Baltimore Neighborhood Discussion Thread

[Ty Doggie]

Now this is a long-overdue comprehensive change in the city. Now I would be remissed if I didn't say that I'm sad that some buildings are on the way of oblivion (CopyKat/Station North). However the over progress and vision seems promising.

I really hope that there's some revitalization in that area on the light rail between Woodberry (Clipper Mill Park area) and North Avenue is redeveloped. That area has promise and seclusion all in same shot. With the shells of buildings that are there, there's a lot that could be done.

And speaking of shells of buildings, when is someone going to rehab/renovate that building before Tapas Teatro on North Avenue? And Penn Station could really use a MAJOR overhaul. The building overall, isn't used at capacity. A lot of wasted space and rotting flesh (in terms of building) is aiding in major decay in Baltimore.

[Coldspring]

Originally Posted by Ty Doggie

Now this is a long-overdue comprehensive change in the city. Now I would be remissed if I didn't say that I'm sad that some buildings are on the way of oblivion (CopyKat/Station North). However the over progress and vision seems promising.

I really hope that there's some revitalization in that area on the light rail between Woodberry (Clipper Mill Park area) and North Avenue is redeveloped. That area has promise and seclusion all in same shot. With the shells of buildings that are there, there's a lot that could be done.

And speaking of shells of buildings, when is someone going to rehab/renovate that building before Tapas Teatro on North Avenue? And Penn Station could really use a MAJOR overhaul. The building overall, isn't used at capacity. A lot of wasted space and rotting flesh (in terms of building) is aiding in major decay in Baltimore.

I had read in the Sun and on the Baltimore Development Corp website that there were negotiations underway with Amtrak to do either a small hotel in the existing station and some retail on the adjoining parking lot north of the Station (see link below) there is also a project in the planning stages for the Bolton Lot owned by UB next to the light rail station. There used to be more info on both projects on the site now its just a vague project name. Anyone have more info?


http://www.baltimoredevelopment.com/...cd=Mixed%20Use

http://www.baltimoredevelopment.com/...cd=Mixed%20Use

[Coldspring]

Duplicate Post-deleted

[PeterSmith]

Originally Posted by Coldspring

I had read in the Sun and on the Baltimore Development Corp website that there were negotiations underway with Amtrak to do either a small hotel in the existing station and some retail on the adjoining parking lot north of the Station (see link below) there is also a project in the planning stages for the Bolton Lot owned by UB next to the light rail station. There used to be more info on both projects on the site now its just a vague project name. Anyone have more info?


http://www.baltimoredevelopment.com/...cd=Mixed%20Use

http://www.baltimoredevelopment.com/...cd=Mixed%20Use

The project slated for the UB lot next to the light rail is called the Fitzgerald at UB/Midtown. It's the first phase in a larger development, and it should break ground some time in the next few months, I believe. Google both the "Fitzgerald at UB/Midtown" and "Bolton Yards" (the project's former name) and you'll find tons of information - renderings, layouts, etc. - on the project. It will include a grocery store and a bookstore I believe, so it should be huge for the neighborhood. Very big project.

As for Penn Station, the idea of a hotel up there has been floated around for a long while. I can't remember where it stands at the moment, but I don't expect it to happen anytime soon. Not too long ago, the BDC hired a firm from Boston (the same guys who designed Harborplace) to put together a plan for the Station North district. One of their idea was to expand Penn Station with a new terminal on the Amtrak parking lot north of the current building. It was only a conceptual rendering, but it looked pretty sweet. It's definitely years off, but that is one aspect I hope they keep and run with.

[scando]

Originally Posted by PeterSmith

....As for Penn Station, the idea of a hotel up there has been floated around for a long while. I can't remember where it stands at the moment, but I don't expect it to happen anytime soon. Not too long ago, the BDC hired a firm from Boston (the same guys who designed Harborplace) to put together a plan for the Station North district. One of their idea was to expand Penn Station with a new terminal on the Amtrak parking lot north of the current building. It was only a conceptual rendering, but it looked pretty sweet. It's definitely years off, but that is one aspect I hope they keep and run with.

They really need to do something on this. The main lobbies of Penn are OK but perpetually open windows piled with junk upstairs looks really bad for visitors and residents who ride the trains. Even if they just painted the window frames and moved the junk, it would look better. The problem with the building is that there just isn't any need for office space on the upper floors; in DC they handled this by turning that massive Union Station into a mall and food court.

I don't think they could do that here due to the relatively small size of the station, but couple dozen hotel rooms would seem to work for travelers who would appreciate the convenience. Who knows...maybe something like those micro-room hotels like they have in Japan, oriented toward short stays, would work.

[PeterSmith]

http://blogs.mddailyrecord.com/onthe...-day%e2%80%99/

Volunteers needed for ‘Rebuilding Day’
April 3rd, 2008 · No Comments

When you think of Home & Garden Television, you probably don’t think of residences in the city’s oft-forgotten areas of Pen Lucy or Waverly. However, HGTV and Rebuilding Together Baltimore are aiming to revitalize and renovate those areas — along with Baltimore County’s Turner Station — as part of Rebuilding Day 2008, also known as April 26.

Our city was one of five winning cities in an online contest through HGTV’s Change the World, Start at Home campaign. Now that the winners are announced, here comes the hard part — finding folks to do the dirty work. Whether skilled or unskilled (more my category), all volunteers are sure to be welcomed.

If anyone is interested, go here to start lending a hand.

From the release:

“Over forty-five additional homeowners will also receive assistance from Rebuilding Together on National Rebuilding Day. Several empty lots in the Pen Lucy neighborhood also will be restored and beautified and the nonprofit Community Mediation Program in Waverly will receive energy efficiency and handicap accessibility improvements to its building.”

FRANCIS SMITH, Special Publications Assistant Editor

[PeterSmith]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...,2117050.story

Canton angry about school
Student crime tops concerns
By Sara Neufeld | Sun reporter
April 30, 2008

Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Text size: Fearful for their safety and property values, Canton residents are furious over a decision by the Baltimore school system to put a new middle/high school in their neighborhood.

Neighbors of Canton Middle School say its students have repeatedly attacked and harassed them, and they thought the trouble would be over when the school closes within the next year. Now, the system is planning to use the building to house one of six new combined middle/high schools run by outside operators.

City Councilman James B. Kraft, who represents the area, is so angry about the decision -- which he said was made with no community input -- that he is threatening to hold up the school system's budget when it comes before the council for approval. He said a majority of council members have agreed to support him.

"This is absolutely absurd," said Kraft, who has called a community meeting for Thursday night. "It was pledged to the community that there would be no school on that site."

The school system made plans under previous administrations to close the several buildings as it strives to operate more efficiently in the face of declining enrollment. But as city schools chief Andres Alonso aims to create two dozen combined middle/high schools as part of a strategy for reform, he decided to keep some of the buildings under system control. The goal is to create high quality schools to reverse the enrollment decline, Alonso said.

At a news conference yesterday, system officials announced that philanthropists have donated $4.4 million for the creation of the first batch of middle/high schools, scheduled to open this summer. All will operate in buildings that were previously slated to close.

Alonso said the initiative is designed to offer more high-quality choices to parents who often feel they don't have a good option in public education after their children finish elementary school.

"Every single child in the city deserves a great school regardless of who their parents are, where they're born, what their economic situation is," Alonso said. "Let's make no mistake about it: This is about social justice."

Last fall, Alonso began to approach local and national foundations seeking $25 million to open two dozen combined middle/high schools in the next few years. In March, the school board approved the creation of five schools and allowed an existing charter high school, Baltimore Freedom Academy, to add sixth through eighth grades.

Twelve Baltimore-based philanthropic groups, including the Open Society Institute, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Abell Foundation, are giving $3.3 million for the first batch of schools. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving $1.1 million. All of the money was previously designated for high school reform in the city, but the funding was frozen in recent years as the initiative stalled under Alonso's predecessors.

Most of the middle/high schools will open with classes of 80 sixth-graders and 80 ninth-graders, adding a middle school grade and a high school grade each year until all are served.

In Canton, the Friendship Public Charter School company plans to open the Friendship Academy of Science and Technology. In addition to sixth and ninth grades, it also might absorb the final class of eighth-graders at Canton Middle, at 801 S. Highland Ave.

That doesn't sit well with some residents of the gentrified neighborhood, many of whom do not send their own children to the school and say students have caused repeated problems.

"There's groups of children that wander up and down the alleys. They crawl under people's decks and smoke pot," said Susan Colligan, a pediatric social worker who lives a half-block from Canton Middle. "At the bus stops when the children leave school, there are many observed incidents of the children in groups assaulting innocent bystanders."

Colligan said residents have made Canton "a very healthy, clean part of the city."

"Houses that used to go at public auction for a dollar are now going for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and we're giving the city a lot of revenue," she said. "We don't want to feel unsafe in our neighborhood, and we don't want to lose the ability to sell our homes at fair-market value."

Residents have brought their concerns to city police, who said this week that they would have an officer stationed near the school on weekday afternoons. Maj. Roger Bergeron, commander of the Southeastern District, wrote in an e-mail posted on a community LISTSERV that "the issue with the school kids is quite serious, and the Police Department is attempting to identify those involved."

Officials from Friendship, which runs five schools in Washington and was recently recognized by the College Board for its students' success on Advanced Placement tests, emphasized that their school will be different than what's been there before.

Patricia Brantley, chief operating officer, said the company runs "a very rigorous academic program" with an emphasis on values and integrity.

"We are looking to put something completely new and different in that building," said Jerry Haley, a spokesman for Friendship, which also will open a school in Northeast Baltimore in the building once occupied by Dr. Samuel L. Banks High. "We've had some tremendous success working in urban environments."

[MasonsInquiries]

i used to live in canton before moving to columbia, and the children at that school were ridiculously rowdy. i'm not sure if closing it is the best option however.....

[PeterSmith]

Yeah, I hear you. On the one hand, I'm thinking, "How can you possibly oppose new school construction?" On the other hand, when high schools lets out in Baltimore City, it can be chaotic.

Also, Canton is home to so many young families, as well as young people who will likely have families of their own in a few years, is a neighborhood school not of concern for them?

[chromebowler]

A while back in this thread, I believe someone found a 6-7 story luxury condo planned for Lombard and Central, just across the street from Lenny's. Walking by this vacant lot the last two days, I have noticed a fence go up and people starting to work on the grounds and I'm guessing this is for that condo project. Can anyone confirm?

[jamie_hunt]

Hmmm. Lotta permits have been pulled recently in Jonestown, but none for that site...

http://www.baltimorehousing.org/CELS/TL_TM_Map.aspx

[PeterSmith]

Originally Posted by chromebowler

A while back in this thread, I believe someone found a 6-7 story luxury condo planned for Lombard and Central, just across the street from Lenny's. Walking by this vacant lot the last two days, I have noticed a fence go up and people starting to work on the grounds and I'm guessing this is for that condo project. Can anyone confirm?

I don't recall such a project, but I was never able to keep all the Central Ave. projects straight anyway. If you get a chance, maybe you could ask one of the workers at the site what's going on

[PeterSmith]

Nevermind. Found it. The discussion is on page 53 of the Baltimore Development News thread. You can see a rendering on page 12 of this. It's the Saval Foods site proposal. Looks pretty good, glad to see it's starting.

[jamie_hunt]

Yeah, it is a good looking project. I'd guess developer Larry Silverstein is putting in a parking lot to serve his other nearby projects (such as Mustang Sally's in the Tack Factory) rather than getting started on the condo development.

BTW: here's the correct link to the permits page: http://www.baltimorehousing.org/index/permits.asp

I plugged in "Jonestown" for the neighborhood; lotta permits, but none for this site (that I could find).

[cgunna]

baltimoresun.com
Festival grows along Charles
Artscape to expand, boost Station North arts district in city
By Stephen Kiehl

Sun reporter

May 30, 2008


Artscape will expand onto Charles Street this year in an effort to boost the Station North Arts and Entertainment District and bring more people to the galleries, restaurants and shops in Midtown Baltimore's designated arts area.

The arts festival, set for July 18-20, will continue to be centered in Bolton Hill along Mount Royal Avenue. But this year the festival will also occupy Charles Street from Mount Royal north to Lafayette Avenue, with a music stage, food court, street performers and other activities.

Station North, a 100-acre swath north of Penn Station that received city recognition as an arts district in 2002, is working to raise its profile in Baltimore and beyond. While many are familiar with the Charles Theatre and Tapas Teatro restaurant in the 1700 block of N. Charles St., galleries and stores in the area have not received as much attention.

"One of the things that we realized is, some of the folks who come to Artscape maybe only come into the city a few times a year, and this gives them the sense there are other places they can come to in the city," said David Bielenberg, executive director of Station North Arts and Entertainment Inc., a nonprofit that manages the district. "We saw this as a great opportunity to reach some new audiences."

The nonprofit approached the city last year and asked to be included in Artscape, the largest free arts festival in Maryland. Artscape was looking to expand because a large parking lot that had been used as a food court is now the site of construction for apartments and a parking garage.

Expansion onto Maryland Avenue was considered, but development might soon complicate that location, and officials were looking for a more permanent home. Meanwhile, Station North establishments such as the Everyman Theatre offered to help with space and programming for the festival.

"We thought Baltimore's premier arts festival should be on one of its premier streets," said Bill Gilmore, executive director of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts. "It's definitely going to boost Station North and that community. We want people to park in those neighborhoods, walk in those neighborhoods and become familiar with them."

Since its designation as an arts district, Station North has quietly attracted artists and nurtured the openings of restaurants, galleries and other businesses. But the area has not garnered the kind of fanfare attached to upscale developments such as Harbor East.

"It makes perfect sense that Artscape would expand into our district," said Vincent Lancisi, artistic director of the Everyman Theatre. "I think the street will be filled with art-seekers, and it will invigorate our area for a weekend."

On the Saturday of Artscape, the Everyman stage will be used for a jazz competition. And while the theater does not have a regularly scheduled performance for the Artscape weekend, it will consider staging a show during the festival next year, Lancisi said.

To facilitate Station North's growth, the city is creating a vision and development plan for the area, bounded by Greenmount Avenue on the east, 20th Street on the north, Falls Road on the west and the Jones Falls Expressway on the south. Baltimore Development Corp. has hired planners and architects to guide development.

Initial ideas include a 60-story tower with "live-work" condos, blocks of small shops and artists studios, and shops and outdoor cafes along the distressed North Avenue corridor. But for now, business owners say they are thrilled to play host to Artscape this year.

"We're all very happy that Station North is being recognized as the arts and entertainment district that it is, and this is the first really good acknowledgment of that fact," said Suzannah Gerber, curator and events and exhibitions coordinator for Load of Fun Studios at North Avenue and Howard Street.

While Artscape will stop a couple of blocks short of her studio, she hopes that in future years the festival will expand to include most of Station North. Such an expansion could help dispel people's fears about North Avenue.

"I think there's still very much a stigma about North Avenue, which is largely fictitious at this point," Gerber said. "I don't know whether Artscape will have a positive effect on that or not."

Load of Fun will offer live performances and workshops concurrent with Artscape. And on the Friday and Saturday nights of the festival, Load of Fun will host performances by Annie Sprinkle, a feminist performance artist as part of its Baltimore Erotic Arts Festival.

The official Artscape schedule of events will be announced Wednesday.

stephen.kiehl@baltsun.com

Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun

-------------

[scando]

Originally Posted by cgunna

baltimoresun.com
Festival grows along Charles
Artscape to expand, boost Station North arts district in city
By Stephen Kiehl
Sun reporter
May 30, 2008
Artscape will expand onto Charles Street this year in an effort to boost the Station North Arts and Entertainment District and bring more people to the galleries, restaurants and shops in Midtown Baltimore's designated arts area.

The arts festival, set for July 18-20, will continue to be centered in Bolton Hill along Mount Royal Avenue. But this year the festival will also occupy Charles Street from Mount Royal north to Lafayette Avenue, with a music stage, food court, street performers and other activities......------------

I was wondering how they would handle the coming project at Bolton Yards. Closing off Charles St sounds pretty radical though. I'm eagerly awaiting the music schedule. Pretty much every year they seem to feature somebody that I've really wanted to hear.

[chromebowler]

Originally Posted by jamie_hunt

Yeah, it is a good looking project. I'd guess developer Larry Silverstein is putting in a parking lot to serve his other nearby projects (such as Mustang Sally's in the Tack Factory) rather than getting started on the condo development.

BTW: here's the correct link to the permits page: http://www.baltimorehousing.org/index/permits.asp

I plugged in "Jonestown" for the neighborhood; lotta permits, but none for this site (that I could find).

Thanks for the insight. While a parking lot isn't as good as a condo, I guess it's better than a vacant lot.

[PeterSmith]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business...,5106435.story

Eclectic and appealing
By Brad Schleicher | Sun reporter
July 27, 2008
Originally a community that housed blue-collar mill workers in the early 1800s, the Woodberry neighborhood has developed into an eclectic area with diverse housing styles while still retaining most of its original charm.

"It's as if rural America was dropped right in the middle of the city," says Dr. Claudia Brown, a former school principal, 34-year Woodberry resident and member of the Park Hill/Edgegreen Community Association. "The residents used to be more blue-collar, but now it's a more cosmopolitan area with residents coming from remarkably different backgrounds."

One reason for the change, according to Tracey Brown, vice president of the Concerned Citizens of Woodberry, was the redevelopment of Clipper Mill, which initiated a rapid change in the neighborhood's housing prices.

"Woodberry was a very insular community," says Brown, "but the redevelopment of Clipper Mill has brought a lot of attention to the area, making home prices rise."

With five different enclaves in greater Woodberry, housing options and prices differ, depending on the location. Throughout the neighborhood, a variety of styles can be found, from rustic stone houses and wooded cottages to rowhouses and loft condominiums.

According to Christine Thomas of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Roland Park, it's possible to find a house in Woodberry that's priced anywhere from $200,000 to $500,000 or more.

Brick Hill, located on the southeast end of the neighborhood overlooking Meadow Mill and backing up against Druid Hill Park, is on the National Historic Register and has more than a dozen duplex homes that date to the late 19th century.

Park Hill/Edgegreen, in the southwest corner of the neighborhood, is largely composed of bungalow houses that were built in the 1930s and 1940s.

In the northwest corner of the neighborhood, the Greenspring Trails enclave comprises eight single-family homes. Built in the 1940s and 1950s, the houses are surrounded by plentiful woods and open space.

Clipper Mill, the most recently developed area of Woodberry, is made up of a variety of buildings that contain small business offices, condominiums and loft-style apartments. There is also an area containing attached, three-story, three-bedroom townhomes and a new development of detached "green" duplexes.


Rentals
According to Richard Kaminski of Woodberry Properties LLC, rentals in the area are also diverse. Most two-story, two-bedroom single-family rowhouses will run between $850 and $1,200 a month. Although they are fewer, three- and four-bedroom detached townhomes can cost up to $2,000 a month.


Crime
According to Community Relations Officer Jon Walter of the Baltimore Police Department's Northern District, crime in Woodberry is low compared with other areas of the district and the city. "Most of the crime is property-based and nonviolent," Walter says.


Kids and Schools
Starting this fall, the Hampden School, formerly Hampden Elementary, will accommodate students from Robert Poole Middle. The area is also served by Medfield Heights Elementary and Roland Park Elementary/Middle schools.

High school students in the area are served by W.E.B. DuBois and Reginald F. Lewis high schools.

The magnet high schools in the area are Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, the all-girls Western High and the Academy for Career and College Exploration.

According to Maryland state data for 2007, all of the above mentioned schools passed state proficiency levels for reading and mathematics with the exception of W.E.B. DuBois and Reginald F. Lewis high schools, which failed to meet proficiency levels in reading or mathematics, and the Academy for Career and College Exploration, which failed to meet proficiency levels for reading.


Shopping
Woodberry is a short drive from an eclectic mix of shops on the Avenue in Hampden and shops downtown.


Transportation
According to Tracey Brown, most residents travel by car, but the light rail and the Hampden Shuttle bus are other options.


Nightlife
Mobtown Theater is nearby in Meadow Mill shopping center. Otherwise, nightlife options in Woodberry are slim, but it's a short drive to area bars and downtown.


Dining In
The two grocery stores are the Giant Food on 40th Street at the Rotunda and the Super Fresh on 41st Street in Hampden.


Dining Out
The only restaurant in the neighborhood is the Woodberry Kitchen in Clipper Mill. However, restaurants in surrounding neighborhoods and downtown are a short drive away.


Recreation
Rockrose Park is a small open space in the heart of TV Hill that is mostly used for dog walking. There's also easy access to Druid Hill Park, which offers picnicking, a disc golf course and walking trails.


Woodberry by the Numbers
ZIP code: 21211

Houses on the market: 6

Average sale price: $210,950

Average days on the market: 108

Information based on sales during the past 12 months, compiled by Christine Thomas of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Roland Park at Wyndhurst Station

[PeterSmith]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...,4301611.story

Charles Village in top 10 'Great Neighborhoods'

October 9, 2008

Baltimore's Charles Village is one of the top 10 neighborhoods in the nation, according to a designation by the American Planning Association announced yesterday. The APA chose Charles Village as one of its 10 "Great Neighborhoods for 2008," a part of the Great Places in America program, which recognizes the role planners and planning play in creating communities of character. Originally known as Peabody Heights and connected to downtown Baltimore by streetcar, Charles Village was built at the turn of the 20th century.

Lorraine Mirabella

[scando]

Originally Posted by PeterSmith

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...,4301611.story

Charles Village in top 10 'Great Neighborhoods'

October 9, 2008

Baltimore's Charles Village is one of the top 10 neighborhoods in the nation, according to a designation by the American Planning Association announced yesterday. The APA chose Charles Village as one of its 10 "Great Neighborhoods for 2008," a part of the Great Places in America program, which recognizes the role planners and planning play in creating communities of character. Originally known as Peabody Heights and connected to downtown Baltimore by streetcar, Charles Village was built at the turn of the 20th century.

Lorraine Mirabella

Wow. I've always liked Charles Village but never really thought of it in "top 10" terms. I checked out the article and see that Main St in Annapolis also was among the top 10 streets. Another one of the places I have thought about moving to in the past, Salem, Mass, also made the list for the same reasons why I liked the place. Truthfully, I think if CV made their top 10, there are also other neighborhoods in Baltimore that could qualify too. The should give us some validation that we're moving in the right direction.