I'm looking forward to your future posts, Erik.


:guns1: :booze: :okay:

[enzo]

"Ground broken on city waterfront development"

Hey, that's great news! I wonder if anything is going on in Fells Point? I really liked that neighborhood, seems like it would be a great place to build some classy residential twrs. Any info?

[Erik W]

I am pretty sure I know what is going up at the site next to Tremont Plaza. The sign at the construction says that the architects are Murphy & Dittenhafer. They won an AIA Baltimore award 2001 for this unbuilt (then) design for a parking structure at St. Paul Place.

http://www.aiabalt.com/0_images/0_awards/0_daw2001/stpaul_murph.jpg

Across the street, the RTKL structure for Mercy hospital will look something like this. They got two floors of steel up so far.

http://www.mdmercy.com/news/images/asc_building_lr_1.gif

I'll tell you more when I know more.

[Erik W]

OK, this post will include several projects that are far from being realized. It is, however, pretty nice to see that there are people in Baltimore that are trying to make the city better and that is fairly successful in their visions I think. These are proposals that I have pulled from the website of Design Collective (a pretty active architecture firm down in the Inner Harbour) that I found when I looked for info on the Centerpoint apartments.

I was down to the city's animal shelter today (to register our cats) and while walking past the Raven's Stadium and through the industrial park surrounding it I thought that the area had a lot of potential for becoming a new neighbourhood in the city. They've got masstransit running through, several old buildings that would be cool as lofts/offices, proximity to the water and plenty of vacant parking lots to build on. I was pleased to see that the folks at Design Collective has seen the potential of this area too. Below is a master plan they did for a mixed-use development in that part of town.

http://www.designcollective.com/_internal/cimg!0/18zextwscw

The next project is along Light Street as it passes the Harbour on the way down to Federal Hill. The location is prime but the current situation is so sad I'm not sure I even want to talk about it. Anyway, the area has potential to be Baltimore's own (very short) Promenade des Anglais and apparently there has been an international competition to redevelop the strip. Design Collective won and I think their proposal has a lot going for it. I read somewhere that this project is an actual go as it has backing from the city. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

http://www.designcollective.com/_internal/cimg!0/18zextmz6c

Within that very area, DC is working on an addition to the Maryland Science Center. Last thing I heard this project is also happening.

http://www.designcollective.com/_internal/cimg!0/18zextmydu

The firm is also involved in the West Side redevelopment. There is a lot of work going on in the area but it has a long way to go. The only project completed to date is the Atrium apartments, and they are nice, but the area is really gritty. It is a real shame, though, since it is an area with lots of interesting architecture and since it has potential to be more like a European style shopping district than most American cities can dream of. With the Atrium, the Hippodrome Performing Arts Center, Centerpoint Apartments and some big office/retail projects and renovations I really hope there will be a renewed interest in the area. There are plenty of boarded up, run down, empty (but architecturally wonderful) old buildings to renovate.

http://www.designcollective.com/_internal/cimg!0/18zextmzkn

Up at Penn Station there are plans for a busterminal that would create a Intermodal Transportation Center. The project is in the works but has met some (considerable) resistance from the NIMBYs. It seems like a sensible project to me though, it would connect the city's local and long distance rail, bus and light rail services. Besides, the backyard some people are trying to save is a not so savory surface parking lot. The city seems to be trying to bribe the community up there by designating them a Maryland Cultural District, but it is unclear if they are buying it yet.

http://www.designcollective.com/_internal/cimg!0/18zextod5d

Design Collective also has something going on for the Charles & Reed intersection (that I could not find any info on) that should be interesting. There is currently a big surface parking lot on the SW corner of that intersection, in an otherwise vibrant and very nice part of the town. I will try to find more info on this.

And yes, I did not find any images of the Zenith project. Maybe another day.

Allez hop!

[Erik W]

In my last post I forgot the most interesting part (at least from a high-rise perspective). In the plan for Harborview, just south east of Federal Hill parl, there are several more towers than the one that has been built so far. In the second rendering I count as many as four future towers, somewhat smaller than the existing tower but it would sure alter the skyline of the city.

http://www.designcollective.com/_internal/cimg!0/18zextwtch

[StevenW]

Hi Erik,
I like those renderings.
Here is some new info:


Less ‘NYC’ for Pratt tower
When plans for the luxury apartment building at 300 E. Pratt St. were presented last year, the sleek design and unprecedented height wowed Baltimore officials. More than a year later, with construction yet to commence, sources close to the situation say the New York-based developer, which has local ties, is redesigning the building.

Can you find out some more specific information on this for me?
I'm trying my best to get some answers.
:?

[StevenW]

Payment in Liew of Taxes - Water Tower Apartments
Sponsors: Council Pres.-Admin.
Requester: Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Inc..
MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL RES. - FOR the purpose of authorizing an economic development project, to be known as the Water Tower Apartments, in order that the Board of Estimates may enter into a Payment in Lieu of Taxes Agreement with LH Water Tower, LLC, for a project encompassing approximately 325-375 market-rate rental units; generally relating to payments in lieu of taxes for the project; and providing for a special effective date. - FINANCE COMMITTEE (020697)


02-0883 Franchise - Architectural Cornice at 750 East Pratt Street
Sponsors: Council Pres.-Admin.
Requester: Dept. of Public Works.
ORDINANCE - FOR the purpose of granting a franchise to 750 East Pratt Street, LLC, to construct, use, and maintain a non-functional architectural cornice on the multi-story office building located at 750 East Pratt Street, subject to certain terms, conditions, and reservations; and providing for a special effective date. - HIGHWAYS AND FRANCHISES SUBCOMMITTEE (020698)


02-0884 Partial Release of Easement - 600 East Pratt Street
Sponsors: Council Pres.-Admin.
Requester: Baltimore Development Corporation.
ORDINANCE - FOR the purpose of authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to partially release an easement relating to certain property located at 600 East Pratt Street, the released easement being no longer needed for public use; and providing for a special effective date. - HIGHWAYS AND FRANCHISES SUBCOMMITTEE (020699)



Plus this news:

Clarke to give city plan for long-delayed downtown hotel
Heather Harlan Staff

Baltimore developer J. Joseph Clarke is expected to present a revised concept for his planned downtown Embassy Suites hotel and garage on Thursday at the city's Design Advisory Panel meeting.

The project's spot on the meeting agenda gives rise to speculation that Clarke will move forward with development at One Light Street after nearly a decade of failed plans and delays.

Clarke, president of J.J. Clarke Enterprises Inc., could not be reached for comment.

In June, the city gave the developer one last chance to transform the aging rubble at the corner of Light and Redwood streets into a hotel before paving over the site and sending him the bill.

Under an agreement struck in May, Clarke has been required to adhere to an ambitious construction schedule for a revived Embassy Suites and garage or face expensive cleanup costs.


So, what do you think?

:guns1: :cheers: :baaa:

[StevenW]

Does anybody else have any new info concerning the 300 East Pratt tower or any other projects in Baltimore?

[StevenW]

Deal near to build an Embassy Suites at Light, Redwood
A hotel would again stand where Southern long did
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Meredith Cohn
Sun Staff
Originally published October 3, 2002



For an enthusiastic time in the 1980s, the site of the old Southern Hotel was going to become a trophy office tower for downtown Baltimore. In a more sober moment this year, it looked as though it would become a parking lot.

But the central business district's most prominent dirt pit, which has drawn the ire of business and government leaders, may finally overcome its economic troubles. Developer J. Joseph Clarke says he's close to a deal to build an Embassy Suites hotel, parking garage and shops at Light and Redwood streets.

Clarke plans to present his $55 million-$60 million vision to the city's design panel today, an important step in the process of approvals he needs to begin work. Hilton Hotels Corp. and FelCor Lodging Trust, a Dallas-based hotel owner, say they're in final negotiations to buy the hotel.

"We've been baby-sitting this project for quite a long time," said Clarke, president of J.J. Clarke Enterprises Inc. Clarke still has some obstacles to overcome, and several factors could derail the project as they have others around the city. Clarke has not come to a final agreement on a sale price with FelCor and Hilton, which will manage the 311-room hotel. Once that is done, he can seek a lender to finance construction.

Clarke said he is negotiating with a local company to buy the 411-space garage. Clarke's company and partner Capital Guidance of Washington, which has invested about $20 million in the development, will end up owning only the 15,000-square-foot retail portion. Construction should take about two years.

Between 1987 and 1988, Trammell Crow Co. bought a half-dozen buildings on the block for an office skyscraper, but there was little demand. Trammell Crow, hurting from the real estate crash of the late 1980s, turned the project over to Clarke. He began clearing the site, which sits fenced and empty, in 1999.

Clarke plans to build around the one building owner that didn't sell to Trammell Crow - McDonald's Corp. Peter Fillat Architects incorporated the fast-food company's historic Thomas Building into the rendering that is to be presented today to the city's Design Advisory Panel.

FelCor, which owns hotels under brands such as Sheraton, Westin and Crowne Plaza, has been negotiating with Clarke since 1997. FelCor owns one other Embassy Suites hotel in Maryland, near Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

"We've pursued this for quite some time," said Bill Stuckeman, who heads FelCor's development program. "We've seen the market go up and down. ... This is the closet we've gotten."

FelCor has continued with acquisitions despite the dismal hotel market, which was made worse by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Occupancy and room rates have dipped nationally. Business travelers, the mainstay of many hotels, have not returned in great numbers.

Baltimore, with a relatively low number of hotel rooms, has been able to keep room rates high, Stuckeman said. Despite a location off the Inner Harbor, the two-room layout of an Embassy Suites, along with two ballrooms and some meeting space, should attract business people during the week and families on the weekends, he said.

He expects room rates to be lower than the prime hotels downtown but occupancy rates to be higher at about 70 percent to 72 percent.

There are two other hotels planned downtown on Redwood Street. A 176-room Marriott Residence Inn proposed for across the street by Donald J. Urgo and Associates has been awaiting final approval from the city for a tax break. A block east, a 171-room Hampton Inn and Suites has stalled.

The Baltimore City Council approved two PILOTs, or payment in lieu of taxes, for Clarke's project in 1999. The numbers will have to be refigured for this new proposal and then taken to the city's Board of Estimates, according to the Baltimore Development Corp., which negotiated the deal.

As currently structured, the hotel PILOT would save its owner $4.6 million in real estate taxes over 10 years while the garage PILOT would save its owner $3.3 million over 25 years.

The city, which collects an array of taxes from conventioneers and tourists, supports hotel development.

"I can think of no downside to having three hotels on Redwood Street, which is at the center of the old central business district," said Andrew Frank, the BDC's executive vice president.

"As development is drawn to the waterfront, the central business district must continue to diversify its economy and reinvent itself by finding new uses for old buildings and in-fill development sites."


Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun

I don't know about you, but, this does not sound good for the "Tower" we thought one light street was going to be.
The office portion of the project is not mentioned or even talked about in the slightest. :mad:

[Erik W]

Well, at least it is moving forward. I don't know if they have cut out the office part, it seemed as a pretty integral part of the design. Peter Fillat's website still shows the tower.

http://www.pfarc.com/97003/day.jpg

http://www.pfarc.com/97003/05.jpg

http://www.pfarc.com/97003/section.jpg

http://www.pfarc.com/97003/atrium.jpg

http://www.pfarc.com/97003/02.jpg

http://www.pfarc.com/97003/01.jpg

Anyway, I tend to think that anything will be better than the current situation. At least it is moving forward.

I have no clue what is going on with the 300 E. Pratt tower. It is a great site and I really hopes that it is moving forward. The architects does not seem to have a website but they are listed on www.newyork-architects.com and one of their listed "current projects" is this one in Baltimore.

[StevenW]

It sure would be a shame not to build that tower.
Anything less, IMO, would be a let down, considering it's location.
That site just 'screams' "Trophy Tower"!
There are only a few really good sites left in that area.
Pratt Street still has few left. These sites should be only for 'major' developments.
I e-mailed SCLE Architectual firm, in charge of the 300 East Pratt development, last night to find out some up-to-date information on this project.
This project really excites me the most in Baltimore, followed by the "Water Tower" apartment tower, "One Light Street", and the "Inner Harbor East" towers.
If the #s are correct on the "Zenith", (214 ft.), then that will be a major let-down to me. I was hoping for, at least, 300 ft.
Why does everybody think so 'small' when it comes to high-rise development projects?

I'll let you know more info on 300 East Pratt when I get word from SCLE.

:cheers:

[StevenW]

This pic is cool.
Just imagine One Light Street just across the street....

http://www.btco.net/ghosts/Buildings/baltotrust/fullshot.jpg

[StevenW]

Concerning 300 East Pratt proposal from SCLE:

Thank you for your interest in the above referenced project.
At present, due to the early stages of this project, we are
not ready nor are we released by our client to reveal any
data on this most exciting project. We hope you retain your
interest in this site and more information shall be forthcoming
in the next few months.


So, we'll haveto wait for at least 2 or 3 months...... :wallbash:

Figures.......:bash:

[StevenW]

I wonder if J. Paul Beitler would want to develop a tower in Baltimore. "?"
That would be SWEEEEET! :D :) :D :guns1:

[StevenW]

This is a quoted responce from Mr. Beitler himself:


"Steve,

Of course I would like to build a tall building in Baltimore. It is a beautiful city and the view of the harbor would be a huge plus.

But as with any stew you have to first have the rabbit. That is the first ingredient.

So until we can find a tenant who would anchor such a building I am at the mercy of the market place.

J. Paul"

[StevenW]

Delayed Pratt Street tower back on track
Heather Harlan Staff

After nearly three years of delays, the Kravco Co. of Pennsylvania plans to move forward with the office and retail portions of its downtown development, the company's CEO confirmed this week.

Wayne L. Snyder said construction on the office tower and retail center at Lockwood Place is expected to start by February — with building on the one block site bordered by Market Place, Pratt, Gay and Lombard streets progressing simultaneously.

The chairman's comments represent a renewed interest in the city, which has seen commercial development — especially by out-of-town investors — nearly slow to a crawl in the past year.

"It shows continued confidence by a number of people in the city," said M.J. "Jay" Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp. "Clearly the continuation of Lockwood Place has had a lot of doubters. This should send a message to the doubters."

Snyder said the office portion is likely to be started first, with construction on the tower expected to proceed without a lead tenant, he said.

T. Courtenay Jenkins III, a senior vice president for the Trammell Crow Co. (http://www.trammellcrow.com), declined to comment on the 12-story, 290,000-square-foot office building that his firm is helping to develop.

"I cannot comment," he said. "There's nothing to report at this time."

While the office tower will front Pratt Street, the side of the building will face Gay Street. The retail center will also front Pratt Street, with the side facing Market Place.

The Kravco Co. (http://www.kravco.com) of King of Prussia, Pa., has secured "several" tenants for the retail center, Snyder said. "There are more restaurants than any," said the development company's chairman before declining to name the eateries.

The commercial project has gotten a sluggish start since the Kravco Co. and A&R Development Corp. of Baltimore signed a ground lease with Baltimore City Community College for the Kravco site in 1999.

At the time, the Kravco Co. vowed to build shops, restaurants, a hotel, office building and parking garage — all as part of the $110 million complex.

But in the last three years, the developers have scaled back the project, relinquishing the idea of the hotel, putting the retail portion on hold and beginning only the garage. Construction on the garage at Market Place and Lombard Street is slated for completion by year's end.

The Baltimore City Community College initially selected the Kravco Co.'s proposal for the Lockwood site for a number of reasons, including the notion that it "planned to be completed in one phase," according to a December 1999 press release from the school.

The Cordish Co., a Baltimore-based developer, was among the other bidders who unsuccessfully competed for the site. Cordish has since redeveloped the former Brokerage complex — nearby along Market Place — into a mix of nightclubs, restaurants and bars.

Cordish had planned to build the new headquarters for Baltimore law firm Piper & Marbury. The firm, now Piper Rudnick LLP, moved to Mt. Washington after the deal failed.




© 2002 American City Business Journals Inc.:guns1:

[StevenW]

I don't know if this is good news or not."?"


Rouse to sell city property
Heather Harlan Staff

The Rouse Co. has transferred its downtown land at the corner of Light and Conway streets to a trust, signaling a pending sale of the site where McCormick spices were once manufactured.

Now a surface parking lot next to the Harbor Court Hotel, the property — once controlled by Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos — is considered a gem because of its proximity to the Inner Harbor, the Baltimore Convention Center and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Nancy Tucker, a spokeswoman for the Rouse Co., said the Rouse Co. shifted the land to the Spice Lot Business Trust "in order for us to affect the sale."

Although the trust has a post office box address in Columbia, its principal office matches that of the Rouse Co., according to state property records. Baltimore City property tax records list the same Columbia post office box.

"I know that we are getting ready to sell that," Tucker said. She declined further comment, including the name of the buyer, saying she did not have any more information.

Werner Kunz, managing director of the Harbor Court Hotel, said his company has no intentions of buying the adjacent site.

"We don't want a lot that's that expensive," he said. "We don't have any interest in that lot."

Although state property records show the land is valued at $10.6 million, real estate experts have said that site could be worth nearly double that amount.

Despite the prime location, Kunz said there could be design restrictions on potential development there. In the past, hotels and buildings along Light Street have been limited to eight stories, Kunz said.

"Today is a new administration, though," said Kunz, referring to Baltimore City Mayor Martin O'Malley. "With a new administration, I don't know if it would be the same."

Land records on file in Baltimore City also show that air rights issues could prevent extensive development on the site.

Commercial real estate experts question whether design restrictions and possible air rights complications may have prompted Angelos to let his option on the Rouse site lapse.

In 2000, Angelos secured an option on the land from the Rouse Co. of Columbia and pledged to build a convention-headquarters hotel there.

It was unclear this week whether another hotel is planned for the site. Sharon Grinnell, chief operating officer of the Baltimore Development Corp., said she was unaware of future plans for the Rouse land.

M.J. "Jay" Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp., could not be reached for comment.

Although the hospitality industry is beginning to recover from the effects of the September 2001 terrorist attacks, competing hotel plans in other parts of the city could deter a new rival.

In July, H&S Properties Development Corp., headed by John Paterakis, announced plans to build a Four Seasons hotel and condominiums at Inner Harbor East. And last month, developer J. Joseph Clarke presented plans for a revised Embassy Suites hotel for Light Street.


Heather Harlan can be reached at hharlan@bizjournals.com.





:guns1: :rant: :bash: :guns1:

[Erik W]

I don't think we can expect to see any development on that site in the near future. However, it is a good location and I can't see why the city would not allow a tower there. If nothing else to cut off views of the monstrous brick hotel on the neighboring site.

Also in the news: The National Aquarium is planning an expansion on the middle branch of Patapsco River. The facility would house the Animal Care and breeding operations (that are currently located in a warehouse in Fells Point) and would be built on brownfields just north of Hanover Bridge. The building would not be public but the area surrounding it would be restored into wetlands and serve as a new, interactive urban park. Hord Coplan Macht has sketched on a preliminary design and it looks promising to me.

http://www.hcm2.com/graphics/naib%20perspective1.jpg

[StevenW]

It's good to hear from you again, ErikW.
I thought you had left for good.

Anyway, yes, I think that site would be great for a MAJOR tower.
And I do think that the Aquarium in Baltimore is doing alot of good things, yes.

Have you heard any more news on any developments going on?

[Baltimoreguy]

A number of developers have put in proposals for a 5 acre lot with across from Camdem Yards and the Expanded Convention Center(now 1,400,000 square ft) They range from 750 to 869 rooms in the first phase and up to a total of 1,150 hotel room in the second phase. Parking for between 600 and 1,000 space, and lot of meeeting space, plus an office building for the World Relief Headquaters for the Catholic Church One also includes a 19000 seat arena as well. Across the street from this development, there are plans for a 24 story apartment building called the Zentih. The developers are headed by Robert L Johnson(Former Owner BET/Viacom) and is competing against Will Smith(Actor) for the right to develop the site. Two of the three proposals listed a Hilton or A Westin Hotel as the chain to run the Hotel. The the third did not list it. The RLJ proposal is a 24 stroy hotel,a 8 story office building and another addtiona to the hotel of around 15 floors in the future. The other two proposals hopefully will be taller buildings. The one with the arena underneath will probably be at 35 stories.. No pics have been released yet for the two new proposals.

[StevenW]

First of all, I'd like to say, "Welcome to the forum", it's good to have another Baltimore person on board.

Where did you here about the arena being, 'underneath', and the hotel being 35 storeys?

I try to keep up with the latest Baltimore development news.
I like the arena/hotel proposal. It would give Baltimore a new BIGGER arena for the city and would probably be a taller hotel than the other proposals.
Baltimore needs a new tallest. I wish THIS hotel would be it.
I'm very disapointed about One Light Street. It was chopped by 11 storeys.
I'm very curious and excited about the "Water Tower" apartment project and 300 East Pratt. If built, these two towers will have a significant impact on the skyline.


Do you live in Baltimore?

[Baltimoreguy]

<table cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=98% class="quoteBox">The Zenith I belive wa going to be around 245 to 265 ft tall. Yes a disappointment. It is because of a height limit around the shock trama center
<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by StevenW </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top>It sure would be a shame not to build that tower.
Anything less, IMO, would be a let down, considering it's location.
That site just 'screams' "Trophy Tower"!
There are only a few really good sites left in that area.
Pratt Street still has few left. These sites should be only for 'major' developments.
I e-mailed SCLE Architectual firm, in charge of the 300 East Pratt development, last night to find out some up-to-date information on this project.
This project really excites me the most in Baltimore, followed by the "Water Tower" apartment tower, "One Light Street", and the "Inner Harbor East" towers.
If the #s are correct on the "Zenith", (214 ft.), then that will be a major let-down to me. I was hoping for, at least, 300 ft.
Why does everybody think so 'small' when it comes to high-rise development projects?

I'll let you know more info on 300 East Pratt when I get word from SCLE.

:cheers:</td></tr>
</table>

[StevenW]

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/518/6camden_view.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/518/6corner_view.jpg

Thanks to Design Collective, Inc. in Baltimore, MD.

The Zenith is 67 meters high, or 220 feet high to us Americans. ;)

[BG918]

Wow, the design of that Zenith building is stunning, too bad it was never built! I'm sure when the economy picks up again it will finally be built, it'll be a shame if it isn't. I just love buildings with that greenish glass, it gives them a modern tropical look that I really like.

[StevenW]

BG918, I believe this building will probably break ground sometime this year from what I gather.
It is nice looking. I would have liked it more if it was 100 or 200 feet taller, though.
Ah well, it's still pretty nice.

[Baltimoreguy]

Where did you find the Pics? The Water Tower Apartments are being built by the same development team I understand as well. It is kewl looking just wish it were taller. Has anyone found any pics of the Water Tower or 300 east Pratt Street

[StevenW]

Design Collective, Inc.
Courtesy of a Mr. Michael S. Goodwin, AIA associate

I have older pics/renderings of both "Water Tower" and 300 East Pratt Tower.

[Baltimoreguy]

could you post the older pics of 300 east and water tower apts thanks

[StevenW]

300 East Pratt
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/6300_e__pratt.jpg

Water Tower
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/6waterst.jpg

Water Tower in the skyline
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/6wlapts.jpg

These designs have probably changed, though.

[Baltimoreguy]

The tremendous snowfall in the baltimore area has caused the roof of the B & O Roundhouse Musuem to collaspe. Only 1/3 of the roof is left.

[StevenW]

That's terrible.

[Baltimoreguy]

Morgan Stanley may be moving into a new office building at the Allied Signal Plant site. Rumor has it that they will be a major tenant in a 250,000 sq ft office building on the site. The site is 25 acres or so. The total development will be around 1.5 billion dollars. This may be the biggest development in Baltimore history. The site is surrounded by water on three sides. Morgan Stanley has already moved about 150 employees into a new Office building in Fells Point. The Morgan Stanley lease would be a great assest to Baltimore as more companies are decentralizing away from NYC.

[StevenW]

I read that same article. It's great news for Baltimore.
A while back there was talk of maybe erecting a new court house building for the city.
I think that site will very exciting to follow. Some good things should happen on that prime land.

[StevenW]

Vol: 3 No: 198 Updated: February 28, 2003

COVER STORIES

Paterakis Rises to Role of Developer
On a nippy February day, John Paterakis Sr. — who inherited H&S Bakery at the age of 23 and kneaded it into an international success — is flanked by his chief of development Michael S. Beatty and Baltimore developer Bill Struever. During the past two decades the three men have acquired control of the some of Baltimore’s most prized land. In one of the nation’s largest urban development projects, the joint venture between Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse Inc. and H&S Properties Development Corp. is molding a small city within the city.


I would love to see what this area of Baltimore is going to look like in about 10 to 20 years from now.


http://www.mddailyrecord.com/newspics/patercover.jpg

[StevenW]

City reveals 5 plans submitted for Fells Point's Recreation Pier
Most include a berth for 'Pride of Baltimore II'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jamie Stiehm
Sun Staff
Originally published March 1, 2003



Recreation Pier -- once the place to go in Baltimore for music, dancing and fun -- could reclaim that status under a development proposal that calls for a waterfront Ferris wheel, miniature golf course, and a tugboat museum.
That is one of five concepts submitted to the city for redeveloping Fells Point's signature structure that were released yesterday.


Other ideas include a 12-story condominium tower, a hotel, and a mixture of offices and retail shops.

Most of the proposals include making the pier the permanent berth of the clipper ship Pride of Baltimore II. The Pride has no permanent year-round berth in its home port.

The red brick building, which sits on a pier fronting Thames Street, is shuttered. Built in 1914, it was once a social and an educational hub for the thousands of immigrants who came to Baltimore in the early 20th century.

It once housed the harbormaster's office. Families gathered on the pier for swimming and sunbathing. More recently, it was the set of an NBC police drama.

Key to many of the proposals are historic tax credits, a program which lawmakers have suggested abolishing in the current General Assembly session.

"It would be devastating to lose access to that [tax credit] resource," said Robert F. Pipik, director of asset management for the city's Department of Housing and Community Development. "It would be a lot more difficult if not impossible to do this building. ... It's core for us."

Each of the five teams has at least one Baltimore-based developer.

Brian D. Morris, chief executive officer of Baltimore-based Legacy Harrison Development LLC, led the team that proposed a $10 million outdoor amusement park. The ballroom over the waterfront would become a public atrium.

Yeni Wong of Washington teamed with the Baltimore firms RTKL and Whiting Turner to propose a public promenade on the pier alongside 85 low-rise housing units. Wong is planning to build a complex of lofts near Pennsylvania Station in the city's newly designated arts district.

Lambda Development LLC, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, and H&S properties submitted a proposal to build 28 luxury homes, along with office or commercial space, and to provide a permanent berth for the Pride of Baltimore II to celebrate the city's maritime history. Other public uses could include a dance or catering hall.

Joshua E. Neiman, a development director at Struever Bros. said he anticipated changes as the Fells Point community evaluates the proposals. "I expect a detailed dialogue with the community," Neiman said.

Local banker and maritime executive Edwin F. Hale Sr. also put in a housing proposal, for a 12-story building of waterfront condominiums.

J. Joseph Clarke and the New Orleans-based Historic Restoration Inc. proposed a $29.5 million hotel project with 145 rooms for a new Doubletree Club Hotel aimed at couples or families visiting the city for short stays. The ballroom would be preserved, Clarke said.

Hale and Clarke also included a permanent berth for the Pride of Baltimore II in their plans -- something the Pride's caretakers applauded yesterday. The ship needs a more prominent place in its home port, said Linda Christenson, head of the nonprofit Pride of Baltimore Inc.

"We hope the Pride will be a public use since it's a natural fit," Christenson said.

The documents revealed yesterday were "requests for qualifications" -- the first step in the process. The city will choose the winning proposal in two or three months, Pipik said, after seeking community comment.

One idea appears to be a crowd-pleaser in Fells Point: having the Pride in its midst.

Lori Guess, head of the Fells Point community task force for the Recreation Pier, said, "I was hoping they would include the Pride because that is something the community has talked a lot about. ... It's so much about the maritime feel."



Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun

[Baltimoreguy]

I woundering what some of these developers were thinking. :) A high rise in Fells Point. I don't think that we ever happen. This part of the city was first setle in the 1600's. The entire area is a national historic district. It would ruin Thames Street to have a high rise built on it. Fells Point still has cobblestone streets and many of its homes have been renovated. It is like a a 19th century town.

[StevenW]

No, I don't think it will either. I kinda like the idea of the little amusement park area with ferriswheel and all. It would be something different for the whole harbor area.

BTW, did you hear about the Cordish Copany's new entertainment attraction coming to it's peir 4, I believe, area?
It's called, "PasssPort". A 10,000 sq. ft. virtual reality experience that at least 40 or 50 people at once can enjoy. A huge screen will let you "travel" through ocean life experiences with surround sound and seats that 'move' with the screen's motion. It is to open this summer.
A larger version is scheduled to open in Atlantic City, too, at 14,000 sq. ft.

[Baltimoreguy]

Today an 80 million tower at the East Baltimore Hospital/University Campus was broken ground. Not sure about the details

[StevenW]

I think it's the 12 storey tower that's been palnned for some time now.
That's good to hear.

Any news on any central business district development?

[StevenW]

Designer believed
Koubek's vision brought tower to Inner Harbor
Architecture: Edward Gunts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally published Feb 24, 2003

One of Baltimore's tallest buildings bears a black and white sign above its lobby that features Mayor Martin O'Malley's favorite message for the city: BELIEVE.
But there was a time when the 40-story building, the former USF&G Corp. headquarters, didn't need a sign to send that message.

In 1968, when USF&G pledged to build a new headquarters near Baltimore's Inner Harbor, it was the first company to make that commitment since then-Mayor Theodore McKeldin launched an effort to rejuvenate the waterfront five years earlier.

The company followed through on its pledge despite riots that drove many residents and businesses from the city. Its 529-foot-tall headquarters, completed six years later, was a symbol of faith in downtown Baltimore at a time when few others were showing any.

Its rapid construction in the early 1970s - rising a story a day at one point - provided tangible evidence that the city's grand plans for the Inner Harbor could be realized.

"It made believers out of a lot of people who didn't think the Inner Harbor plan would go anywhere," said Martin Millspaugh, former president and chief executive officer of Charles Center-Inner Harbor Management Inc., now the Baltimore Development Corp.

This enduring symbol of belief in Baltimore is one of several city buildings designed by Vlastimil Koubek, a Washington-based architect who died of cancer Feb. 15 at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 75.

In a 1995 interview, Koubek said he set out to create a tower that would be a source of pride to the company's employees as well as to the city itself.

"USF&G said, 'We want a signature building that will be recognized around the world as our home offices in Baltimore, so magnificent that even our agencies in Australia will know it when they see it,'" he recalled.

Last week, Koubek was praised by colleagues and friends as the right architect for a commission that turned out to be so critical to reshaping Baltimore's skyline - and image.

"Vlastimil Koubek was a profilic classic modernist, an architect's architect," said Richard Burns, a principal of Design Collective Inc. "In my opinion, his USF&G tower, now Legg Mason, is one of the best if not the best office buildings in downtown Baltimore. It is simple, direct and honest, just like Vlastimil."

"You wouldn't think of him as starting a trend or breaking new ground in design," Millspaugh said. "His forte was doing quality buildings on time and on budget. The USF&G building was a perfect example of a quality building for its time - and it still is."

The Legg Mason tower is one of more than 100 buildings that Koubek designed during a career that lasted from the 1950s to the present.

His other Baltimore buildings include the 26-story Central Savings Bank building downtown, the Horizon House apartments near Mount Vernon, and the garage at 414 Water St. Along with Design Collective, he was part of the team that designed the high-rise condominium tower at 100 HarborView Drive. Before stadiums rose in Camden Yards, he designed a master plan for the area that called for the preservation of historic Camden Station and the long B & O warehouse.

Born and educated in Czechoslovakia, Koubek came to the United States in 1952. After working for others for five years, he established his own office in 1957. Since then, he had been responsible for the design of office buildings, hotels and institutitional structures representing a combined investment of more than $2 billion

In 1985, Washingtonian magazine named him one of 20 Washingtonians "who in the past 20 years had the greatest impact on the way we live and who forever altered the look of Washington."

"He was good," said Oliver T. Carr, chairman emeritus of CarrAmerica, a real estate development firm that hired Koubek for many of its projects. "He was different from so many architects of that time. His buildings had clean architectural lines, and yet they were functional and practical and offered good work space. For that period of time, he was a perfect fit."

Peggy Koubek, the architect's wife of 19 years, said a memorial service for her husband will be held in several weeks, but arrangements have not been set. Her husband was a strong believer in Baltimore, she added.

"Vlasta and I were both very fond of Baltimore, and he was very proud of the work he had done in the city," she said.

USF&G's leaders did not originally want to build their tower on the block bounded by Pratt, Charles, Lombard and Light streets, where it stands.

They originally wanted to build it one block closer to the waterfront, where the IBM building later rose. But city officials said that block was reserved for a mid-rise building.

"We had to tell them that our plan called for a frame of buildings around the harbor and there couldn't be a tower there," Millspaugh said. "They thought about it and decided to move their building" one block west.

Koubek designed a tall, slender building made with the finest finishes, including Spanish pink granite on the exterior and rosewood and English brown oak inside. Four levels of parking were buried underground to preserve the tower's slender proportions. A Henry Moore sculpture was commissioned for the base, but later had to be moved indoors.

Koubek's building was designed with a concrete core that contained the elevators and lavatories, and two paired columns at each of the four corners. Each floor was otherwise column-free.

Ground was broken in June 1970. Contractors built the 36-story-tall core in just six weeks. The frame was topped out in April 1971 and the building opened in 1974.

Today, Koubek's building is considered as critical to the success of the 250-acre Inner Harbor renewal area as was Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's office tower at 1 N. Charles St. to the 33-acre Charles Center renewal area.

From an urban design point of view, "it's a linchpin for the Inner Harbor," said David Wallace, former partner of Wallace Roberts and Todd, the Philadelphia-based firm that designed the master plan for the Inner Harbor. "If you look at it from a boat, it's a punctuation point at one corner of the Inner Harbor, signifying where the central business district meets the waterfront."

The harbor's urban design guidelines dictated that buildings framing the west and north shores have a continuous cornice line, Wallace said.

"This is the point where they come together, the confluence of the two sides," he said. "As architecture, it's one of the more handsome buildings in the Inner Harbor. As a piece of urban design ... it's spectacular."



Architects chosen

Two local architects have been hired to design the commercial and residential development that the Johns Hopkins University plans to build on the north side of 33rd Street between Charles and St. Paul streets in Charles Village.

Ayers Saint Gross and Design Collective have been hired to create a mixed-use development that will include a bookstore for the campus and other retailers, parking and housing for students. Construction is tentatively expected to begin in 2004 and be complete by mid-2005.



Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun


:guns1:

[Baltimoreguy]

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2003/03/10/daily34.html

[StevenW]

Yeah, I read that. I hope Baltimore get's some FED money.
PLEASE!!!
;)

[Baltimoreguy]

The EPA today gave the go ahead for the waterfront development on a former industrial site of Allied Signal Corp. The 1.5 billion development with be on 20 acres of waterfront between Fells Point and the Inner Harbor. The site is surrounded by water on three sides. The first development with by an office building for Morgan Stanley. Morga Stanley also leased a new office building a few blocks away on Thames street on the water also. The Signal Site will include Offices Retail and residential. It will be a joint development. One of the Developers is currently building Inner Harbor East which includes Three hotels, tow or three residential towers, retail space, lots of parking,and tons of office space. Inner Harbor East is going up with a price tag of $500,000,000+

[StevenW]

Yeah, I read that too. That is great news. I hope they get started soon.
Have you heard any more news on the 300 east pratt project or the "Water Tower" project? Any news of any kind? Things have been pretty low key on the convention hotel proposals, as of late.

[StevenW]

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/newspics/Harbpoint.jpg

Here's a picture of the site with the skyline backdrop.

[Baltimoreguy]

Where di you find the picture. Was there an article in the Sun Papers about the development.

[Baltimoreguy]

http://www.sunspot.net/business/realestate/bal-bohagers0404,0,3350596.photo?coll=bal%2Drealestate%2Dheadlines%2D1 [IMG]

[StevenW]

Yeah, I seen that the other day. It's short, but I like the roofing.

The picture came from the Maryland Daily Record.
Every day, except Sunday, it has new info/articles of Baltimore/Maryland business news.

www.mddailyrecord.com , check it out sometime.
By the way, if you want ALL the info on any of the articles, you have to pay a $.

Cool site though.

[Baltimoreguy]

There was a story in the sun papers that no decision has been made of the hotel proposals.

[StevenW]

http://www.sunspot.net/media/photo/2003-04/7439607.jpg

Work begins on shops at Lockwood Place
Delayed project to add an office tower to skyline
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Meredith Cohn
Sun Staff
Originally published April 17, 2003



A gap in the skyline along Baltimore's main street of commerce will be filled with a 13-story, blue-tinted glass and metal building and a neighboring shopping mall in just over a year, according to developers who recently began construction.

The work on Lockwood Place was put off more than a year because of the sagging economy, but the developers expect that shops and businesses will again be ready to move and expand next year - especially to space that offers harbor views, parking and modern amenities.


Champps Americana sports bar and restaurant, Chevy's Fresh Mex, Olive Garden and the Baltimore Chocolate Factory and Museum are to occupy more than 60 percent of the three-story retail complex that broke ground this week and will run along Pratt Street and Market Place, according to King of Prussia, Pa.-based Kravco Co., the lead developer.

The remainder of the 105,000-square-foot space is unleased.

"We really wanted to start in '01," Timothy S. Herb, Kravco's development director, said yesterday. "We've had a couple of really tough years in the retail market, but hopefully things will start to get better."

The mall is part of a $100 million project, including the office building and a recently completed parking garage, commissioned by Baltimore City Community College on its downtown property as a means of adding to the school's income.

The project was proposed in 1998 and requires the developers to pay rent and build on a specific schedule, which has been amended because of economic conditions. The city offered tax breaks for the offices and garage to help get the project going.

The 275,000-square-foot office building has no tenants, but work on its foundation commenced over the winter and steel will rise in the next couple of weeks, said its developer, Trammell Crow Co.

"This will fill in the last major office development site on the harbor," said T. Courtenay Jenkins III, a senior vice president of Trammell Crow. "It will be the corporate address for companies that need the image of Pratt Street."

The developers say they know the office project is a gamble. The economic malaise continues, neighboring office buildings have significant unleased space, and brokers say activity is slow. The vacancy rate in the Baltimore office market is about 13.5 percent and goes up to 14.6 percent in the central business district when offices for sublet are included, according to commercial real estate company MacKenzie/Oncor Intl.

Two other buildings have been constructed downtown recently: Dugan's Wharf, a 172,000-square-foot building developed by the Cordish Co. on Pier 4 that is nearly full, and a 338,700-square-foot building at 750 E. Pratt St. that is about one-third leased.

The downtown vacancy rate drops some when only the top-tier office buildings on Pratt Street are counted, said James R. Grieves Jr., a vice president at MacKenzie.

"They're betting on the market correcting itself in the next 12 to 24 months and there will be pent-up demand for space, and that's probably a pretty good guess," he said. "It might take a while to lease up, but if those other buildings are fully leased, then they'll have first dibs on anyone looking for new space."

New buildings, however, tend to take some tenants from older downtown buildings, Grieves noted.

Daniel S. Hudson, managing director for Trammell Crow, said some local businesses have expressed interest in his building because they need more space or want to be in the newest harbor building.

"The owners are very excited about the opportunities presented by this asset in particular and Baltimore in general," Hudson said. "It's a downtown, urban location with harbor views and parking."

The office building owner and equity investor is Multi-Employer Property Trust, a pool of corporate and public pension money. Trammell Crow has developed other office projects in the region for the trust.

The office tower shell and mall are to be completed by May 2004. The 940-space garage opened in February.


Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun

Also see




Photos

Lockwood Place (Sun photo by Doug Kapustin)
Apr 15, 2003

[Baltimoreguy]

The Ritz Carlton Luxury Hotel at the Key Highway Shipyard in the Inner Harbor is still on track. A 20 year agreement has been signed for the development. The land deal will be completed within weeks. The hotel will have 225 room and 100 condominiums. I think the project is around $175,000,000. The four Seasons Hotel on the other shoreline in the Inner Harbor East will start before the end of the year. The $75,000,000 200 room hotel will be the third hotel built in Inner Harbor East. The BG&E Headquaters is being sold to Southern Management as well. The BGE Building is 22 floors and built in 1916 and well be converted in 200 to 300 luxury apartments. BGE moved its executives to the new tower at 750 East Pratt. The Annex building of the BGE Headquaters will be retained continued to be used as BGE Offices. The Southern Management Company will have over 1,100 apartments in a one block area with four towers, 28 floors, 31 floors, 29 floors, and 22 floors. Southern Management also recently renovated the Old Hecht Company Flag Ship Store into 170 Apartments a couple of blocks away for $20,000,000.

[Baltimoreguy]

It was announced today that Interstate 95/895 split on the Baltimore City Line to Rt 24 in Harford County will be widen by two lanes in each direction bringing the roads to 6 lanes in each direction. WOW. Then one lane to be added from rt 24 to the delaware line for a total of four lanes in each direction. Total cost 2 Billion dollars. Unreal. No taxes money to biuld the project. All from tolls:cool:

[StevenW]

That's good news.
:cool:

[Baltimoreguy]

The Baltimore Ravens Stadium has been renamed to M&T Bank Stadium. A 15 year deal was signed for $5,000,000 a year. The Baltimore Stadium is also 165 foot tall

[Erik W]

Design Collective has finally posted some images of Zenith on their website. It is going to be nice to see a residential building with a modern design rise in the city again.

http://www.designcollective.com/_internal/cimg!0/18zextekd9

[Baltimoreguy]

The Ritz Carlton Project is waiting on the land purchase that they agreed to paif 5.4 Million dollars for the property plus 2.5 million to JOhn Hopkins in a 1999 agreement. The Owner of the Land (HarborView) is not abiding by the price and now want 16.50 million for the 5.6 acre waterfront site.

[Baltimoreguy]

The MTA Today announced it is proceeding with two new subway lines. One From Woodlawn to Fells Point(12 Miles) and from the Johns Hopkins Hospital Subway Stop to Good Sam Hospital about 4.5 miles.

[Baltimoreguy]

http://www.gbc.org/news/Dec01/harborcommittee.html

[StevenW]

Can anyone find out what the deal is with the 300 east pratt tower situation? That and Water Tower at 414 Water Street.
I've been asking around, but nobody is saying anything.:?

[Baltimoreguy]

As Far as I know both pojects are still schedule to begin this year Both 300 East Pratt and 414 Water Street are still going to go up. The Ritz Carlton Hotel is still fighting with the Harborview Development over the price for the land. Which Harborview now want more than double the money fo the site. As to the Harborview Development Townhomes are easily selling for 750,000 and 850,000 and these are not even waterfront. The next phase of the Development is Waterfront Townhomes $1,000,000 PLus each

[StevenW]

City Councilman fighting tall buildings near Fells Point
John Cribbs
Staff

Baltimore City Councilman John L. Cain is introducing a bill that could wipe out a controversial proposal to erect 120-foot buildings in Fells Point.




Fells Point residents complained to Cain after they were told about the Baltimore Development Corp.'s plan to put six blocks of land -- the former site of Bohager's -- under the Inner Harbor East Urban Renewal Plan, which would allow buildings up to 120 feet high to be built next to the historic community, Cain said.



Both Cain and Baltimore Development Corp. introduced their bills Monday, Cain said.



"The Fells Point community has been concerned with that intensity being right smack up to Fells Point," Cain said.



He said his bill will allow development in those six blocks to be 80 feet at the highest, which is more "compatible with Fells Point," he said.



For about two years, the six blocks have been seen as a "transitional zone" since residents knew the Inner Harbor would be expanding to its current density, Cain said.




© 2003 American City Business Journals Inc.

[Baltimoreguy]

A 12 or 13 story Apartment Building and Condo is proposed for the site with almost 400 very pricey apartments. I don't they will be able to block it in time. I hope not. The city needs as much residential development as possible.

[StevenW]

I agree.
I think when the "Centerpoint" apartment tower and the "Zenith" apartment tower are built, it will help the city's residential need, some.
Now, if they only go ahead and build 300 east pratt AND Water Tower, then we will have a nice surplus of residences. :D

[Baltimoreguy]

Centerpoint is well underway and a 350 ft tall tower crane is already up. An 18 story apartment tower is also under construction at Inner Harbor East.

[StevenW]

That's great news! :)
Do you have any recent pictures of these developments? I'd love to see them!

[Baltimoreguy]

There is fighting going on against new development in Locust Point near Historic Fort Mc Henry. (Birthplace of the National Anthem. Plans for hotels, shopping new housings, and a cruise ship terminal are some fo the proposed developments. The Old Grain Elevator Site is the prime concern because of it size and waterfront site and long pier. A large office complex was completed last year at the P&G Plant now known as Tide Point. About 400,000 SQ FT.

[Brian21]

Hi Guys I'm new to this forum but like you I'm very interested in the development of my hometown. On Peter Fillat's site there is a proposal for a 43- 45 story hotel tower, not sure if they'll go through with it though. I hope so because this will definitely be baltimore's new tallest. I'll try to find out more info on it.

[StevenW]

Hi Brian21.
Welcome to the forum. It's good to see another Baltimore person on this site. Do you live in the city?
If you find out any information on any Baltimore projects, please feel free and post away.
I'll help in any way I can.

As for the convention hotel proposal that's on Peter Filliat's site, I did some checking on it and, even though it may reach 45 storeys, it will only rise to about 440 feet in the air. The Legg Mason Tower is 529 feet tall. I still hope the proposal wins over the other one's though. Who knows, the city may ask for 1,000 rooms or more to see what the proposal might look like then. Then, I'm sure it would be a new tallest. Somewhere around 560 feet. And that's not a stretch either. I talked to Mr. Filliat via e-mail about this probability and he liked the idea.
Although, sad to say, Robert Johnson's hotel proposal is probably the politicaly favored one, at this point. It will be at least two to three more months before any decision is made, so I hear.

I am more curious about the 300 east pratt street proposal and the 414 Water Street, "Water Tower", proposal, more than anything else.
If you could find any up-to-date info on those two projects, that would be GREAT! ;)

By the way, www.skyscraperpage.com is another cool site/forum to check out, too!

Anyway, WELCOME, again!
:cool:

[Baltimoreguy]

I hope Robert Johnson does not get the site. Baltimore needs a new arena and a world class hotel. The Belive is much better and does not Block the views from Camdem Yards. I don't think an arena will ever be built on the Present site of the 1st Mariner Arena becuase they would have to tear it down first and Baltimore would have no arena while construction would take place. The Belive team makes the Most Sense. If the Belive team increased the size of the hotel to 1,000 rooms and the building height to like 55 floors that would be awesome.

[StevenW]

I agree, 100%
:guns1:

[Brian21]

Hey guys
I found a most recent rendering of 300 light street. Its alot different from the older proposal. Its on a webiste called cosentini.com once you get there click on current projects and then click on Westin Hotels&resorts but the completion date says 2001 so maybe that was the first proposal but anyway Its a pretty cool rendering to me, alot better then the other rendering, and I think its still gonna be 34 stories, and will definitely be noticeable in the skyline!

Haven't heard anything on the Water Tower yet.

[StevenW]

Hey Brian,

I was refering to the 300 EAST PRATT street residential project done by SCLE architects. But, hey, that was a nice rendering of the Westin proposal back a few years ago, before the Marriott Waterfront Hotel went up. I'd never seen it till now. Thanks. :)
The Westin proposal would have been right directly in front of the "Water Tower" project at 414 Water Street.

By the way, did you check out the www.skyscraperpage.com web site yet?
It's cool too.

Also see if you can maybe find out what the newly , shorter, 1 LIGHT Street tower will look like. I have not seen the new design yet. That's such a shame about 1 Light Street. I was hoping it would have gone up as the 496 foot tower it was going to be. Now, I think it might only reach 300 feet, if that. :(

[Brian21]

Does SCLE architects have a website? I cant seem to find it.:?

[StevenW]

Hi Brian,
Hey, I messed up the letters. Sorry. It's SLCE, not SCLE.
www.SLCE.com should be the site.
Brian, I've been to the site quite a few times and it lists "300 East Pratt Street" as one of their "current projects". However, I e-mailed them and asked of the project's progress, and they said, "They were not at liberty to disclose any information on that project yet."

How in the world did you come up with consentini website to find out about the old Westin proposal?

Here are the projects I am interested in:
1. 300 East Pratt
2. Water Tower
3. One Light Street
4. Centerpoint tower
5. Zenith
6. "Westin" proposal at the center site for convention hotel.
7. Inner Harbor East high-rise projects
8. Lockwood Place
9. Other high-rise construction going on in Baltimore.
10. Bridge, tunnel and other new structures in Baltimore. (Transportation)
11. Metro area high-rise construction.
12. All other Maryland high-rise construction.
;)

[Brian21]

Hi Steve
are you sure thats the right website? I went to it and it brings up some kind of computer exchange website.

[StevenW]

http://www.newyork-architects.com/content/profiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile&architect=2059&lang=e

Sorry, Try this link.

Steve

[Baltimoreguy]

Here is the link for the centerpoint tower in Market Center
http://www.hadcoinc.com/centerp.html

[StevenW]

Thanks, Baltimoreguy.
Cool rendering. I saw an earlier rendering and it did not look like this one. This one is much better. The other one looked real skinny.
Anymore other cool links?

[StevenW]

http://www.hadcoinc.com/centerp.gif
Centerpoint looks GOOD! ;)

[Baltimoreguy]

Updates on construction etc in downtown
http://www.godowntownbaltimore.com/publications/Publication%20Archives/pdfs02/State%20of%20Downtown2.pdf

[Baltimoreguy]

The Zenith Apartments
http://www.beyonddc.com/images/photos/baltimore_area/baltimore/buildings/zenith02-rendering.jpg

[Baltimoreguy]

http://www.sber.com/project/project_detail.asp?ProjectPropertyID=121

[StevenW]

Great! Thanks.
Anytime you find out any new info on anything, please post away.
Have you taken any recent pics of any of the construction going on?
That would be good to see. :)

[Baltimoreguy]

Lockwood Place currently under construction
http://www.kravco.com/portfolio/lockwood_img.htm

[Baltimoreguy]

The Believe Team for the Westin Hotel
http://www.pfarc.com/03001/BELIEVE.html

[Baltimoreguy]

The New Dental school in Baltimore
http://134.192.179.40/mainview1.html

[StevenW]

Hey man,
The first two links came up nice, but the last one, the dental school building, is not coming through.
Can you post the rendering?
Thanks again.

Steve

[Baltimoreguy]

The renovated Munsey Building
http://www.skyscrapers.com/re/en/wm/bu/118957/

[StevenW]

Happy 4th of July!:)

[StevenW]

Thanks for the links. I've seen some. The www.skyscrapers.com Baltimore page is nice, but, there are alot of inconsistancies with the info on the buildings. It seems that the same buildings are being represented twice in some cases. And, the height stats change from time to time on certain towers. 100 Light Street, for example, is listed at 370 ft. tall, now. Awhile ago it was consistantly given a 400 ft. tall stat. :rant:
I wish there was some thorough way to go through every high-rise building in Baltimore and get the exact height of the structures. Then updated info wouldn't be that confusing anymore, or as hard.

Ah well.......:?

[Brian21]

Hey Guys
As you all know One Light Street was originally supposed to be 35 stories, with two 100ft spires on top which would have put it well over 500 ft, and would have probably become baltimore's signature tower, but now it has been reduced to 24 floors which is kind of tall but not tall enough to make an impact on the skyline. Well I read in the Baltimore Sun's Sunspot that the reason why one light street is now gonna be 24 floors instead of 35 is because of the Mcdonald's that sits on the corner of baltimore st & light st. Peter Fillat needs more land in that area in order to make it that tall but mcdonalds refuses to leave simply because the building that mcdonalds occupies is considered a landmark building. I think that J.J. Clarke is working on some kind of deal with mcdonalds to pay them to relocate. It certainly wouldn't look right with a 5 star 35 story Embassy Suites hotel and a mcdonalds sitting right beneath it. I hope that mcdonalds leave so that they can raise the height again:baaa: One Light Street would be a really cool building.

[StevenW]

Hey Brian,
When did you read that article? Recently?

Heard any other news concerning development?

Thanks. :)

[Brian21]

Hey Steve

I read that in the baltimore sun online about a month ago. The Zenith has begun construction I believe, and Lockwood place has begun also, but I still haven't heard anything on any other projects but I sure do see alot cranes over the baltimore skyline so construction is definitely going on but not sure which projects. I hope they put water tower and 300 East Pratt up soon.
:?

[StevenW]

I hope they put Water Tower and 300 east pratt street up, too! ;)
"PLEASE" Inform us as soon as you find anything on those two projects. By the way, did you ever get to that SLCE website?

[Baltimoreguy]

July 7, 2003 | Vol. 4 No. 5_monday

Hotel deal approved
A Baltimore judge cleared the way for the construction of a Marriott Residence Inn last week, siding with the city in a challenge to the legality of a tax break given to the hotel’s developers.

[StevenW]

That's great news. Do you know how many floors high it will be? Any renderings? Where will it rise?

[Brian21]

Hey Steve
yeah I got to the SLCE site but I didn't see any renderings of 300 East Pratt though but I did see where it said that its one of their current projects. I heard that the architect changed the design of the building? and I think that marriot residence inn is supposed to go up somewhere near where one light street is supposed to go up. Man I hope that they raise the height of one light street again, that would be a cool building. And I think one light street is supposed to be owned by pete angelos the orioles owner, and if thats true then pete is gonna make it as tall as he wants it. The man is the Donald Trump of Baltimore:D

[Brian21]

Hey guys if you would like to see a rendering of the water tower appartments go to lessard architects.com they have a rendering of it. It looks like a nice building and will probably be noticable in the skyline, well at 31 stories it should.

when you get to the site click on portfolio, then go to midrise/highrise, and you'll see water tower apartments as one of the projects.

Oh and does anyone know if 300 East pratt is still gonna be 34 floors?

[Baltimoreguy]

http://www.lessardgroup.com/mid-water.html

[Baltimoreguy]

The Water Tower Apartments looks like the tower it will be about 400 feet.

[Brian21]

I think its gonna be the same height as the Commerce Tower if not a little taller because Commerce tower is also 31 stories, but then again Commerce Tower has that pointy pyramid crown on top.

I emailed LessardGroup to find out when construction is supposed to begin so I'll post when I get more info.

[StevenW]

That's great reporting guys.
http://www.lessardgroup.com/images/mid-water1.jpg
It does look a bit different than the first rendering.
I'll try to get it posted soon.

Thanks again, guys.
Keep up the great reporting! ;)

By the Way, I would guess, from this rendering, that height will probably be around 340 ft. tall. That's my guess. The first rendering had a bigger/taller pointed crown.
I'll show it soon as I can.

[StevenW]

Here are the older renderings of Water Tower.
And an old rendering of what 300 east pratt street was going to look like. It would probably rose close to 450 ft. or more. :)

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/6waterst.jpg

And...

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/6wlapts.jpg

And...

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/6300_e__pratt.jpg

Won't these two towers look so good in the skyline?!

[BG918]

Lookin good Baltimore! When is construction going to start on Water Tower and 300 East Pratt? Those look like some great projects, keep us posted. Also, did construction ever start on Zenith? I really liked the look of that building.

[StevenW]

Water Tower and 300 east pratt are kinda hush hush right now. But they probably will be built.
The Zenith is in pre-construction fazes I believe.
Thanks for the interest in Baltimore. :D

[Brian21]

Hey I think that they should also build the Zenith on top of a garage. That would be cool, the zenith is only gonna be 21 floors, that building is too nice to not be noticed in the skyline.

[Brian21]

Hey guys
Lessard group contacted me back, and they said to call or email Bush Construction to find out when construction begins on water tower, so it sounds like water tower is still a go. I'll try to contact them but u guys are welcome to try as well

phone # (703) 812-3800

[StevenW]

Thanks, Brian.
I'll e-mail Bush Construction right away.

As for the Zenith, It was going to be at least 10 storeys higher, before, but, the height restriction had to be enforced because of the Trama Center helicopter flight path would not be obstructed.

I agree though, that tower would have been WAY MORE impressive if taller.

Thanks, again and keep up the good work.

[StevenW]

Brian, do you know their e-mail address?

[Brian21]

Hey Steve
no I don't have their email address, I tried looking for it online but its hard to find. I'm gonna try an call them this weekend and see what I can come up with.

[Baltimoreguy]

http://www.legacyunlimited.com/legacy.php?location=harrison Here is the company building the Zenith and I also think they are the developers of the Water Tower

[Baltimoreguy]

I drove thru the City on 95 today. Wow lots of cranes all over the place.

[StevenW]

I think Legacy Harrison were the developers before giving it up to Bush Construction.
I would love to get a picture of that skyline full of cranes! ;)

Brian, If you ever do get the e-mail address, please post it for me so I can ask some questions too.
Thanks.

[Baltimoreguy]

http://www.cantoncrossing.com/index.html This development seems to be progessing. The Merrit Athletic Club is now open

[Brian21]

Hey guys
I wasn't able to get through to Bush Construction, I'll try to search and get a email address. Has anyone else had any luck?

Yeah there are cranes up all over the place, I wonder what projects they are?

[Baltimoreguy]

The cranes are on Centerpoint, Spinnaker bay, Lockwood Place, Three towers at the University of Maryland, The addition to the Power Plant, A garage on St Paul Place, An addition to Mercy Hospital, Also numerous buildings at the John Hopkins Campus, plus someothers I not sure becuase I wasn't close enough to see what building they were for

[Brian21]

I wonder what the hold up is on water tower and 300 East Pratt? I'm still not able to get in touch with Bush Construction, I wonder if LessardGroup gave me the right #.:? I'll keep trying.

[Brian21]

Hey that project thats going on in between the two tall buildings behind where the expansion of mercy medical center is being built how tall is that supposed to be? I think its called the Atrium Tower? It looks like its gonna be kinda tall, probably not as tall as the buildings around it though.

[StevenW]

I'll try an get a rendering of the "Atrium" and post it.
If anyone has a camara, please take a picture or 10 of the crane filled skyline. ;)

[Baltimoreguy]

It is expected that over 6,000 people will move into Downtown Baltimore this year alone. About 1,200 apartments are under construction plus renovations. This was reported in the BBJ. Safeway is also looking for new sites to building in Baltimore City and a New Outback Steak House is also being built in Canton. Canton is unreal where 2 and three bedroom 150 year old rowhouse are going for $300,000. There is a new development in Canton for townhomes from the 600's. There are also some condo's under construction in Inner Harbor East as well

[enzo]

http://www.spaceimaging.com/newsroom/photos/2002/baltimore_600.jpg

[StevenW]

http://www.hfurrer.com/images/fullsize/centerpoint1.jpg
Updated rendering of Baltimore's new, "Centerpoint" apartment tower.

BTW, AWESOME overhead of Baltimore! :D

[Baltimoreguy]

This Actually looks a little taller than the orginal

[Brian21]

Has anyone heard anything on 300 East Pratt or Water Tower yet?

Anyone had any luck with contacting Bush Construction?:?

[StevenW]

No luck yet, Brian.
Don't give up though.

The "Atrium" will be around 10 or 11 storeys, I think.
At the "West-side" project portion of the www.Baltimoredevelopment.com website, it talks about it some. I think there is a link to a rendering there as well.

Believe me, 300 east Pratt and Water Tower are my two biggest concerns for Baltimore's development scene. The convention hotel is pretty important too.

Keep probing as much as you can! Whoever breaks any sure info on these projects, should winn a prize! ;) :D :cool: :guns1:

[Baltimoreguy]

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?dtype=a&mapdata=5%2b8Zmnm7bJzYcJEB5Jo%2b%2bJ8WRx239n8KmPBMJgoydEEfr3UYlDWiUlEfQRHPg3wrZRP0wkUU2wNM6WimMg%2fznPiMEJLRRrWe2FSG0bW%2f%2fUjWFVoz5b3DOCnINnWge2Qf%2bdex4tN6EO28qUwanOomyleahpCi9Ggz39tLMQMU62H4KorkqztfM5cQ4DSsgFkZO5hRVViXShUv1a5jJevpb%2f49gnyKVgPX7f0epU%2f%2fhexZ9hedRy0z4bQoVjMPDV0wc7oHg1DhbNr0alIbv2BW617Dzc9acdzTZcUeVMJyTIqOAuSPrDabdgO26CZOjUBK7hpjIAjSNGH6s%2fn902GPpaNjDKef42uMhetePVyuEcrtl07r01YzrZzmUkt8Zsx14e7y72vTlXAafh0vG3wo5grz9BYNdSnyeQ%2fv7pYmVhU%3d

[Baltimoreguy]

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?dtype=a&mapdata=5%2b8Zmnm7bJzYcJEB5Jo%2b%2bJ8WRx239n8KmPBMJgoydEEfr3UYlDWiUlEfQRHPg3wrZRP0wkUU2wNM6WimMg%2fznPiMEJLRRrWe2FSG0bW%2f%2fUjWFVoz5b3DOCnINnWge2Qf%2bdex4tN6EO28qUwanOomyleahpCi9Ggz39tLMQMU62H4KorkqztfM5cQ4DSsgFkZO5hRVViXShUv1a5jJevpb%2f49gnyKVgPX7f0epU%2f%2fhexZ9hedRy0z4bQoVjMPDV0wc7oHg1DhbNr0alIbv2BW617Dzc9acdzTZcUeVMJyTIqOAuSPrDabdgO26CZOjUBK7hpjIAjSNGH6s%2fn902GPpaNjDKef42uMhetePVyuEcrtl07r01YzrZzmUkt8Zsx14e7y72vTlXAafh0vG3wo5grz9BYNdSnyeQ%2fv7pYmVhU%3d

[Brian21]

Hey guys
I went to the skyscraper page and they don't have anything listed as being under construction, approved, proposed, or even on hold for baltimore. I wonder what that is all about? They have all the other building that are already completed but not the ones that are gonna be built soon. They don't even have one light street or the zenith on there and they both are approved.:baaa:

[StevenW]

Brian,
you have to take www.skyscrapers.com info with a grain of salt, so to speak.
Updated info is rare, few times and far between. ;)

However, if you go to the site, you can e-mail the "editors" for Baltimore to let them know. I have, in the past. If you look at the Baltimore page, it lists "Water Tower" as "Never Built". So, they are way off on their updated info. Maybe, suggest to them to go the website that talks about Water Tower, and they will find out the rest, ussually.

Keep up the good work. :)

[StevenW]

I like that MapQuest site, Baltimoreguy. :)

[Brian21]

Hello everyone
On the skyscraper.com website it lists that "Schuman, Lichtenstein, Claman&Efron" are the architects for 300 East Pratt. I'm not sure if thats up to date or not.

[StevenW]

Brian,
SLCE is still the developer, yes.
Check the acronym.

Steve ;)

[smiley]

Where are the photos of construction?

[Brian21]

Hello everyone
Has anyone heard anything new on any of the projects 300 East Pratt, Water Tower? I'm still searching and trying to find any info I can but I'm coming up with zip. :? I'll be driving through downtown today so I'll see whats going on down there.

[Brian21]

Hello everyone
I drove through downtown the other day and sadly to say there isn't really anything going on at 300 East pratt or water tower, at least not yet but lockwood place is coming along very well, and also the atrium tower is coming along ok. I'll keep trying to get more info on Water tower and 300 East pratt.

[Baltimoreguy]

Where is the Atrium tower and how tall is it going to be. It is a pic of it

[Brian21]

Hey baltimoreguy, the atrium tower is in between the tremont plaza hotel and that other tall building right across the street from mercy medical center. I think its supposed to be 14-15 stories I think, which is not that tall but when you're up close it it does look tall. I don't have a rendering of it yet.

[Baltimoreguy]

There a couple of cranes in different locations near the University of Maryland complex downtown with cranes around 300 or taller does anyone no what they are building. I already know about the centerpoint tower to the east. these are rigth near or on Campus

[Brian21]

hmm I'm not sure, I'll look into it. Centerpoint is coming along well. They may be finished with it ahead of schedule. Has anyone heard from steve lately?

[StevenW]

Give me more news of Baltimore development, Please.... :)

[StevenW]

Hi everybody,
I have been on vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC. I just got back yesterday.
I have not been posting lately because, honestly, I have not had any new info or pics to post for you.
I still have the rest of this week off, so I'll try to get in touch with someone at Baltimore Develpment Corp. to ask them about a number of projects.
Wish me luck. And, I would love to see some up-close shots of the Centerpoint construction. ;)
Untill then, check out these cool pics I copied from the www.skyscraperpage.com forum.

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/67cy18dt.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/67dt09a.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/67train02.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/67dt02.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/67pan13.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/67pan12.jpg

Thanks to "snuggles".

Notice the cranes in the pics. I wonder what they are building? ;)

[Brian21]

Hey Steve
Welcome back!! thats soo funny because my family was just in myrtle beach a few weeks ago on vacation. Hey thank for those pics they are cool shots of Baltimore. I'm still trying to find out more info on 300 E. Pratt and water tower, it seems like both of those projects are still a go but there's some kind of delay, maybe they need money.

[StevenW]

HI Brian,
Myrtle Beach is cool. So much to see and do. I had a great time. We stayed at the 402 room Radisson convention hotel. It was nice.

Yeah, I hope to hear from someone from the Baltimore Development Corp. today about several of these projects such as 300 east pratt and water tower. I hope they are still a go too. And I hope they are designed to be taller/more rooms. And I hope the new designs are better than the old ones.

Keep trying to find out whatever you can though.
As soon as I find out anything new, I'll let you know! ;)

[StevenW]

Brian, do you have a digital camara? I was wondering. If you did, you might be able to get some coveted construction pics of all the new projects going up in the city. Plus some great new downtown density pics as well. ;)
I live so far away, or I would shoot all I could.

[Brian21]

Hey steve
I don't have a digital camera, I am getting one soon though. I'm very eager to see how 300 east pratt will look, the architects from new york that are supposed to be designing and building have built hundreds of towers in new york, plus they are known for building tall slender buildings. They can make a 20 story tower look like a 40 story tower, and 300 East pratt is supposed to be 34 stories! so I'm excited to see how it will look, may be the second or third tallest which will be cool. Check out some of the other buildings built by SLCE on the Skyscraper.com site. I'll continue to find out more info on the other projects.

[StevenW]

City approves tax break for $38M project
Heather Harlan
Staff
The Baltimore City Board of Estimates approved a land agreement and tax break for LH Zenith LLC, clearing the way for a $38 million, mixed-use project on the west side of downtown.


Under the terms of the agreement, LH Zenith will acquire the site at Paca and Pratt streets -- now operating as a surface parking lot -- for $750,000.

And the minority-owned company will receive a 15-year tax break, or payment in lieu of taxes, which applies only to the incremental real property taxes resulting from the project, according to the Baltimore Development Corp.

The planned development will include 200-market rate housing units, a 257-space parking garage and 5,000 square feet of retail space.

Construction of "the Zenith,'' as the project is called, is expected to begin this fall and take 20 months to complete. LH Zenith is controlled by Brian Morris and Dean Harrison.

:cool:

[Brian21]

Hey thats great news, I just wish it were at least 10 stories taller:)

[Erik W]

@ Baltimoreguy

There are indeed a lot of cranes over by UMB. The tallest structure that is going up is a 17 story building with student housing (it should be around 172' high) designed by the fine people at Marks, Thomas & Associates.

http://www.housing.umaryland.edu/images/fayettedrawing.jpg

It is located on Green and Fayette Streets, right across from Edgar Allen Poe's grave.

[StevenW]

Erik, havn't heard from you in a while. Good to see you're still with us. :)
I talked with a Mr. Frank at the Baltimore Development Corp. and asked him about 5 different projects for Baltimore and how
these projects were doing.

Here is his answer in an e-mail I sent him earlier.



The projects:
1. 300 East Pratt Street, what is the status of this project? Interested info for this project would be: it's latest design, if any, the height/stories proposed, up-dated renderings, if any, and website/e-mail addresses to investigate this project further.

[Frank, Andrew]- Developer is Harvey Schulweiss. Call Tom Brodie at Schuweiss Realty for more details His number is 212-407-2161. The last approved plan is for an $88 million, 275 unit luxury apartments building. We're told by the developer that the design has changed.

2. "Water Tower" at 414 Water Street, what is the latest on this project? The interest in this project is the same as previously mentioned.
[Frank, Andrew]- No change.

3. "One Light Street", what are the latest bits of info on this, and, are there any new renderings of this project?

[Frank, Andrew]- There is a new approved design, but we don't have an electronic copy of it. Contact Joe Clarke, the developer, at 410-962-0241. New plan is for a parking garage and Embassy Suites hotel; no office space. Financing is not yet lined up.

4. "The Zenith", with the same interest as above.

[Frank, Andrew] - No change.

I am curious, as well, about the any up-dated info on the convention hotel proposals and any idea as to when an "official" announcement may be made concerning these proposals.

[Frank, Andrew]- Probably sometime in October.
I thank you very much for your time, Mr. Frank.[Frank, Andrew] My pleasure.
This information will be very helpful. This information gives Baltimore a positive image and helps market/sell people on the idea and reality of future visits and business for the city.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,
Steven K. Wyatt