Rotunda Begins Redevelopment Process Again

by Benn Ray

Tonight, the Rotunda Community Task Force met in a mostly-unoccupied wing of the old Hampden mall to discuss the future of The Grand Rotunda.

About 40 people, including developers, city leaders, concerned residents, and community organization heads from nearby neighborhoods gathered to hear what the future, which has been less than kind in recent years, has in store for the historic building.

And for the next few years, the outlook for the Rotunda and its current retail tenants, after losing its anchor store Giant, is not rosy.

First, some history.

Hekemian acquired the mall and began the process of development in 2005. Before the development stalled out - a victim of the financial crisis of 2008, the project was designed as a 20 story hi-rise, with a hotel, condos, 300 apartments, a 60,000 square foot grocery store, and 270,000 square feet of retail.

According to developers, they were able to regain funding as early as 2009, but it was long-lease tenant Giant who slowed them down. The inference at the meeting was that Giant was somehow aware that SuperFresh would be going bankrupt and the company that bought them would also be going bankrupt and then Giant would be able to buy the market and move there. That requires a lot of foresight from the grocer if true.

Giant has not given Hekemian any time frame of when they'll be leaving the Rotunda (common wisdom suggests 6-8 weeks) and reopening a few blocks up the street in Greenspring Tower at the old SuperFresh/Fresh & Green's location. But, as part of the lease agreement - which sounds like the rare lease where the tenant seems to be holding the upper hand - Giant has agreed to let Hekemian out of their lease, which frees Hekemian to resume development of the project - but under the condition that Hekemian can not give more than 20,000 square feet to a grocery (which at best means only a "boutique" grocery and not a full-scale competitive grocery can open at the Rotunda). As a point of reference, the size of the the space that Giant is leaving because it is too small is 35,000 square feet.

So, as a result of the grocery store shuffle, Hampden will be losing 15,000 square feet of grocery retail when the development is complette. But actually, for the next few years, Hampden will be losing 35,000 square feet of grocery retail because until the development is finished, there will be no grocery retail going back into the Rotunda.

The developers are hoping to break ground in the summer of 2013 on a project they're now aiming to bring in under $100 million. They are anticipating an 18-20 month development - so that means if everything stays on schedule, most likely the new Grand Rotunda will not be unveiled until Summer 2015.

The original development called for a 20 story hi-rise. Developers are now looking at spreading the development out more, which means a 5-7 story building (this should come as a relief to nearby residents who were not thrilled about literally living in the shadow of what would be the tallest building in North Baltimore).

While they are still planning for 300+ market-rate apartments, they are no longer planning on condos (which the market couldn't sustain) or a hotel (which is something Hampden could actually use but was a victim of Giant's abandonment of the project).

The original project promised 270,000 square feet of retail. This new, less-ambitious project, is offering 130,000 square feet of retail.

Finally, for those who are concerned about the environmental impact - since the original building permit was granted in 2008, developers are going to seek waivers from LEED certification to avoid having to comply with current environmental standards.

So there you have it. Hampden is losing a grocery store for at least the next 3 years. And should one return, it will be a smaller, boutique market, not a full-service one. And in the interim, the Rotunda will languish without a retail anchor as developers begin the process of ramping up their less-ambitious project.

Comments

[Michael Hughes]

Thanks for putting this together and staying on top of the developer's plans.

One quick question: is the former Superfresh location really called Greenspring Station? I never heard it called that, and it's definitely confusing because there's already a Greenspring Station at the end of 83 and Falls Rd just north of the city.

I still find the Fresh & Green's saga to be just plain weird. It's like they never intended it to succeed.

[Benn]

It's Greenspring Tower Shopping Center. Not sure why the "Greenspring". As for the Fresh & Green's - as I understand it, when Superfresh went up for auction - a number of groceries tried to buy the Greenspring Tower location because it was one of the most profitable locations. Giant was very aggressive. The Judge then said assets couldn't be handpicked, but purchased in a lot. That's when the weird deal with Shoprite was hobbled together - with this and two other locations going to a supposedly small upstate New York chain which turned out to be owned by a Canadian corporation which turned out to be having financial trouble.
The whole thing seems very unusual.

[Marc]

I believe that it's "Greenspring" because it's the site of the old Greenspring Dairy, back in the days when milk was delivered to homes by milkmen in trucks:
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4138/4942920091_7a381673e2_z.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4942920157_e594926c7b.jpg
http://www.kilduffs.com/factory_92_GreenspringDairy_41stStreet_1937_photo.jpg

[Benn]

Marc - do you have a lot of archival photos like this of the Hampden area?

[Marc]

Benn,
I got the photos by googling "Greenspring Dairy." I knew it was there because we used to drive by it when I was a kid. There are lots of pictures if you know what to search for. Eric Hatch has been putting up loads of pictures of movie theaters. Denny Lynch, or someone else who's lived in Hampden their whole life would know different businesses to put in; Denny may actually have a bunch or know where some can be found.

[Marc]

And of course there's the Maryland Room at Pratt Library. There might also be a collection at the Hampden Branch - ask Devon Ellis.

[Cortney]

I have been collecting as many archival photos of Hampden as I've been able to find over the past year, but there aren't a lot online. There weren't as many taken in the area, as there were downtown, etc. Maryland Room is a great suggestion. I'm working on a "Hampden, Now & Then Project".

The loss of Giant is devastating to the neighborhood, and the fact that the Rotunda will be empty for that long is even worse. Thanks a lot for the update on the project!!

[Jack Purdy]

Re Fresh & Greens: It seems they kept the urban grocery in Charles Center when they left Hampden and Parkville and they kept other locations acquired from SuperFresh. If they had been serious about succeeding, they would have shut that store, remodelled it and reopened. It never established a personality. Living one block from the Rotunda, hate to see the Giant go--I walked there during the blizzard in '10.

I do wish Shoprite had gotten the Hampden location. I've shopped at the one they took over from SuperFresh in Timonium and it's an excellent store.

[John Bosley]

More evidence that Giant (and Safeway too!) are greedy corporate gluttons--not the kind of grocery stores any neigborhood needs! http://www.dclabor.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/100780