Here's what Howard Brown's 30-story West Baltimore Street tower will look like
The 30-story tower will have apartments on the upper floors, set atop 100,000 square feet… more
Demolition crews have started clearing the way for a 30-story, mixed-use tower planned for the 300 block of West Baltimore Street.
Howard Brown, chairman of David S. Brown Enterprises Ltd., said he had been waiting for two tenants’ leases to expire this spring before moving forward on the project at 325 W. Baltimore St., which comes on the heels of a flurry of development on the city's west side.
Plans for the $75 million retail, office and residential structure will be finalized by September and construction crews will likely break ground before the end of the year, Brown said.
The tower's first floor will contain a garage, residential and office lobbies, plus 7,000 square feet of retail space facing W. Baltimore Street, said Shellie Curry, principal with Curry Architects. The next eight floors are garage parking with 362 spaces, followed by four floors of office space totaling 100,000 square feet. The tower then narrows to a “more slender footprint” for the remaining stories, which contain 241 apartments, Curry said. The office roof, atop the lower, wider section of the tower, will feature a swimming pool and a place for grilling.
On Monday a demolition team tossed bricks and debris from the top of 327 W. Baltimore, the structure adjacent to the historic Abell building. The project site has a 25,000-square-foot footprint, reaching from 315 to 327 W. Baltimore St. An aging parking garage on the other side of a vacant lot is next on the demolition agenda.
Once up and running, the 375,000-square-foot development will help feed the nascent renaissance in the west side neighborhood near the University of Maryland, Baltimore, providing retail and housing options to the thousands of students and employees who walk the streets around the university, Brown said.
Brown’s vision has been helping drive economic development and walkability in the neighborhood, with many hoping his projects will be a catalyst for future development. David S. Brown Enterprises' redevelopment along the 400 block of West Baltimore Street includes the fast-casual restaurant Nando Peri Peri, Panera Bread, PNC Bank and the State Employees Credit Union.