The Baltimore Development Corporation has terminated its agreement with Westside Partners LLC, the group that proposed to build a $150 million to $200 million mixed-use project called The Compass using 18 city-owned parcels on the west side of downtown.

“The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) and the City of Baltimore have decided to terminate the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) with Westside Partners LLC for the Compass Project on the Howard-Lexington block,” BDC President and CEO Colin Tarbert said in a statement issued on Monday. “Given the time elapsed since the project was awarded and the two extensions already granted, BDC believes that reissuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) is in the City’s best interest.”

Former Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young selected Westside Partners in December 2020 to purchase and redevelop the area once known as The Superblock, one of his last acts before leaving office. The area is bounded roughly by Fayette, Howard and Lexington streets and Park Avenue. The sale price was $4,500,001. The group’s latest plan called for 302 residences and 102 hotel rooms as well as street-level retail space and meeting venues.

The BDC had given Westside Partners until Sept. 30 to complete its purchase of the properties tentatively awarded by Young and move ahead with construction. The developer asked for a three-month extension. The request came two months after one of the buildings awarded by Young, a vacant four-story structure in the 200 block of West Fayette Street, partially collapsed onto the sidewalk and street and had to be taken down at the city’s expense. A second building also was removed and the land is now a vacant lot.

Tarbert said in his statement that a new Request for Proposals likely will be issued in early 2025 and Westside Partners would be able to respond at that time.

“This approach allows the current developer time to secure investors and financing partners, should they wish to resubmit a proposal,” he said. “Additionally, it enables BDC to gauge any new interest in the project, considering the significant progress on nearby developments such as the CFG Bank Arena and Lexington Market.”

Developers of a $26 million affordable housing project on downtown Baltimore’s West Side cleared a key hurdle on Wednesday, when Baltimore’s Board of Estimates approved a request to sell five city-owned properties needed to build the residences.

The project, called Sojourner Place at Park, will be constructed at one of Baltimore’s most prominent yet neglected intersections, the corner where Liberty Street and Park Avenue meet Fayette Street, part of Baltimore’s Five and Dime Historic District.

The development is led by a joint venture of Episcopal Housing Corporation and Health Care for the Homeless, two non-profit organizations that responded to a request for proposals issued by the Baltimore Development Corporation. BDC was seeking a developer for the city-owned properties at 102, 104 and 106 N. Liberty Street and 142 and 144 West Fayette Street.

Episcopal Housing Corp. and Health Care for the Homeless were selected after they proposed to combine the five city-owned properties with a sixth building at 111 Park Avenue to create one 48,000-square-foot development containing 42 apartments on the upper levels and commercial space at street level.

At its meeting on Wednesday, with no discussion, the five-member Board of Estimates voted to approve a Land Disposition Agreement that allows the development team to finalize its plans to buy the city properties offered for redevelopment. The joint venture is Park Liberty Limited Partnership. The purchase price is $310,000.

The development occupies a highly visible site where the older buildings of downtown Baltimore’s West Side, on the west side of Liberty Street, meet the newer buildings of Charles Center, on the east side of Liberty Street. The land area is 6,732 square feet, and the buildings are three and four stories high.

In November of 2023, Baltimore’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) approved a design that calls for the facades of four of the city-owned buildings to be preserved as part of the development, with the new housing constructed behind them, and for a new building to be constructed in place of 144 West Fayette Street.

A memo in the Board of Estimates agenda states that “a new 4 story apartment building will be constructed on the Property behind the facades of 102, 104 [and] 106 North Liberty Street,” but does not promise that the building at 142 W. Fayette Street will be preserved. A condemnation notice was posted on that building several months ago after part of its cornice fell onto the sidewalk below and a city housing inspector was called to the scene. Members of the development team say they are still attempting to preserve the building. Moseley Architects is the lead designer.

‘A major change’

Colin Tarbert, president and CEO of the BDC, said after the Board of Estimates meeting that Sojourner Place at Park represents a significant step toward revitalizing the area, which is seen by thousands of commuters every day. It is also just north of an area where the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore is working to create a $4 million civic space, tentatively called Liberty Park.

“This project signals a major change for an intersection that has long been a symbol of blight in the heart of downtown,” Tarbert said in a statement. “By bringing high-quality housing and commercial space to this location, Sojourner Place at Park is not only addressing critical needs like affordable housing and homelessness but also helping to bridge the gap between the Central Business District and the West Side, fostering connectivity and growth for years to come.”

The developer’s plan calls for Sojourner Place at Park to feature affordable housing and permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals. By opening the party walls between a newly constructed building at 144 West Fayette and the five redeveloped historic buildings, the developers say, the new unified structure will create 42 one-bedroom units priced for households with incomes ranging from 70 percent of Area Median Income to 30 percent or less.

Health Care for the Homeless plans to bring its expertise in providing housing stability and healthcare services to residents who have experienced homelessness.

“This project is a full-circle moment for us: our headquarters operated at this very location for two decades,” said Kevin Lindamood, CEO of Health Care for the Homeless and President of HCH Real Estate Co., in a statement. “Converting our former clinic into affordable housing is the fulfillment of our mission; it’s the very best way to end homelessness and improve health. And we’re proud to be part of this effort to revitalize our former neighborhood through Sojourner Place at Park.”

In addition to housing, Sojourner Place at Park will have about 10,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor that can help create a more vibrant streetscape.

“This development is part of a wave of investment that is transforming the West Side of downtown,” said Dan McCarthy, Executive Director of Episcopal Housing Corporation. “With new residential and commercial offerings, Sojourner Place at Park is helping to create a downtown that is active beyond business hours, fostering a safer, more engaging environment for residents, workers, and visitors alike.”

 No decision on The Compass

Sojourner Place at Park is one of two developments in the works that involve city-owned properties along Fayette Street, just west of Charles Center. The second is the $200 million mixed use development called the Compass, planned by a group called West Side Partners for 18 city-owned properties once known as The Superblock.

The BDC had given that group until Sept. 30 to acquire the properties from the city and move ahead with its development, but the group asked for a three-month extension. Tarbert said on Monday that a decision had not been made on whether to grant that request.

Two sisters have opened a home furnishings and accessories store in downtown Baltimore, where they plan to make luxury interior design accessible to more people.

Ellen “Elle” Odoi and Yvette Pappoe last week opened “the dede. shop” at 305 N. Howard St. It is the first business to open as part of the second cohort of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore’s Black-Owned Occupancy Storefront Tenancy (BOOST) program.

The siblings are also owners of Décorelle, a full-service luxury interior design firm that serves clients in the DMV area as well as New York, Texas, Seattle, and beyond.

“Décorelle is a testament to our passion for interior design and unwavering belief that every individual deserves to experience the transformative power of a beautifully designed space,” Odoi said in a statement. “We’re so proud to unveil its next iteration, the more accessible design experience by way of the dede. Shop.”

Odoi continued, “Our goal is to democratize luxury interior design and provide a storefront where visitors can pop in and make intentional purchases– whether you are looking for a unique one-of-one piece or an entire room that’s artfully designed without the cost of design consultations. the dede. shop will have a little bit of everything for everyone.”

At the new brick-and-mortar location, customers will be able to shop home goods and furnishings that Pappoe and Odoi have hand-picked.

Curated items include furniture, pottery, décor, and candles. Products will be released in quarterly drops.

“The storefront’s inventory will be carefully curated for a mix-and-match approach, empowering buyers to shop Elle’s vision without the cost barrier of hiring an interior designer,” reads a news release.

Odoi and Pappoe were part of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore’s BOOST program, which works with Black entrepreneurs to fill vacant storefronts in the city’s downtown area.

the dede. shop also received support from an American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) grant and local partners, including Guinness Open Gate Brewery and BGE.

“With support from DPOB’s ‘Black-Owned Occupancy Storefront Tenancy’ (BOOST) program, funded by the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA), the dede. shop is the brick-and-mortar realization of an entrepreneurial duo’s five-year dream,” said Shelonda Stokes, president of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. “We are thrilled to witness the grand opening of this space, the first of our second cohort of BOOST businesses. We have no doubt Elle and Yvette will push boundaries in this space, and look forward to many years of success and collaboration alongside neighboring businesses and our other BOOST storefronts.”

the dede. shop will also collaborate with fellow Black-owned businesses, including Bmore Empowered, to organize workshops and seminars for minority and women entrepreneurs.

A new Jamaican and Caribbean restaurant will open across the street from the Hippodrome Theatre.

D.C.-based Jerk at Nite is expanding to Baltimore, with a new location set to open at 21 N. Eutaw St. The former bank building was previously the location of gastropub Alewife, which closed in 2018.

The new downtown Baltimore restaurant will hold a soft opening Sept. 19, where they will serve “all-you-can-eat small plates and complimentary drinks.” Space is limited for the ticketed event, so attendees must RSVP through EventBrite.

Jerk at Nite Baltimore will offer an authentic Jamaican and Caribbean menu, including jerk chicken, curry goat, plantains, and other items.

During a recent trip to the nation’s capital, TikTok food critic Keith Lee was dismayed by the D.C. food scene overall. However, he sang high praises of Jerk at Nite’s location there, which he called “the best Caribbean food I’ve ever had.”

Lee extolled the eye-watering, throat-tickling spice of their penne pasta with jerk parmesan alfredo sauce; the saucy and “super tender” jerk chicken, which he said is “up there with some of the best jerk chicken I’ve had”; and the fried plantains that were “cooked to perfection.”

@keith_lee125 Jerk At Nite taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic @JERK AT NITE @Big_SchlimFoodInfluencer ♬ original sound – Keith Lee

Of course, Lee has already applauded Baltimore’s food scene. But with the upcoming addition of Jerk at Nite — and so many other local spots to explore — he might just have to come back to Charm City for seconds.

Jerk at Nite said on Instagram that this is their third time trying to open a restaurant in Baltimore, including when they opened in 2021 at 701 Poplar Grove St. in West Baltimore’s Rosemont neighborhood.

“3 years ago, we arrived ova West, on Poplar Grove and fell in love with the people and culture of Baltimore,” they wrote in their Instagram post. “Through a series of unfortunate events we were only there for 1 year. We are convicted in our hearts that Baltimore is special, so we’ve turnt it up a notch with this location. This is our 3rd time trying to #JERK Baltimore correctly, 3rd times a #Charmcity”

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In a video on Jerk at Nite’s Instagram page, Loic Sany, executive chef of the soon-to-open Baltimore restaurant, shared that he started cooking at a young age in Cameroon and worked his way up in the D.C. fine dining world after immigrating to the United States.

“The kitchen is my playground,” Sany said in the video.

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He promised the people of Baltimore that they can expect to taste next-level Jamaican and Caribbean flavors from Jerk at Nite.

“We’re bringing something to Baltimore that Baltimore hasn’t experienced yet,” Sany said. “We’re bringing not only Jamaican and Caribbean cuisine to Baltimore; we’re bringing it to a level that Baltimore has never experienced.”

Baltimore has a Book Festival, a Running Festival, a Jazz Festival, an Herb Festival, a Fun Festival, a Comedy Festival, a Seafood Festival, a Playwrights Festival and an International Edgar Allan Poe Festival.

Coming up this month is one of the city’s newest annual events, the BRUSH Mural Fest, which celebrates public murals in Baltimore and the artists who create them.

Ten teams of muralists are painting murals on the exterior of the Baltimore Convention Center by Sept. 14, the date for this year’s event. The artists started work this week on the Pratt Street side of the convention center’s 1979 building, between Charles and Sharp streets.

“The theme is Hidden Gems, and we let the artists interpret that however they want to,” said Jaz Erenberg, director of programming for this year’s festival. “We have an artist highlighting waterways. We have an artist highlighting community gardens. We have an artist highlighting hip hop and club culture. Locomotive history. Bicycle routes. They’re all highlighting what they feel is a Baltimore hidden gem.”

This is the second year for the festival, which was started by Erenberg and two other Baltimore-based muralists, Saba Hamidi and Jess Langley. In the first year, six murals were created by teams of women and non-binary artists, and a daylong celebration was held at Lexington Market on Oct. 21.

This year, Erenberg and Hamidi are running the event. Their goals are to highlight the talent and creativity of local artists, provide opportunities for emerging muralists, and represent Baltimore’s vibrancy through “intentional community-centered public art.” They say the Convention Center is an ideal location to showcase the work of local artists.

“Oftentimes, visitors’ experience stops at the boundaries of downtown Baltimore,” said Hamidi, director of operations for the festival. “We see the Convention Center as the ‘gateway’ to the beauty and stories layered throughout our urban landscape. It’s our hope that the vibrant art produced through BRUSH Fest, representing communities outside the downtown area, will encourage those visitors to go beyond and explore further.”

Leaders of the city-owned Convention Center are partnering with the festival organizers as part of Mayor Brandon Scott’s ‘Downtown Rise’ initiative.

“We are thrilled to host BRUSH Mural Fest, an event that promises to bring well-deserved recognition to local artists while furthering the Baltimore Convention Center’s commitment to fostering a more authentic, vibrant downtown corridor,” said convention center executive director Mac Campbell, in a statement. “In alignment with the mayor’s ‘Downtown Rise’ initiative, showcasing Baltimore’s artistic excellence along Pratt Street helps amplify the cultural heartbeat of our community to the countless residents and visitors who walk through and by our doors.”

Hidden gems

For nine of this year’s teams, Erenberg and Hamidi paired one professional muralist with a “rising star” mentee who aspires to be a professional muralist. Then they teamed up to take the final spot, for a total of 10 murals in all.

Each team was assigned a space that is about 200 square feet in size. Some spaces are taller than others, and some are lower and longer. This week and next, artists will be working on the murals as passersby watch and take photos.

Given the Hidden Gems theme, the artists had many different responses. Justin Duvall and Justin Nepomuceno are the artists painting “A map of Baltimore’s waterways,” depicting tributaries that feed into Baltimore’s harbor, such as Herring Run, Gwynns Falls and the Jones Falls, with the Inner Harbor’s dragon-themed paddle boats in the composition as well.  

Jasmin Manning and Kolpeace are painting two of Manning’s friends who just got married, in a mural titled “Sho look good to me.” Saz Ross and mentee AfrOdelic are painting a mural that reveals “unexpected creatures and unexpected architecture” in the city, a work that’s reminiscent of illustrations by the late Maurice Sendak.

Jordan Lawson and mentee Stephanie Lawson are celebrating Baltimore rowhouses and community gardens. SolRaya (Nicole Buchholz) and Susan Tuberville are painting “Bicultural Baltimore.” Hiro Hubbard and Kid Balloon are painting the B&O Railroad Museum with its distinctive 22-sided roundhouse.

Other artists include: Rowan Bathurst with HOPE; LaToya Peoples and Rosy Sunshine Galvan; and Hannah Atallah and Mansi Yaduka.

People walking by frequently stop and talk to the artists. One man said he thought he saw a mistake in one mural because it had a phone booth in it, and “they don’t have phone booths anymore.” Bathurst said her mural is a series of vintage Baltimore scenes, as if from a scrapbook of old photographs, and that’s why she included a phone booth.

Celebration Day

Sept. 14 is the date when all of the artists will be present to talk about their work and meet with people who come to see it, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organized like a block party, the celebration will feature live musical acts on an outdoor stage, family-friendly art activities facilitated by Messy Art Music Lab, food trucks and a live art painting competition that has been dubbed “BRUSH Battle.”

Erenberg said she and the other organizers were inspired by other cities that have mural festivals, including the “Sunny Dayz” mural festival in Oklahoma City. She also noted that Baltimore was a pioneer when it had an Open Walls mural program, in 2012 and 2013, that brought a series of murals to the Station North area.

For the current festival, she said, the organizers wanted to enlist all local artists, and that’s how they came up with the idea of pairing professional muralists with rising stars. Once they’re complete, Erenberg said, the murals will be up for at least three years.

Erenberg said the organizers raised $100,000 for the festival, and all of the participating muralists are getting compensated for their work. The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation joins the Baltimore Convention Center in presenting the event. Other sponsors include the Mayor’s Office, Visit Baltimore, PNC Bank, DUO Signage and Graphics, and Bloom Arts Strategy.

For the weeks leading up to Festival Celebration Day, organizers scheduled a series of free public events in the city’s arts and entertainment districts, starting with a Community Paint Day in the Station North Arts District on Aug. 24.

Still to come are: a program entitled “Social Gravity of Joy” on Sept. 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at NoMuNoMu, an art center at 709 N. Howard Street; a panel discussion focused on creative entrepreneurship and local public art moderated by Baltimore-based interdisciplinary visual artist Maura Dwyer on Sept. 10 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at NoMuNoMu; and a presentation on “Building Your Brand in the New Art World,” on Sept. 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Night Owl Gallery.

Also, an artist Happy Hour on Sept. 11 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Royal Blue, 1733 Maryland Ave.; a Community Paint Day led by Dwyer on Sept. 12 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 303 N. Howard St.; a workshop on “Color from Screen to Your Walls” on Sept. 13 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Night Owl Gallery, 1735 Maryland Ave., and a Wellness Workshop on Sept. 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Fitzgerald, 1201 W. Mount Royal Ave.

“By hosting these events in the city’s art districts, we’re hoping to not only engage a wider audience – including local business and art purveyors interested in collaborating with our selected muralists for future project future – but also to spotlight Baltimore’s existing art scene,” Erenberg said. “The essence of BRUSH Mural Fest lies in its dedication to the City of Baltimore, its vibrant artists, and its supportive community. What better way to demonstrate that dedication than providing interactive programming that activates multiple neighborhoods across the city?”

More information about the event is available at www.brushmuralfest.com and @brushmuralfest on Instagram.

For many years, the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore focused on making the city’s central business district clean, safe and welcoming for office workers who spend the workday downtown and then go elsewhere after 5 p.m.

But as work habits have changed in the post-COVID era and more office buildings have been converted or targeted for conversion to apartments, downtown has gained more residents who are in the area around the clock, and the Partnership has to make downtown attractive for them too.

That’s the thinking behind the organization’s plan to create Baltimore’s next attraction: a $4 million civic space in the heart of the city that will be amenity both for the office workers and visitors who are downtown during the day and also for the residents who are there morning, noon and night.

The tentative name for this civic space is Liberty Park. The location is a city-owned sliver of land that is bounded roughly by Fayette, Liberty and Baltimore streets and Park Avenue, currently a city Department of Transportation right of way.

The land is essentially a wide traffic median one block long, that is primarily used as a gated pet area called Liberty Dog Run. Open from dawn to dusk, it marks a key dividing line where the 33-acre Charles Center renewal district, created starting in the 1960s, meets the more historic west side of downtown.

Leaders of the Downtown Partnership are working on plans to take this 0.35-acre site near the CFG Bank Arena and make it even more of a gathering spot and amenity for the increasing number of residents who are moving downtown, an area considered Baltimore’s fastest growing neighborhood.

The new civic space will be about six-tenths of an acre. The $4 million in funding will come from a $10 million appropriation that the Maryland General Assembly made to the Downtown Partnership for fiscal 2023.

New priorities

The idea, according to the Downtown Partnership, is to take what’s already there and make it more attractive as a parklike setting for pet owners to frequent and for others to spend time as well.

According to Downtown Partnership President Shelonda Stokes, 11,000 residents live within the 106-block district that the organization oversees — and the number is growing.

As more residents move in, she said, the Downtown Partnership has had to adjust its mission and think about ways to make downtown more attractive for them as well as office workers and visitors. And that means introducing or expanding amenities that office workers may not have asked for but residents want to see, including outdoor spaces for their pets.

“We are talking about a future that is completely mixed,” Stokes said. “No longer can you think in silos — only business or only residents or even only tourism. We are really looking at how our city combines all of those assets, and so we are designing for all.”

When the Downtown Partnership surveyed residents to learn what improvements they’d like to see downtown, Stokes said, one of the most requested items was an improved dog park.

When the Partnership sought funds from the General Assembly to improve downtown, she said, representatives were clear that an improved dog park and civic space was a priority. The project is also a component of Mayor Brandon Scott’s Downtown Rise initiative, she said.

Community engagement

The Partnership recently held a community meeting at the CFG Bank Arena to provide an update on planning for the park and get feedback from area residents, including suggestions for improving the preliminary plan.

More than two dozen people attended the meeting, one of several community engagement sessions that are being held at this stage of the planning.

So far, residents were told, the Downtown Partnership has hired a landscape architect, Mahan Rykiel Associates of Baltimore, to develop preliminary plans. One of the next steps will be to select consultants to develop a final design, based on feedback and suggestions made in response to the preliminary plan.

The final phase of design is expected to take about a year, and then construction is expected to take another year or so. Planners say they’re aiming to open the completed project in the spring of 2027.

The preliminary plan unveiled at the community meeting shows that the dog park would be basically where the existing dog run is, and that a separate park space will be created west of it. The plans show that the dog park will be enclosed by a fence and will have artificial turf and a natural plants around the edges to provide a buffer between the park and vehicular traffic.

The landscaped space outside the fenced-in dog park will be on the west side of Park Avenue, with artificial turf, seating, a public bathroom facility, a security kiosk and possibly a retail kiosk.

Stokes and Steve Robinson, Vice President of Parks, Plazas and Green Spaces for the Partnership, said planners are looking at public restroom facilities around the country to see what might work best in this location and they like the “Portland Loo” in Oregon. They also said this is a good potential spot for free Wi-Fi.

$10,000 donation

During the community meeting, CFG Bank Arena General Manager Frank Remesch presented a $10,000 check from the arena to the Partnership to support the project, and several audience members commented on the preliminary plans.

Paul Sturm, a downtown resident and chair of the Downtown Residents Advocacy Network, urged the park’s designers to study successful urban public spaces around the country, including Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia and Bryant Park in Manhattan, to see how their planners define and enclose park spaces.

“My concern has to do with fencing,” he said. Looking at the preliminary plans for Baltimore’s park, “it feels to me like fencing could very well be a barrier. It sends a message, even though you may not intend to send it, that some people are welcome in the park but not everyone is welcome in the park. I know we want a safe environment, but I think what really makes an environment safe are the people. And the more people, the greater mix of people, the better…I think we want a place where everyone feels welcome and comfortable. I really believe that the more people feel welcome and comfortable in a space, the safer and the livelier it will be and the more enjoyable it will be.”

Jillian Storms, Executive Director of the Office of School Facilities for the Maryland State Department of Education, said she hoped the Partnership wouldn’t have to cut down all the mature trees currently on the site and asked why the landscape architects specified artificial turf. She also urged the designers to make adequate provisions for people with disabilities, including continued access to the State Department of Education headquarters building where she works.

Robinson said artificial turf holds up a long time and is easy to keep clean by power washing. He and Stokes assured her that the new civic space will be designed to be accessible for people with disabilities, because city and state regulations will require it.

Greg Finch, a downtown resident, said he hopes the planners get some ideas from the entrepreneurs who operate the private “Bark Social” dog parks in the Baltimore area, which offer free WiFi, sell cocktails and provide other perks.

He said he would like to see the Downtown Partnership take the opportunity to create the best dog park in the world, a place that will put Baltimore on the map and be a model for other cities.

“What is the opportunity here to make this the first of its-kind, anywhere on the planet, like Harborplace was?” Finch asked. “What is nobody else on the planet doing?”

“I love, love, love all of that,” Stokes said of his comment. “That’s exactly the kind of stuff we want to hear.”

Stokes said planners are still making decisions about several aspects of the project, including whether it will have a dedicated staff and how the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks might be involved. She and Robinson said hours of operation would be the same as the city has for its parks, from dawn to dusk.

A gift to the residents

Courtenay Jenkins, senior director of Cushman & Wakefield and a member of the Downtown Partnership’s board and the executive committee of the Downtown Management Authority, said he’s impressed by the planning effort so far. He said it’s a good example of the way the Downtown Partnership’s board members and staffers have adjusted their thinking to consider the needs of downtown residents as well as office workers.

“Historically, the Downtown Partnership might be considered more focused on office buildings and office tenants,” he said. “But I want to tell you, since Shelonda’s gotten here, that’s not the case. The residents downtown are actually becoming more of the focus, and I think this Liberty Dog Park…is a gift to the residents of downtown.”

Jenkins said he applauds the direction Downtown Partnership is taking with the Liberty Park project.

“I personally think the residents are as important, if not more important, as office tenants, because with people living downtown you’re going to get the energy and the revitalization that we really need, and that will bring people back to the offices in downtown Baltimore.”

Concerned about the deteriorating condition of 18 city-owned properties that were awarded to Westside Partners in 2020 and the lack of progress on construction of a proposed revitalization project, the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) has given the group until the end of September to move ahead with its venture or the city will “consider alternative options.”

The 18 properties, all vacant, are part of an area on the west side of downtown Baltimore known as the Superblock. Former Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young awarded them in December of 2020 for construction of a mixed-use development called The Compass, but no construction has begun after three and a half years and the city still owns the buildings.

Last month one of the vacant properties in the portfolio, a four-story structure in the 200 block of West Fayette Street, partially collapsed after a heavy rainstorm, sending bricks onto the street and sidewalk below. No one was injured in the June 14 incident, but the city was forced to take down the remainder of the building that collapsed and the one next to it. Clean-up work at the site is still underway.

A BDC executive said in an email message this week that the agency, which oversees downtown development on behalf of the city, wants to see the developers complete their proposed acquisition of the buildings and move ahead with their project.

“BDC has established a target settlement date of September 30, 2024,” said BDC executive vice president Kim Clark, in an email message. “To meet this deadline, the development team must secure the necessary equity and financing to complete construction plans for the project and purchase the properties from the City. Given the concerning deterioration of the properties, it is imperative that progress is made promptly to either move forward with the project or consider alternative options.”

The properties awarded to Westside Partners fall within an area bounded roughly by Fayette, Howard and Lexington streets and Park Avenue. Westside Partners proposed a multi-phase development containing residences, offices and street-level retail space in a combination of new construction and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. The latest plans, unveiled last fall, call for 302 residences and 102 hotel rooms as well as commercial space and meeting venues.

The developers offered to pay the city $4,500,001 for the 18 properties, and their anticipated total investment exceeds $150 million. City leaders have touted the project as a key to rejuvenation of the west side of downtown, along with the renovation of CFG Bank Arena and the new home of Lexington Market.

Land Disposition Agreement

After Young chose Westside Partners to receive an exclusive negotiating priority, city officials on Dec. 2, 2020, entered into a Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) that gave the developers time to line up financing and the design and construction approvals they needed to complete their acquisition of the 18 properties. City officials cannot work on the Superblock properties with any other developers while the LDA is in effect with Westside Partners.

The LDA called for Westside Partners to complete the purchase of the city properties on or before a specific “target settlement date.” The date was 18 months after Dec. 2, 2020, or early June of 2022.

Since then, one member of the original team, Landmark Partners, left the project. The original lead architect, Gensler, was replaced by Hanbury. The developers were unable to meet the June 2022 settlement date and asked the city for more time. In response, the BDC has granted several extensions.

BDC officials set the Sept. 30 deadline before the Fayette Street building collapsed. In doing so, the agency pointed to the poor condition of the vacant buildings and warned the developers that the BDC is not inclined to extend the target settlement date any more if the team is unable to close on the city properties by Sept. 30. That would result in termination of the city’s land disposition agreement with Westside Partners.

Christopher Janian, a principal with Westside Partners, did not respond to a request for information about the status of his project.

The two buildings that came down on Fayette Street were part of the city’s Five & Dime Historic District, an area where any changes to building exteriors, up to and including demolition, are supposed to be approved in advance by the city’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation.

Clark, the BDC official, said the Fayette Street buildings were taken down by the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) but she didn’t say how much the work cost or who is paying for it.

“The properties remain part of the project,” Clark said in an email message, referring to the proposed Compass development. “They were demo’d as the building posed a public safety hazard and were demo’d by HCD. That’s all there is to say on the matter at this time.”

The recent demolition activity in a downtown historic district was prompted by a building collapse, not progress on a redevelopment project, according to an area resident who heard the building fall into the street.

“It wasn’t by any means a planned demolition,” said Matt Kelly, a resident of the Centerpoint Apartments at 8 N. Howard Street. “It collapsed.”

Kelly lives on the fifth floor of the Centerpoint Apartments, and from his window he can see the 200 block of West Fayette Street, part of the city’s Five & Dime Historic District, where two four-story buildings have come down in recent weeks.

Since mid-June, a crew has been working to take the buildings down and clean up debris on the north side of Fayette Street, part of the footprint of the proposed Compass development project planned by a group called Westside Partners.

A representative of Baltimore’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) said in an email message last week that the demolition activity was approved by the commission, after the panel held public hearings on the project last year.

But Kelly said he could tell it wasn’t an ordinary demolition job. He said he was in his apartment at around 9:45 p.m. on Friday, June 14, when he heard a ”very loud” sound outside his window. He said he thought at first it might have been an accident involving a light rail train on Howard Street, but it wasn’t.

After hearing the sound, Kelly said, he went outside to see what happened and make sure no one was injured. That’s when he saw that the front portion of a building in the 200 block of W. Fayette Street had collapsed onto the sidewalk and into the street.” A fire engine and ambulance were on the block when he got there, and more vehicles came soon afterwards, he said. “I would say four to five” pieces of apparatus in all, he said.

The building that collapsed was at the eastern end of a row of six vacant structures that date from the mid-to late-1800s. Kelly said he didn’t see any sign of a fire or any indication that anyone was in the buildings on the row at the time of the collapse, and he didn’t see anyone being treated for injuries afterwards. He used his cell phone to take videos and photos of the scene.

From what he could see, “almost half of the building collapsed forward” into Fayette Street, he said. “It looked like it was only the front of the building that collapsed…They had the hook and ladder truck and extended [its ladder] over the back half of the building as they were doing their search and rescue to make sure no one was there. Luckily no one did get hurt, thank God.”

A spokesperson for the fire department has not responded to a request for information about the incident.

Maryland Fleet Week flyover

Kelly, a territory manager for Rankin Automation, an automation distributor, said the building collapse occurred on the same day that a F-35B jet flew over downtown as part of the scheduled Maryland Fleet Week and Flyover Baltimore activities, and shortly after a heavy rainstorm. When he left his apartment after hearing the initial sound, he said, it was drizzling. He speculated that the combination of the flyover, the storm and the building’s deteriorated condition may have contributed to the collapse.

“The building has been abandoned and dilapidated” for years, he said during a phone interview from his apartment. “I’ve been in this building for 11 years. Nothing has taken place over there…Everything is so dilapidated because it’s been neglected for 20-plus years.”

Just before the building collapsed, there was “a heavy downpour…like one of those hyper-bursts where you can’t see five yards in front of you,” he said. “It was like that for five to seven minutes, and then it let up. And then right after the rain stopped, that’s when I heard what I thought was a light rail versus truck accident. Then it was a steady drizzle for another two hours.”

The flyover of the F-35B jet took place six to eight hours earlier in the day.

“It vibrated my building,” Kelly said. “It was so loud, I was on a conference call for work, and everybody was like, Whoa, are you all right? That’s how loud it was, that it overtook my conversation. I don’t know. But I can tell you, vibrationally, from that noise, it may have played a factor. But you have to remember, that flyover was six-eight hours earlier in the day, too…Did it vibrate something or loosen something? Possibly. I think it may have had more to do with literally just neglect and time. But then when you add the flyover as well as the heavy rain, and you combine it, who knows? Maybe they all contributed.”

There have been no other reports of building collapses in downtown Baltimore during Maryland Fleet Week and Flyover Baltimore.

Quick clean-up

By the next morning, Kelly said, several pieces of construction equipment were on the Fayette Street site, including a bulldozer and a bobcat positioned to take down the rest of the partially-collapsed building at the end of the row.

“They were all over trying to clean it up as quickly as they could,” he said. “That’s a very big [bus] transfer point…By Monday at noon, the street and the sidewalk were absolutely clear. By noon on Monday, you could tell they had definitely made a valiant effort.”

The following week, crews razed the four-story building next to the one that collapsed. No other buildings on the block have been taken down since then. One structure on the block, now the end building in the row, is separated from the sidewalk by a chain link fence.

All of the buildings in the row – 220, 222, 224 and 226 West Fayette and 101 N. Howard Street — are part of a portfolio of 18 properties that were awarded in 2020 to Westside Partners, which has proposed to redevelop the area with a mixed-use project that will be carried out in phases. The city still owns the properties that are targeted for development.

Christopher Janian, a principal with Westside Partners, did not respond to a request for information about the status of his project. The development group has missed at least one deadline to finalize its plans with the city, changed architects, and lost one of its original team members, a group called Landmark Partners, since former Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young selected it over five other bidders more than three and a half years ago.

Eric Holcomb, executive director of CHAP, referred questions to the city housing department. Representatives for the Baltimore Development Corporation and city housing department also did not respond to requests for information.

Demolition activity is underway on the west side of downtown Baltimore, signaling potential progress in the redevelopment of a city-owned parcel once called the Superblock.

A demolition crew has torn down two four-story buildings in the 200 block of West Fayette Street, part of a row of vacant commercial structures owned by the city and targeted for demolition to make way for one phase of a development called The Compass. The work began late last month, leaving the site filled with rubble.

The Baltimore Development Corporation in late 2020 selected a group called Westside Partners LLC to develop The Compass in an area bounded roughly by Fayette, Howard and Lexington streets and Park Avenue – 18 city properties in all. The area is actually two city blocks divided by Marion Street and was dubbed “the Superblock” by a previous developer.

Westside Partners was selected over five other bidders after proposing construction of a mixed-use, multi-phase development containing residences, offices and retail space in a combination of new construction and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. The proposed investment is more than $150 million.

At the time of the award, Bernard C. “Jack” Young was mayor and city officials said they selected Westside Partners in part because the group proposed a “preservation oriented” project that would fit in with the surrounding historic district. The recently-demolished buildings were among the 18 city-owned properties that the BDC agreed to sell to Westside Partners at a price of $4,500,001. The latest plans for the Compass, unveiled last fall, call for 302 residences and 102 hotel rooms as well as street-level retail space and meeting venues.

Five & Dime Historic District

As of this month, the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore still own the 18 properties. The demolition activity is one of the first signs of site work at any of them since Westside Partners was selected as the developer. It comes less than a month after the Mayor’s Office invited local artists to paint murals on other buildings that are within the Compass footprint and targeted for preservation, during an event called Art After Dark.

All 18 properties are part of Baltimore’s Five & Dime Historic District, which means that any changes up to and including demolition must be approved by the city’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP).

Lauren Schiszik, acting executive director of the preservation agency, said in an email message that CHAP’s commissioners authorized the demolition work on Fayette Street after holding hearings to review plans for the Compass project in 2023.

The hearings were scheduled after Westside Partners sought permission to raze seven buildings at the northeast corner of Fayette and Howard Streets to make way for one new structure they wanted to build as part of the Compass development.

The buildings that Westside Partners asked for permission to tear down were: 101-103, 105 and 107 North Howard Street and 220, 222, 224 and 226 West Fayette Street. The building at 105 North Howard Street included a four-story wing fronting on Fayette Street, and that section was the first structure to be demolished, followed by 226 W. Fayette Street.

Review process

The request from Westside Partners triggered public hearings in May, July and August of 2023. CHAP has a demolition review process for historic districts in which it holds an initial hearing to determine whether a building targeted for demolition is a “contributing structure” in a historic district. If a building is not deemed a contributing structure, the commissioners won’t block demolition but they will review plans for a replacement structure or structures. If a building is determined to be a contributing structure, CHAP will hold a follow-up hearing to learn why the developer wants to tear it down and whether it poses an economic hardship to the developer if demolition is denied.

In the case of the Compass project, the developers told CHAP that the existing buildings are in poor condition and would be prohibitively expensive to renovate. They said they wanted to replace them with a structure that’s designed to meet the current building codes and respond to current market conditions.

In a presentation last fall to the city’s Urban Design and Architecture Advisory Panel, Westside Partners showed plans for the seven structures to be replaced by a four-story building labeled “Future of Work.” The developer said the replacement structure would contain office space and areas devoted to health, wellness and education, with retail space at street level. The lead designer is Hanbury.

The commissioners determined at the first hearing that the buildings at 101-103 N. Howard Street and 226 W. Fayette Street did not contribute to the historic district, but they said the other five were contributing structures. After the second hearing, CHAP denied the developer’s request to raze the five contributing structures. According to CHAP staffer Stacy Montgomery, the structures were built in the mid- to late-19^th century and represented “some of the oldest remaining buildings” in the Five & Dime Historic District.

But on August, 8, 2023, after the developers showed a master plan for the entire Compass project and provided cost projections, CHAP agreed to permit demolition of the buildings at 220, 222 and 224 W. Fayette Street and 105 and 107 N. Howard Street, although they asked Westside Partners to retain or reconstruct the front facades of the Howard Street buildings and incorporate them into the proposed replacement structure. After agreeing to that request, the developers essentially had obtained CHAP’s permission to take down all seven buildings in their original application.

Preventing eyesores

Some local preservationists have argued that the city shouldn’t permit demolition of any buildings in city historic districts until the developers show proof of financing for a replacement structure.

The preservationists say that sort of policy would help prevent eyesores such as the empty lot at the southwest corner of Baltimore and Charles streets, where a developer took down the Mechanic A. Theatre starting in 2014 and then never moved ahead with the replacement project that was proposed.

Another example is the site of the former the Hendler Creamery at 1100 East Baltimore Street, where developer Kevin Johnson proposed to incorporate two of its facades into a new apartment building called The Hendler but then stopped work, leaving the 1892 structure partially demolished and exposed to the elements. Faced with an abandoned project, CHAP voted in June of 2023 to allow demolition of the entire Hendler structure.

It is unclear whether Westside Partners has provided proof that it has obtained financing for its project, when it might take title to the properties, or who is paying for the demolition work. Kim Clark, the BDC’s executive vice president, and Westside Partners principal Chris Janian did not respond immediately to requests for information.

A member of the demolition crew said the contractors don’t intend to recycle any materials from the Fayette Street site. He said his team previously worked with an organization that recycled bricks but that organization is no longer in business.

A developer’s plan to construct a seven-story apartment building on downtown’s west side moved ahead on Wednesday when Baltimore’s Board of Estimates approved a request to sell three city-owned parcels at the northeast corner of Park Avenue and Lexington Street to the project’s developer.

The spending board unanimously approved a request from the Baltimore Development Corporation for the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore to sell the parcels at 114 and 116 W. Lexington St. and 207 Park Avenue to Garden Theatre LLC, a group headed by developer Chukuemeka “Chukes” Okoro.  The sale price is $50,000 for the three vacant buildings, which occupy 6,732 square feet of land.  

The BDC selected Okoro to redevelop the properties after he responded to a request for proposals in 2022. His plan calls for demolition of the former Ann Lewis Shops department store at 116 West Lexington Street and partial retention of the buildings at 114 West Lexington Street and 207 Park Ave., including their facades. 

According to preliminary plans approved last month by the city’s preservation commission, Okoro’s project will contain approximately 3,000 square feet of street-level commercial space and about 48 apartments on six levels above. 

The Board of Estimates approved a Land Disposition Agreement that will lead to the city’s sale of the three vacant properties, which are part of the city’s Five & Dime Historic District. 

Tamir Ezzat of ddbWorkshop is the architect and Ann Powell of Plan B is the owner’s representative. This will be the fourth project near Lexington Market for Okoro Development. Founded in 2003, the company rehabilitated 101 W. Lexington St., 109 W. Lexington St. and 324-326 Park Ave. for residential use, and has its headquarters at 109 W. Lexington St.

Developer Chukuemeka “Chukes” Okoro on Tuesday cleared a key hurdle in his quest to build 48 market-rate apartments on the west side of downtown Baltimore, when his plan received preliminary approval from the city’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP). 

The project is a seven-story building at the northeast corner of West Lexington Street and Park Avenue, in the city’s Five & Dime Historic District. Okoro is the founder of Okoro Development, and his plan calls for six floors of apartments above a first level containing about 3,000 square feet of commercial space.

The apartments will be constructed on parcels that currently contain three vacant, city-owned buildings in the historic district, and that’s why the plan needs CHAP’s approval. The buildings are: the former Ann Lewis department store at 116-120 W. Lexington St., a structure that dates from 1941 and is windowless above the first floor; a three-story building at 114 W. Lexington St. that once served as the entry to a theater called The Garden, and a four-story commercial building at 207 Park Ave. 

The Baltimore Development Corporation sought proposals for the three properties in 2022 and selected Okoro as the developer. Before it will sell the buildings to Okoro, the development corporation wants to be certain CHAP will approve his development plan. Tamir Ezzat of ddbWorkshop is the architect and Ann Powell of Plan B is the owner’s representative. 

Ezzat’s design calls for the demolition of the former department store to make way for new construction, and for the retention of 114 W. Lexington St. and 207 Park Ave. He presented renderings showing that a seven-story apartment building will rise in place of the department store and above the other two structures, which will also contain apartments and be connected to the new corner structure. There is no on-site parking. 

During a public hearing last year, CHAP members agreed to approve demolition of the corner structure after Okoro argued that its lack of windows made it difficult to adapt for new uses and comply with city building codes. CHAP did not agree to allow demolition of 114 W. Lexington and 207 Park Ave., with commissioners saying those buildings contribute to the historic district and should be preserved. 

Asked this week how much of the two smaller structures would be preserved, Ezzat said the plan is to retain and work within the entire structures, not just the street-facing facades. 

“The intent is that the shell structures, not just the façades [but] the actual bearing walls on both sides, are being maintained,” Ezzat said. There’s “no intention of the project or the developer to just bulldoze the back of what you see from a facadectomy, if you will. We’re really trying to graft onto them and work off of them.” 

City planner Caitin Audette said the fronts of the historic buildings will be repaired in accordance with CHAP guidelines and noted that there is precedent in the area for a seven-story building. 

Ezzat told the commissioners that the new building would be clad in a combination of brick, metal panels and glass. He said after the meeting that the residences would be market-rate and that the ground floor commercial space would be able to accommodate one or more tenants. He and Powell did not disclose a construction budget. 

CHAP voted 6 to 0, with one abstention, to approve the scale and massing of the proposed development, with the understanding that the architect will come back for a second design review at a public hearing. Panel members suggested some design modifications but generally said they were satisfied with the direction of Okoro’s proposal and the way it combines the historic buildings with new construction to help revitalize the area. 

“Overall, I think the building looks good. I like the height, and the massing is fine with me,” said commissioner Peter Morrill. 

“They’ve done a good job in my opinion to…establish a proper massing on the corner of that block,” agreed commissioner Kuo Pao Lian. “I personally don’t have a problem with the height…There’s something to be said about it being a corner building and that it has..sort of the license to be prominent, particularly if it’s a new building.”

Baltimore woke up feeling pretty good about itself, brushing off naysayers and poised to tackle what lies ahead.

A city and region that can be the butt of insults and an example of failed systems is showing that its residents generally support a way forward as championed by a crop of new leaders.

Voters in this week’s primary embraced a positive view in re-electing Mayor Brandon Scott, a 40-year-old who received criticism for much of his term for being a good-hearted guy who was overmatched by the job. But in the past year, Scott found his footing – developing a strategy for squeegee workers on corners and being a forceful voice after the collapse of the Key Bridge.

Scott’s near 10-point victory in what was long seen as a tight primary race against former mayor Sheila Dixon was foreshadowed in polling that improbably captured a surging optimism about Baltimore.

In a recent survey for the Baltimore Banner, 64 percent of voters said they were either “optimistic” or “very optimistic” about the future of Baltimore, compared with 31 percent who said they felt pessimistic. The percentage of voters who said the city was on the “right track” grew by 75 percent in six months.

The Baltimore Sun captured similar sentiments, calling the growth in the number of people who now say Baltimore is on the “right track” a “marked shift” from four years ago. Pollsters say those figures meant that incumbents in charge largely had an electoral edge.

“At their hearts, people want the city to do better,” said Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College which runs the Banner’s poll. “The desire for things to get better is what drives their accountability. Nobody is giving up, even in the darkest days.”

Scott is a Democrat, and it’s a near certainty that Democrats prevail in Baltimore’s general elections.

Terrell Boston Smith, a Baltimore entrepreneur and business owner who has long been involved in politics, said that at a recent event he hosted for Scott, friends told him the mayor seemed more confident and poised than ever.

“It’s becoming increasingly clear that there is a direction for the city, and a plan,” Boston Smith said. It now appears, he said, that in Baltimore “we can do more than one thing at once,” balancing priorities in taking on crime, youth recreation, and growth and development.

For those looking at Baltimore from the outside – as a place for investment, “the reward is outweighing the risk,” Boston Smith said. “And you can sense that.”

What is driving this buoyancy? Four years ago, two out of three voters told The Sun’s pollsters that crime and safety was their number one concern. That proportion has dropped, nearly by half.

Few statistics grab the public consciousness like homicides, which dropped below 300 in 2023 for the first time in 15 years. Crime is “less of a pulsating concern,” said Steve Raabe, head of OpinionWorks, who has been involved in polling for the Sun for years.

“Other issues are starting to emerge,” Raabe said, like infrastructure and education. Raabe called it “signs of a healthier city.”

The story of Baltimore won’t be re-written in one election. To be sure, the issues that Raabe mentions are challenging: the public schools graduation rate is abysmal; roads are crumbling throughout a city where property taxes are high and population losses continue. But it’s possible that more good news is seeping into the public consciousness.

The Greater Baltimore Committee, the organization of private-sector groups “dedicated to fostering the prosperity of the Greater Baltimore region,” is in the process of hiring a nationally known marketing firm to create “a new narrative around the region’s civic progress.”

In its solicitation, it noted that Baltimore “was designated by the Economic Development Administration as one of 31 regional tech hubs, positioning the region for a share of $10 billion in federal investment. Last year, more than 106 startups received more than $1.3 billion in venture capital funding. The Baltimore Region’s Downtown core is also slated for an unprecedented level of commercial development, with more than $6.5 billion in planned projects aimed at reimagining the waterfront, revitalizing development assets, and strengthening manufacturing and industrial activity.”

Not far from the pending Inner Harbor waterfront project, Baltimore is embracing the new majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles, private equity billionaire David Rubenstein, who is winning over fans with his low-key and mirthful appearances at Camden Yards as the team keeps winning on the field.

Washington music fans are lamenting that the best acts are now bypassing the nation’s capital, and choosing to play at the newly renovated CFG Bank Arena, in a downtown area filled with bright new display signs. Axios wrote last week about how Billie Eilish, Pearl Jam and The Black Keys are “all skipping D.C. for Charm City.”

Near the arena, Elle Odoi is a business owner who recently told the Baltimore Beat of her confidence in becoming the first commercial tenant on a long-abandoned block of North Howard Street, with support from a program that boosts Black-owned businesses. “We grew up in Baltimore, and so I remember how amazing that space used to be and how many businesses were there,” Odoi told the Beat. “It would be just a blessing if we are one of the impacts that allows it to come back.”   

Baltimore’s supporters have been searching for this type of storyline – something to push aside “The Wire” and the Gun Trace Task Force and Freddie Gray and mayors marred by scandal.

At City Hall, voters have decided that Scott has played enough of a role in these developments to warrant another four years. [They felt differently about incumbent City Council President Nick Mosby, who suffered a major defeat and was bested by two candidates, including election winner Zeke Cohen.]

On the day after the election, Scott and others will keep working to keep the story – and the city – on the right track.

The Charles Street Promenade will return on June 8, giving pedestrians a chance to take over Charles Street temporarily so they can shop, dine or just explore without worrying about car traffic.

During the free Saturday event, Charles Street will be closed to vehicles between Saratoga Street and North Avenue, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and many merchants and restaurants along the way will offer special promotions to encourage people to take part. There will be an After Party in the Station North Arts District from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

This will be the sixth Charles Street Promenade since the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the U.S. in early 2020, after events on Oct. 17, 2020; May 22 and Sept. 25 of 2021; June 4, 2022; and June 3, 2023.

The Promenade grew out of a desire by leaders of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and others to help businesses hurt financially by the government-imposed lockdowns of 2020 while promoting social distancing and other public health recommendations. It turned out to be so popular that organizers decided to keep it going and build on it.

“This beloved event transforms the Historic Charles Street thoroughfare into vibrant pedestrian-friendly zone, featuring exciting street-front activations, live musical performances, and more,” the Downtown Partnership said in an announcement of the event. “Whether you come on foot, by bike, with your little ones, or furry friends, there’s something for everyone!” 

Several organizations join the Downtown Partnership to make the Promenade happen, including the City of Baltimore; Central Baltimore Partnership; Charles Street Development Corporation; Midtown Community Benefits District; Metro Gallery; Mount Vernon Place Conservancy; University of Baltimore and Baltimore National Heritage Area.

Participating businesses include Viva Books; Differentregard clothing store; Lumiere Candle Studio; Adorn Vintage Furniture & Designs; Alma Cocina Latina; Darker than Blue Grille; Marie Louise Bistro and EDR Eat.Drink.Relax.

Participating attractions include: the Walters Art Museum; the Baltimore Basilica; the Washington Monument; and the Maryland Center for History and Culture.

Baltimore’s Harborplace pavilions will get seven new temporary merchants by summer with help from the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and its Black Owned and Operated Storefront Tenancy (BOOST) program.

MCB Real Estate, the owner of Harborplace, and the Downtown Partnership this week released the names of seven merchants who will each sign license agreements permitting them to be tenants at Harborplace for two years.

MCB has long-range plans to demolish the two retail pavilions at Pratt and Lights streets and replace them with a $500 million mixed-use development that includes two residential towers, shops, restaurants, offices and green space.

To activate the pavilions and help draw visitors to the Inner Harbor while it firms up its long-range plans – which need voter approval in the November election — MCB is filling vacant storefronts in the existing pavilions with tenants who agree to occupy space on a short-term basis and move out when the developer is ready to proceed with construction.

MCB disclosed plans last year to work with the Downtown Partnership and create a Harborplace version of its BOOST program. In the past, the program has been used to help businesses find bricks-and-mortar locations with the idea that they would be permanent additions to the retail mix downtown. For the Harborplace version, applicants were told from the start that there would be a time limit to their tenancy but they would otherwise get the same degree of support, technical assistance and coaching as merchants chosen in previous rounds of the program. 

Five of the selected merchants will occupy “suites” in an area of the Light Street Pavilion that will be called The Baltimore Boutique. They are:

• Cuples Tea, a premium loose-leaf tea company curating a collection of teas and tea accessories. It will be the second location for the business, operated by husband and wife owners Eric and Lynnette Dodson.
• Milton’s Daughters, a shop providing authentic waist beads and cultural accessories as well as crystals, herbs and spiritual tools, owned and operated by Amanda Hynson.
• Pandora’s Box by Monesha Philips, featuring “a unique selection of the latest trends, jewelry, gifts, home decor, and personal accessories.”
• Storybook Maze, a literacy community outreach movement by Araba Maze that seeks to eliminate book deserts by installing free public book vending machines.
• Yele Stitches, an African Luxury brand creating custom and handmade dresses, tops, bridal gowns, and more owned and operated by designer Abisola Omoyele “Yelé” Oladeinde.

Merchants that will occupy space in the Pratt Street pavilion are:

• MoreLife Organic Juice, a family-run juice company from Toluwaloju Runsewe and Nicole Scott, focused on making organic juices, herbal teas, and raw vegan snacks.
• Motion Athletics, an athleticwear brand with a fashion and streetwear focus owned and operated by Idris Coleman.

The Downtown BOOST Harborplace Incubator was made possible by MCB Real Estate and the Office of Mayor Brandon Scott. It brings to nearly 20 the number of merchants selected for the BOOST program since it was launched in 2021. Five were selected in 2021 and five more in 2023.

Organizers had planned to announce the new Harborplace tenants during a press briefing at the Light Street Pavilion on Wednesday morning, but it was postponed because a member of the program tested positive for COVID-19.

According to information provided before the event was postponed, the BOOST business owners are expected to begin their storefront buildouts this month, after they sign their license agreements.

Each tenant will be able to use up to $25,000 in grant funds to support their physical space needs, as well as technical, legal, marketing, zoning and permitting services, and accounting support. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held this summer, once the storefront buildouts are completed.

“We are thrilled to have all of these incredible businesses sign these agreements to activate our historic waterfront shopping center, finding exciting ways to re-energize and stimulate Harborplace just in time for Baltimore’s high tourism season,” said Downtown Partnership president Shelonda Stokes, in a statement.

“This Incubator Program is designed to support and accelerate growth of local and minority entrepreneurs by exposing them to new customers, while seeding them with a full complement of resources in an environment supported by other BOOSTers,” she said.

“At its best, Harborplace represents the beating heart of Baltimore – bringing together people from all walks of life to recreate, shop, and enjoy our city’s extraordinary waterfront,” said MCB Real Estate managing partner P. David Bramble, in a statement.

“Harborplace is where I celebrated holidays, birthdays and special occasions with friends and family to create cherished memories” Bramble said. “For decades, Harborplace has inspired wonder and excitement across the world, attracting legions of tourists and admirers. 

“As we look to reinvigorate the heart of our city, we couldn’t be more excited to continue the amazing momentum of our Local Tenancy Plan with the addition of seven BOOST businesses who will open this summer. We are proud to provide space and funding for these home-grown businesses and hope all of Baltimore will support these amazing entrepreneurs by visiting them at Harborplace.” 

More information about the BOOST Program and the Downtown Partnership’s other initiatives is available at GoDowntownBaltimore.com/. 

The Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects is presenting a panel discussion about the history and future of the Inner Harbor, entitled “Inner Harbor 2024: A City Planning Conversation,” at the Baltimore Renaissance Harborplace Hotel, 202 E. Pratt Street, on May 8 from 6 to 8 p.m.

More than 828,870 fans flocked to CFG Bank Arena for more than 124 events in the first year since the 14,000-seat arena’s renovation.

The arena hosted 38 sold-out events, including concerts by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, The Eagles, blink-182, Janet Jackson, Adam Sandler, Chris Stapleton, Romeo Santos, SZA, Queen and Adam Lambert, Stevie Nicks, and Nicki Minaj. Families were entertained by shows like Disney on Ice, WWE, Monster Jam, Jurassic World, and AEW, which also filled the arena.

“We’ve just proved to Baltimore and the world what we’ve always known to be true,” said Frank Remesch, general manager of the Oak View Group, which owns the arena. “Baltimore is an A-market, with an A facility and we are a must-play destination for the biggest acts in entertainment. The success we’ve celebrated this past year has been nothing short of spectacular. Baltimore is now considered one of the hottest spots on the East Coast for tours. What we’ve experienced since April 2023, has been a true testament to the fact that Baltimore can support acts of all genres.”

“As we commemorate the first anniversary of CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, we continue to be elated by its resounding success,” said Tim Leiweke, chairman and CEO of Oak View Group. “Our onsite team’s unwavering commitment, dedication, and passion has been the cornerstone of the arena’s transformation into a premier destination for top-touring artists and entertainers. From the outset, we promised Baltimore a world-class entertainment venue that would attract visitors from across the region and redefine the hospitality experience. CFG Bank Arena has surpassed those promises, standing as a beacon of excellence in Baltimore’s cultural landscape. We take immense pride in our achievements and remain steadfast in our commitment to elevating Baltimore’s live entertainment scene to even greater heights.”

“The CFG Bank Arena’s overwhelming success this past year reaffirms our deep-seated belief in Baltimore’s potential,” shared Colin Tarbert, president and CEO of Baltimore Development Corporation. “This project was always more than a renovation; it was a bold declaration of our city’s future, proving that when we unite the strengths of the public and private sectors, we can turn even the most ambitious visions into reality.”

In its inaugural season, CFG Bank Arena sold over 30,067 chicken tenders, 26,606 hot dogs, and 114,015 soft drinks. The arena hosted more than 364 tour buses and 698 show trucks to set up events. The arena operations team set up nearly 122,488 chairs for all the events, which required more than 66 changeovers.

CFG Bank Arena ranked fourth in North America in Venues Now for tickets sales and 10th-highest-grossing venue in the world by Billboard Magazine. It earned a nomination for best new concert venue by Pollstar Magazine, won best venue by Baltimore Magazine, and was voted a winner in Best Concert Venue category by The Daily Record. The arena also received the 2023 Downtown Revitalization Award by the Downtown Partnership.

The arena’s 2024 season looks to be no less exciting, with a calendar filled with top-notch acts, including We Them One’s Comedy, 98 Rock Spring Thing starring Staind, Heart, NF, Tyler Childers, Megan Thee Stallion, Melanie Martinez, Tim McGraw, BIG3, Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, Usher, Pearl Jam, Hans Zimmer, Twenty One Pilots, $uicideboy$, Maxwell, Gold Over America starring Simone Biles, The Black Keys, MercyMe/TOBYMAC/Zach Williams, Kacey Musgraves, Iron Maiden, Creed, and many more on the way!

CFG Bank Arena is located at 201 W. Baltimore St. in Baltimore. Tickets for upcoming events are available online at CFGBankArena.com or at ticketmaster.com. People can also purchase tickets in person at the CFG Bank Arena Box Office.

“We will be running some phenomenal ticket giveaways, along with a few other surprises on our social media channels throughout the week,” Heather Braue, Vice President of Marketing for CFG Bank Arena, told Baltimore Fishbowl. “Fans are encouraged to follow along, and join in on the fun, as we celebrate this momentous occasion at CFG Bank Arena.”