A Whiskey Distillery at Port Covington?
News about Port Covington always attracts a large amount of interest in South Baltimore, and curiosity has been high since three waterfront parcels were recently purchased, including the Port Covington Shopping Center. Marc Weller purchased the properties, but little has been revealed about the real estate background of the Chevy Chase resident. However, we now know that his team has been in communication with Kevin Plank, Under Armour founder and CEO.
The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Plank is looking into 301 E. Cromwell St., a site formerly eyed for a mixed-use development by Streuver Bros. Eccles & Rouse and which is sandwiched along the Patapsco River between the shopping center and Tidewater Marina. Plank is looking into the property as a potential site for a Sagamore Spirit, a rye whiskey distillery, to produce Triple Rye. From the article:
The company has applied to trademark the Triple Rye product name and expects to settle on a location in the coming weeks, said Brian Treacy, Sagamore Spirit’s general manager.
City officials said Jon Laria, a Ballard Spahr attorney, recently approached the Planning Department for a pre-development meeting about locating a distillery at 301 E. Cromwell St. in Port Covington. Planning Director Tom Stosur said the meeting has not been scheduled and the department does not have detailed information about the plans.
“I would hate to think that that valuable waterfront land is going to be a distillery, because a distillery can go anywhere,” said Helen Delich Bentley, a former congresswoman and Federal Maritime Commission chair.
This is the first news of potential plans for the property. If the distillery is to come to fruition at that location, there would still be plenty of acres of land that could be redeveloped for other projects. In a recent SouthBMore.com poll, 64% of respondents chose an option that included improved shopping when asked what they’d like to see at the location.
30-Story Apartment Tower Eyed for UM BioPark
The University of Maryland is proposing a 30-story, 300-unit apartment tower at the BioPark at the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and W. Baltimore St. according to The Baltimore Sun. From the article:
The proposed tower, which repeats the brick-and-glass motif of the university’s other buildings, comes amid a construction boom that already has added four major buildings to the west side, with more underway. A $200 million Proton Center is expected to open to patients in about 18 months, and construction of a $305 million health sciences facility started last fall, with completion scheduled for 2017.
Hughes said the projects in the area represent about $400 million in private funding. The BioPark is 100 percent leased, with 35 private tenants and about 600 employees, Perman said.
Adjacent to the BioPark, La Cité Development is also proposing a large mixed-use redevelopment of Poppleton.
A New Bathroom for Shoyou Sushi
Bruce Li, owner and chef of Shoyou Sushi at 1504 Light St., has added a new, main-level bathroom to the cozy and popular South Baltimore sushi restaurant.
Tiki Barge Opens
The Tiki Barge at the HarborView Marina opens today, Friday, April 25th. The bar will be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until May 17th. After this date, it will be open seven days a week. The pool will additionally be open to members starting on May 17th.
New Café on Riverside Ave.?
Renovations have been underway at the retail space at 1401 Riverside Ave. in Federal Hill, the former home of Riverside Café which closed in late 2013. There are two signs in the window that read “Get it here, bubble tea,” which is a popular Asian drink with tapioca balls in it.
SouthBMore.com will keep you posted as more develops.
Zips Dry Cleaners Reopens
Zips Dry Cleaners has reopened at 707 Washington Blvd. in Pigtown. The business has been closed since April 2013 after experiencing damages from an arson attack.