The Rotunda Meeting

ROTUNDA MEETING AT THE HCC
There was a meeting tonight of the Hampden Community Council concerning the planned "redevelopment" of the Rotunda building.

There are a lot of rumors, a lot of concerns... so here is what I was able to gather.

The Rotunda has been sold to an out of state developer named Hekemian (they own over 1 million square feet of retail in DC, and they are THE largest Apartment Developer/Manager in N.J). It's a done deal, and the project has a $70 million dollar price tag.

Although this has been framed as a "retail redevelopment," it is also very much a residential development. Hekemian plans to substantially increase the population of Hampden by more than 1/6th its current size when they add between 300 - 500 "luxury" apartments by building a 10 - 15 story high-rise atop a sprawl of new retail space (there are currently 3,300 households in Hampden). Notice also I said "apartments," not "condos".  A total estimate of retail space square footage - 115,000 - 200,000.

Should this project go through, it will be the largest residential development in Baltimore City (and it's currently scheduled to begin in Spring 2007).

The retail side of the project is a different matter. There is a battle between Giant and RiteAid that could make things sticky.

Giant wants to expand and open a pharmacy which, let's face it, has to be pulling in big money these days. The problem is the RiteAid (one of 3 within walking distance) has a non-competition clause and a long-ass lease. Giant also has a long-ass lease (we're talking decades for both), and Giant could just as easily pull up its stakes and and leave while continuing to pay the rent, thereby assuring that no one else could move in to that space.

It, evidently, is also not financially feasible for Giant to buy out RiteAid's lease. Or, this could all be the excuse Hekemian  is using to build a new hi-rise structure in that back parking lot.

The proposed solution by the developer would be to construct a free standing Giant in the rear parking lot of the Rotunda (with apartments on top), and build a parking garage underground (which may not be possible as Hampden, evidently, sits on a lot of underground streams and waterways. This garage also concerns area residents - many of which live in very old rowhomes. There is already a lot of property settling and sinking as a result of large building constructions and heavy road use - and a project like this would only exacerbate the situation).

There are no retail guarantees as to corporate chains coming in, but at present there are no plans for a Wal-Mart, and the developers would like to keep the movie theatre as a viable attraction. So, while it looks like we've been spared the plague of the big, corporate box store, we still may end up with the burnt-bean flavor of smaller corporate chains (coughcoughSTARBUCKScoughcough). And Hekemian is looking to bring in an Outback Steakhouse.

Hekemian is quoted by sources as saying, the demographic they are going after with this project is "the newlyweds and the nearly-deads, young couples and empty nesters." And if they're bringing in Outbacks and Starbucks, they're going for the no tasters too. They want to create a development the quality of which can only be found in your average suburban stripmall.

The meeting tonight was standing room only, in a church where the air conditioner didn't work (it was kinda like those community meetings they had on Northern Exposure or on Gilmore Girls). And still, hundreds of community members were there, voicing their concerns, which I now list in order of seeming importance:
Parking. Traffic. Sewage. Collapsing/deteriorating infrastructure (roads, sewers, building integrity). Lowering property values. Who the hell is going to rent these "luxury" apartments? What kind of retail is going in? Mass transit.

So, what can be done? At this point, the Hampden Community Council says Hekemian is reluctant to meet with the community. They want to create their own "focus group" as a community liason. Allowing the developer to create the "focus group" that the Planning Dept. references as the "Community" (in the zoning guide requirements) will not help our neighborhood.

Please call or email these local political leaders and demand that the City of Baltimore, via the Planning Department, recognize ONLY Hampden Community Council as the "Community" in reference to ANY zoning issues that require "Community" input and reference, and NOT acknowledge this "focus group" that the developer has put together (how corrupt is that?!!).

Mayor Martin O'Malley

District 40 State Delegation
Senator Ralph M. Hughes - 410-225-0555

Delegate Salima S. Marriott - 410-728-6698

Delegate Marshall Goodwin - 410-383-1500

Delegate Catherine Pugh - 410-383-1500

Baltimore City Council
Mary Pat Clarke - 410-396-4814

Belinda Conaway - 410-396-4810

City Planning Department
Otis Rolley, III - Director
410-396-7526

Ask them to ensure that the developers and city negotiate with the Hamdpen Community Council,  which currently, they are not.

Comments

[mike]

I think the zoning code they mentioned last night was B-2-2. I searched the Baltimore web site and found a PDF of zoning information. It talks a lot about the B-2 zone and I guess the B-2-2 is just a B-2 with additional restrictions. I thought the cool part was the list of permitted uses, which includes recording studios, taxidermist shops, and wig shops.

[hank]

Bring back the Horn & Horn! - the parking should be interesting. no big chain is going into a suburban area without tons of parking. do they think that suburban crowd is going to head to hamden for a night on the town without parking? the I Only Eat in Restaurants With Parkin' Lots crowd?

[Hampdenite]

Please....no really...PLEASE...if you live in Hampden, or even if you don't live in Hampden but live in another part of the city, please call your local representative and tell them not to allow the voices of Hampden residents to be diluted on this project. The developer should not be allowed to create his version of the "community". If you don't understand why this is so important, it is because under certain circumstances the Baltimore City Zoning Guide requires that the Planning Dept obtain input from the community. They have allowed the developer to create his own "community" to meet this requirement. At best this is a blatant disregard for the laws put in place to give residents and communities an opportunity to defend themselves against development that could severely alter the character of a neighborhood.