Baltimore?s Westside revitalization continues to take shape.
The Baltimore Development Corp. on Thursday unveiled redevelopment plans for the Westside “Superblock” area, in what BDC President M.J. “Jay” Brodie called “an important continuation of the momentum on the Westside.”
The plans envision a retail, residential and office development in an area bounded by the recently renovated Stewart?s Building on the west, Park Avenue on the east, West Clay Street on the north and West Lexington Street on the south.
The redevelopment plan could create hundreds of jobs and boost a slow-growing area of the city, Brodie said.
“This is an important step,” Brodie said. “This means people will be living and working in a retail and residential location in an area that hasn?t seen that in many years.”
Two scenarios have been proposed at the site by the developers, the Cordish Co. and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Inc.
The first scenario, expected to cost about $26 million, would include more than 20,000 square feet of retail space along Lexington Street, office space and 2 1/2 levels of parking. An “iconic building element” would sit at the corner of Lexington Street and Park Avenue to identify the property.
The second plan calls for a larger project that includes a 35-story tower containing 10 levels of parking and 15 levels of office space and residential floors. The plan would hinge on the developers finding a major tenant for the building. No cost estimate was available.
“This project will change the Westside totally and completely,” David Cordish, president of Cordish, said in an e-mail Thursday.
The planned mixed-use project would be just north of the Lexington Square Partners project ? a $250 million retail and residential project that encompasses three city blocks. The project will include about 312,000 square feet of retail space, a seven-story parking garage and 400 apartment units housed in two 14-story, high-rise towers.
The two projects should create a vibrant atmosphere and attract people to the Westside, said Ronald M. Kreitner, executive director of WestSide Renaissance Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to the revitalization of the west side of Baltimore?s downtown district.
“It?s a very bold vision,” Kreitner said.
By early estimates, the project would need a year of designing, developing and financing, followed by two years of construction, Brodie said.
LEGAL ISSUES REMAIN
An obstacle that remains in the development of the “Superblock” in Baltimore?s Westside is the lawsuit filed by the owners of 120 West Fayette St., 39 West Lexington LLC and The Atrium at Market Square LLC against the mayor and City Council of Baltimore, the Baltimore Development Corp., and Lexington Square Partners.
The plaintiffs challenge the BDC?s autonomy to enter into an agreement with Lexington Square to develop the property and the BDC?s role in the selection process. Cases were presented in early April, and the defendants moved for the case to be dismissed. A decision is expected to be reached during the week of Aug. 27.
