Baltimore Development News

[New_Balto]

Originally Posted by jeffrey.james.walker

That demolition occurred before the announced $1 million renovations. It's been in that state for almost 3 years.

It's been 3 or 4 years since I've seen that building.

IIRC, there was scaffolding surrounding the building and it looked liked it was being re-cladded with bricks on the second level.

Did they change the plans to re-build from scratch?

[scando]

Originally Posted by 30 Floors Up

They are cheaper. But the reality is that most employees don't have ANY retirement plan. Most small and medium size businees, and they employ the vast majority of Americans, don't offer them. Unless an employee starts an IRA, they are doomed to work forever or attempt to live off of Social Security.

All these plans, pensions, retirement funds, social security are all held hostage to the indefinite question of how long will people live. When SS started, the retirement age was 65 and the average life span was 63, so most people collected nothing. Now, people expect to retire earlier and live longer and whatever calculation they made in their 20's, it's going to end up short.

In the case of state and local governments, they got into the pension business during times when they were paying employees squat, as an inducement to keep them there. The wild card in all this is the economy. People with their own retirement funds and pension funds were all dealt a big blow by the decline in markets. Defined benefits are always solvent when you start them and do the initial calculations, but once a wild card like life span or the economy comes in, things go to hell in a hand basket.

Some years back, the State did revise its pension and drastically reduced benefits, but each time they do something like this, it takes decades to see how it will work and by then, you have a new problem.

The bottom line ends up being that pretty much everybody in the work force these days will end up working longer than they want, and because extension of life spans has not changed how old they feel, they will spend more time hanging on in jobs that need more vitality. We got's to start dying faster.

[scando]

Originally Posted by 30 Floors Up

While I don't like Pratt Street as it is, I firmly believe the answer is not to tack on a bunch of one and two story additions to the front of existing buildings. It is going to look like crap.

I guess we will have to see specifics. The current wide sidewalks don't really serve any purpose except lounging space for vagrants, so something that concentrates pedestrian traffic might really be a benefit. Of course, the other question is...more retail or offices? Don't we already have lots of existing empty spaces? Who would build blocks worth of retail in this market?

[scando]

Originally Posted by rockin'.baltimorean

.......which, then, leads me to my next question. When the Center Theater is built, where does this leave the Parkway Theatre's status? I really can't see that stretch of north avenue supporting two theaters that close in proximity, but I guess anything's possible.


any thoughts????

The Parkway was in the news a few months back and then dropped back into obscurity, while the BDC, in its wisdom, picks one of 3 proposals. Those were unrelated to MICA's project, which was also out at that time, so hopefully both can happen.

[Nino_B]

Originally Posted by scando

I guess we will have to see specifics. The current wide sidewalks don't really serve any purpose except lounging space for vagrants, so something that concentrates pedestrian traffic might really be a benefit. Of course, the other question is...more retail or offices? Don't we already have lots of existing empty spaces? Who would build blocks worth of retail in this market?

Why not use some of that dead space and widen the street into a grand boulevard with 2 way traffic between Paca and President? Then still leave enough real estate for a wide pedestrian promenade between the existing businesses and the street. The downside to this is that in a few places this idea would eliminate the current outdoor seating for some of the restaurants-pubs and would bring the street almost to their front door. Maybe the street could jog south around these spots.

Anyway, they have to be careful not to ruin one of Baltimore's 'Main Streets'.

[Dirk Ironside]

Originally Posted by jamie_hunt

Developer Silverstein is tied up with McHenry Row. Don't expect anything soon.

Sapperstein (not sure who Silverstein is) just threw a grand opening celebration for mchenry row yesterday. Hopefully he can turn his attention elsewhere now...

[BaltimoreCitySlicker]

I was at Coppin for an event on Saturday and I saw a picture of a new building Coppin in building stapled to the all the vacant buildings across from campus. Looks like they are replacing their science building. The pics looks nice



Here is the info on Coppin's page
http://www.coppin.edu/capitalplanning/STC.aspx

Is this green lighted? Anyone else else heard about this? This is exciting b/c Coppin is making alot of progress across North Ave.

[PeterSmith]

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/job.../1898/#slide22

The Atlantic Cities ranks Baltimore at #22 on its list of best places for college grads. DC came it at #18. Excluding the college towns, among major regions, Baltimore was #11.

[k25150]

Funny how they overlooked Texas while every other economic report lists Dallas, Houston and Austin. At least the pictures were pretty cool.

[jamie_hunt]

Originally Posted by Dirk Ironside

Sapperstein (not sure who Silverstein is) just threw a grand opening celebration for mchenry row yesterday. Hopefully he can turn his attention elsewhere now...

Right. Thanks for the correction on the name.

Incidentally, with Phillips scaling down their operations at the plant next to McHenry Row (just as their tax credits expired -- what a coincidence!), Sapperstein should look to expand if his development is successful.

[New_Balto]

Originally Posted by PeterSmith

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/job.../1898/#slide22

The Atlantic Cities ranks Baltimore at #22 on its list of best places for college grads. DC came it at #18. Excluding the college towns, among major regions, Baltimore was #11.

If the above survey is true, why is Washington ranked no. 1 and Baltimore no. 9 of the top 10 cities to find work: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/201...-business-text.

Are they saying that Hopkins graduates and graduates from UMBC - two of the most highly praised schools, (one superbly prestigious, the other, the most up and coming engineering school) that they can't find jobs?

The survey was conducted by Adecco - a temporary jobs staffing firm.

The line of work that I'm in was the result of initially finding temporary work via Adecco in a field that I didn't go to school for.

So much for getting a good education. Perhaps employers are more concerned with experience than knowledge.

What college graduates are going through now, I went through 25 years ago, as did a number of my classmates. Some of us were brought to tears to learn that our expectations didn't pan out (Engineering).

I'm also shocked that counselors are urging students to take Political Science and English as majors and graduates wonder why they can't find job

[New_Balto]

The other survey ranks New York as no. 3 while the Adecco survey doesn't even rank New York in the top 10

[30 Floors Up]

Originally Posted by New_Balto

If the above survey is true, why is Washington ranked no. 1 and Baltimore no. 9 of the top 10 cities to find work: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/201...-business-text.

Are they saying that Hopkins graduates and graduates from UMBC - two of the most highly praised schools, (one superbly prestigious, the other, the most up and coming engineering school) that they can't find jobs?

The survey was conducted by Adecco - a temporary jobs staffing firm.

The line of work that I'm in was the result of initially finding temporary work via Adecco in a field that I didn't go to school for.

So much for getting a good education. Perhaps employers are more concerned with experience than knowledge.

What college graduates are going through now, I went through 25 years ago, as did a number of my classmates. Some of us were brought to tears to learn that our expectations didn't pan out (Engineering).

I'm also shocked that counselors are urging students to take Political Science and English as majors and graduates wonder why they can't find job

I read it as a glorified ranking of where the jobs that require a college degree are located. Here is the criteria for the study. The more college degree jobs there are, the lower the unemployment rate, the higher the average salary, the greater the share of profesional jobs, and the larger the percentage of adults with a BA or above.

•Unemployment rate, via the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
•Share of jobs in professional, technical, and creative occupations (BLS)
•Percent of adults with a BA and above, via the American Community Survey (ACS)
•Average salaries and wages for professional, technical, and creative occupations (BLS)
•Rental share of housing (ACS)
•Money left over after paying for housing (ACS)
•Share of adults that have never been married (ACS)
•Share of commuters who use public transit (ACS)

[scando]

Originally Posted by New_Balto

The other survey ranks New York as no. 3 while the Adecco survey doesn't even rank New York in the top 10

Yep..my e mail box is stuffed with surveys like this every day and they all come out differently, even when they superficially appear to be measuring the same thing. One day your town is on top, the next day it's dubious that it should go on living. All of these surveys depend in initial considerations and assumtions that the article never really specifies so unless you know the exact nature of the data that's collected and how it was analyzed, you really don't know much. Usually, whoever does a survey like these has some sort of ax to grind and while figures never lie, but there's lots of liars out there doing a lot of figuring.

[KLynch]

Here is the Downtown Development report. Have to run, but looks like there are some projects in there that haven't been reported on yet!

http://www.godowntownbaltimore.com/p...s/12devrep.pdf

[Clipper123]

Article about the often debated skyscrapers vs. other forms of density.

http://http://citiwire.net/columns/d...ut-high-rises/

[30 Floors Up]

Originally Posted by KLynch

Here is the Downtown Development report. Have to run, but looks like there are some projects in there that haven't been reported on yet!

http://www.godowntownbaltimore.com/p...s/12devrep.pdf

I am glad to see that the Waxter Center project in Mount Vernon is still alive after all these years. We haven't heard a thing about this project in at least 3 years.

[Fells27]

Originally Posted by KLynch

Here is the Downtown Development report. Have to run, but looks like there are some projects in there that haven't been reported on yet!

http://www.godowntownbaltimore.com/p...s/12devrep.pdf

This report takes some liberties regarding the status of developments. For instance, it states that the Marketplace of Fells Point is "Under Construction". However, it definitely is not unless something happened between the time I left work this morning and now.

[baltimoreisbest]

Originally Posted by Fells27

This report takes some liberties regarding the status of developments. For instance, it states that the Marketplace of Fells Point is "Under Construction". However, it definitely is not unless something happened between the time I left work this morning and now.

Unless I'm missing something, that report makes no mention of the Constellation/Exelon project in Harbor East. What's the news on that??

[Fells27]

Good question. I was wondering the same thing myself. I thought for sure we would have seen more concrete plans for that building especially since so much needs to be done in a relatively short amount of time. Didn't they say that the new headquarters were to be finished by 2014?