Baltimore Neighborhood Discussion Thread

[PeterSmith]

That's a shame. I thought Reservoir Hill was among the next neighborhoods to make a complete turn-around. You would think with the great architecture in the neighborhood and its proximity to other thriving neighborhoods and transit, that it would be a shoe-in for gentrification. Isn't Reservoir Hill where that whole Buy-A-Block campaign took place?

With Canton, Fells Point, Federal Hill, and others having "arrived," so to speak. Which of the fringe neighborhoods do you think will be the next to join this group? Patterson Park is certainly on its way, and there are a lot of rehabs taking place in Pigtown and quite a bit of activity in Greektown as well.

[MasonsInquiries]

damn, another opportunity for development gone up in smoke.

[drewbwhite]

Speaking of Reservoir Hill and homesteaders, I think one of 'em runs this blog documenting the rehab process. Pretty cool.

[cgunna]

I think Res Hill still has a chance...The thing is, its still being held down by speculators and slumlords....(mostly the latter).

[scando]

Originally Posted by PeterSmith

That's a shame. I thought Reservoir Hill was among the next neighborhoods to make a complete turn-around. You would think with the great architecture in the neighborhood and its proximity to other thriving neighborhoods and transit, that it would be a shoe-in for gentrification. Isn't Reservoir Hill where that whole Buy-A-Block campaign took place?

With Canton, Fells Point, Federal Hill, and others having "arrived," so to speak. Which of the fringe neighborhoods do you think will be the next to join this group? Patterson Park is certainly on its way, and there are a lot of rehabs taking place in Pigtown and quite a bit of activity in Greektown as well.

I've always thought that Res Hill was really high on the risk list for rehab areas. It isn't close the the waterfront, has no retail and entertainment (and not much potential either, given that it's 100% residential). The other thing is that the houses are SO HUGE, that rehab will be very expensive. It's comparable in some ways to Union Square. I know a family that moved there in about 1982, expecting a quick turnaround. 25 years later, they are still waiting. They have a great house, a business in the area and a good number of neighbors, but they still have to deal with being an island of rehab in a scary area (close to the appropriately named "S Carey St). They are just too far from other rehab areas to have a critical mass. Res Hill is similar and I think the burden of those massive houses, will make this a slow area.

[PeterSmith]

http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/bal...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

Baltimore Main Streets program to grow in 2008
Baltimore Business Journal - by Ryan Sharrow Staff

The Baltimore Development Corp. said Wednesday it will expand its Main Streets program by adding two communities to the initiative in July 2008. And there's already a line of interested candidates.

Officials at the BDC, the city's development arm, said the Main Streets expansion is in response to communities throughout Baltimore showing interest in becoming a part of the program.

Neighborhood leaders have until Feb. 15 to submit an application to become a part of the program, which provides funding and technical support to small businesses in the now-eight Main Street districts throughout the city.

In an interview Wednesday, Donna Langley, director of the Baltimore Main Streets program, said representatives from the city's Hamilton, Lauraville, Charles North, Brooklyn/Curtis Bay, West Pratt Street and North Avenue communities have already shown interest in applying.

"By no means is it limited" to those communities, said Will Beckford, managing director of commercial revitalization for the BDC.

After applications are reviewed by a selection committee, the BDC will conduct site visits of each area. The new programs will start July 1 in the chosen neighborhoods.

Baltimore Main Streets will host two application workshops for representative from interested communities. The first will be on Jan. 7, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The second is planned for Jan. 8, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., at Maryland Nonprofits on West Ostend Street in South Baltimore.

The program was launched in Baltimore in 2000 as an initiative between the city and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center.

Baltimore has not expanded the program since 2004, when Highlandtown become a member.

Interested applicants can apply at www.baltimoremainstreets.com

[PeterSmith]

Back in September, the Department of Planning issued an RFP for the Oldtown Mall Area Master Plan. The final date for submissions was October 5, but I haven't found any information on any of the proposals. According to the Baltimore City's Future blog, however, the city has adopted a plan that encompasses Oldtown, Penn-Fallsway and a number of the surrounding public housing developments. According to the blog, the plan calls for a high-density neighborhood with mid- and high-rise condos, apartments, offices, and hotels - all with ground-level retail.

Can anyone confirm that the city has indeed adopted such a plan?

[StevenW]

Don't know about that one, Peter. But, it does sound good.

[pepperjack]

Athena Square progress

image hosted on flickr


Doors and windows are in. Exterior will be brick. (just the first row of the develoment is being built right now, but I think they were almost all sold).

[DrzBrooklynChulo90]

For Those who don't know,thats in Greektown and i pass through there all the time

[StevenW]

Originally Posted by pepperjack

Athena Square progress

image hosted on flickr


Doors and windows are in. Exterior will be brick. (just the first row of the develoment is being built right now, but I think they were almost all sold).

Nice picture. Thanks for the update.

[MasonsInquiries]

Originally Posted by StevenW

Don't know about that one, Peter. But, it does sound good.

yeah, it sounds really good....especially for that area. i think the only operating businesses that are there right now are Central Booking and Our Daily Bread Employment Center.

[TheGlobalizer]

Loose usage of the word "business".

[StevenW]

[TheGlobalizer]

It's sort of like how WYPR had Jay Hancock on today as the "conservative" for a call-in show. Um, yeah. (The left-winger was Bob Kaufman, so yeah, I guess Hancock would be the conservative in that matchup. So would Fidel Castro.)

[PeterSmith]

Yesterday I caught a matinée showing at the Senator and noticed a sign on an empty lot a block north of the corner of Northern Parkway and York Road advertising the "Kenneth Square townhomes." Now, I know there is already a community there called Kenneth Square, but if I remember correctly they are 19th century stone rowhomes. The sign pictured three-story brick rowhomes sitting atop garages, so I'm assuming it is a new development. Anybody know anything about this?

It would be great if that area could gain a few more residences. It's got so many great destinations already, it just needs a little more density and foot traffic.

[pepperjack]

Originally Posted by PeterSmith

Athena Square - Greektown
Fr

They started putting the brick on Athena Square, now. I think folks will be moving into these before WADA moves into his new place.

Didn't get a chance to a get a picture this time.

[PeterSmith]

Historic Mt. Washington means business

01/03/08
by Virginia Terhune
Baltimore Messenger


People who drive through the Mt. Washington area on Falls Road may be so focused on the road ahead that they miss spotting -- and patronizing -- small businesses along the way.

For that reason, nearly 20 shop owners and organizations recently launched a Web site to promote their businesses located east of the Jones Falls Expressway, an area distinct from Mt. Washington Village, which is west of the expressway.

"We started it to highlight our section of the neighborhood," said Scott Schools, owner of the Eastbank Hair salon on Falls Road.

Although he opened the business more than 16 years ago, some clients still ask him if he just opened.

"They say, 'I drive by but I've never seen you,'" he said.

Schools is talking to other owners in the area about eventually forming a business association.

In the meantime, they have taken a first step by launching www.historicmtwashington.com.

"We've got to start somewhere," he said.

Including the word "historic" distinguishes it from Mt. Washington Village, which already has a Web site and association.

The historic refers to the Mt. Washington Mill, a former textile mill on the Jones Falls that was converted into retail stores that today include Whole Foods and Starbucks.

The new site displays nearly 30 businesses and organizations (some with Web links) flanking a hand-drawn map that shows stores in relation to Falls Road and Kelly and Smith avenues.

The map is also featured on postcards available in area shops.

"Our goal is to have every business carry a little stack on their counters, even if they're not joining the organization," Schools said. "It's a way for the community to help cross-market itself."

Some of the participants to date include Eastbank, Alexandra Webb jewelry and Joe's Bike Shop on Falls Road, the mill complex off Smith Avenue, and the Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center and Northwest Ice Rink off Cottonworth Avenue.

Most businesses are served by on-street parking along Falls Road or private parking lots, Schools said.

"There's an ample amount of parking," he said. "If it's not right next to a place, it's within a short walking distance."

Down the road, participants hope to start a merchant's association, which could entitle them to grants for light-pole banners and other advertising help.

"It makes it easier to promote the neighborhood, and also get crosswalks marked and speed limits enforced," Schools said.

Merchants also hope to host a festival in 2008, adding to the two already held by Mt. Washington Village.

"We hope to do a reciprocal (Web site) link," Schools said. "We're totally behind them."

[jamie_hunt]

Hustled my first six-pack (Colt 45) outside a bar there when I was in seventh grade. I'll vouch for that 'hood's historicity.

[PeterSmith]

Re: RFP for Bowley's Lane

Baltimore, MD (January 7, 2008) – The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) today announced that, on behalf of the City of Baltimore, it has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Bowleys Lane Landfill and Eastern Sanitation Yard at 6101 Bowleys Lane in Northeast Baltimore.

The site, located in the city’s Frankford neighborhood, comprises approximately 82 acres, 55 of which were formerly used for landfill operations, which ceased in 1985. Currently, the property still houses, on nearly 10 acres, a garage and small administration building for the Eastern Sanitation Yard, which must remain on the site at its existing location or relocated to a new location approved by the Baltimore City Department of Public Works and BDC.

Bounded to the south by Herring Run, to the east by Moravia Road, to the north by Bowleys Lane and to the west by Herring Run and Herring Run Park, the site is zoned M-1 (light industrial); Biddison Run bisects the site. An established residential area consisting of row houses and a number of multi-family apartment complexes abuts the property on the north and east. Moravia Road, a major thoroughfare, separates the southern portion of the site from industrial properties that lie to the south and east. Neighborhood retail opportunities consist mostly of convenience goods shopping and some ancillary services concentrated along nearby Sinclair Lane and Frankford Avenue.

BDC is seeking proposals from qualified developers for the purchase and redevelopment of the site that will achieve the city’s objectives including job creation, tax generation, an attractive design, and a redevelopment that fits within the context of the Frankford neighborhood. Reliance on public funds for the project is discouraged and subsidies by the city should not be anticipated. The site is offered in “as-is” condition.

To obtain further information regarding this offering, contact Terrance Hancock, BDC Economic Development Officer, at 410-837-9305. The RFP can be downloaded from BDC’s website at www.baltimoredevelopment.com.

Deadline for submission of proposals, accompanied by a $250.00 non-refundable check, are due by 12 noon on Monday, March 14, 2008.