Charles Plaza in Baltimore stands ready to usher in a new period of urban living in the central business district.
The buildings have been spruced up; the plaza has been retrofitted; the two towers that feature office space and apartments have been renovated and a Super Fresh Market is ready to open at the end of December, said Mark Shapiro of the Shapiro Co. LLC, which is marketing Charles Plaza to would-be retail tenants.
A coffee shop and dry cleaner are operating in the plaza, and an optical store is opening soon. Six of the eight locations in the food court are open for business and negotiations are under way for the other two spots, said Terri Harrington, who is handling the leasing for Shapiro.
“It took a few years, but the timing is great,” Harrington said. “People are now seeing the central downtown district as more than a business district. There are more options, and it?s more than just a place to work.”
As residents have migrated into new homes that have sprung from restored former office buildings in the central business district, businesses that cater to residents are arriving too, Harrington said.
“Retailers want to see the right demographics before they come in, but people want to see the right services in place before they come,” she said. “The more services that are provided in downtown Baltimore, the more people will take note.”
Bringing in a Super Fresh Market, part of the A&P family of grocery stores, was a feather in the cap downtown development, Harrington said.
“What got their attention was the growing number of residents in the central business district,” she said. “They had to get comfortable with the demographics.”
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population downtown in 2000 at almost 24,000, but the population has increased dramatically since a real estate boom took hold of the area.
The grocery chain is reworking a former bank facility into a 15,000-square-foot store, which is a new footprint for the company.
“They had to figure out how to downsize their market to make an urban location work,” Harrington said. “They are used to going into 60,000 square feet.”
Donald C. Fry, president of the Greater Baltimore Committee, which works to promote business development in the Baltimore region, said a grocery store often is the catalyst for developing new neighborhoods.
“One of the most important things for a residential community is having the type of services that are important to you nearby,” Fry said. “Grocery stores, drug stores and cleaners, things of that nature are very significant. They are all directly related to residential activity.”
By having a grocery store opening in the central business district, Fry said people who already are living in the area will find “this is the right place to locate” and other considering a move will be attracted by the amenities.
