Harbor East Welcoming Plans For New High Rise
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Planning for growth. Right now, Baltimore ranks eighth in the country for the number of people who live in the city's downtown.
With the mayor's push to have 10,000 new families call Baltimore home by 2022, people are welcoming plans for a new high rise.
Marcus Washington reports.
There is no doubt that the Harbor East section of Downtown Baltimore is booming, and it's no surprise that Anne Gilbert wants to call this area home as she relocates from Washington, D.C.
"This is absolutely the section of Baltimore I am looking in and has all the things I would be looking for in a lifestyle," Gilbert said.
The area could become more appealing as plans for a major housing and retail project are being discussed for a parking lot just south of H&S Bakery Distribution near South Central Avenue and Aliceanna Street.
"The type of services that they have here, it draws a lot of people down. So the retail space should not, in my opinion, detract from anything. It should add to it," Bobby Thomas.
The plan is to build a 24-story building, including a 291-unit apartment tower, nearly 50 condos, along with nearly 60,000 square feet of retail space.
"It'll just expand upon the culture here in this area and make it even more attractive to people. And if the commercial space also includes condos, property value is only going to get better," said Gilbert.
The projected $100 million project is slated to support a growing demand for housing in Downtown Baltimore.
"We don't believe there's enough condos that are currently on the market and for sale. We have a lot of apartments in the pipeline, but not many condos. So we think this could help satisfy some of that demand," said Kirby Fowler, Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.
The building is slated to stand 280 feet tall, making it the tallest building in Harbor East. It's an addition that will surely add to a growing area.
"Twenty years ago it used to be just a commercial district that shut down at 6 o'clock at night. But now people are moving in and diversifying the area. It's just a great place to be right now," Fowler said.
Groundbreaking on the land is expected within a year.
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