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| Source: baltometro.org |
I. Project Details
History of Harbor East
It used to be a 70-acre lumber yard with a chromium processing plant that sat on the now Harbor Point site. Chromium preserves wood.
When the plant and lumber yards closed, Baltimore City didn’t want the land broken up into smaller parcels. They wanted an extension of the Inner Harbor for that area. The area vacant at that point was 16 acres. Mayor Schaefer asked a friend/developer to buy the land and hold it to be bought back by the city later. Mayor Schaefer became the governor and needless to say, never bought the land back.
The location and lot size was unique in that it afforded large commercial floor plans, usually seen in the suburbs, with space for parking and even residential opportunities.
The Lancaster building was the first to be built on the Harbor East 16-acre site. It was pre-leased and had 100% occupancy upon opening. It also provided ground floor retail and apartments.
Later the developers proposed a grocery store, Whole Foods, on the ground floor of one the office buildings. The office didn't like the idea of having a grocery retailer in their building, but they were all but won over when Whole Foods was successful with employees and residents alike. Whole Foods benefited greatly for the first 3 years because they were not required to pay rent or operating expenses.
The original 16 acres took about 15 years to develop.
With 1.1 million square feet, the Vue Harbor East building is the largest mixed use project in Baltimore. The Legg Mason building, once completed, will be 1.9 million square feet.
Harbor Point
The 27 acres known as Harbor Point had chromium contamination. Chromium and its byproducts are known to be as harmful as asbestos. The area has a cap that stops the chromium from further contaminating the land and will not be disturbed by the development. The developers will not excavate the land; everything will be built up except the foundation.
The entire site seeks to be an eco-district and environmentally responsible. All buildings in the development area will be LEED Gold or better. The developers will be creating green space and capturing rain water for irrigation. Ten of the 27 acres is dedicated to public open space maintained by the Baltimore Waterfront Partnership. The Exelon building will be the second building on site, Morgan Stanley is the first, and is LEED Gold.
II. Public Access
Apart from the Morgan Stanley building there is nothing currently on the site; it’s basically a parking lot of gravel and rock. For this reason there’s no public access to the water or use of the space. Any addition of public, green space would be an improvement, but I can’t help thinking about how “public” the spaces will be. When we discussed it with Mike he explained that there were already uses that would be prohibited.
The unique thing about Baltimore’s harbor is that there is very little obstruction between the water and people; you can literally walk up and touch it. At Harbor Point this connection will be continued. The development will include a large public park and smaller green spaces between buildings. Central Street will be extended via bridge to the new development, but will not hinder access to the water.
III. Pros and Cons
One of the best aspects of this development is the creation of green, open, public space. This area is a brownfield that hasn’t had as much as a tree in recent history, so adding green space is not only a social opportunity and residential amenity, but also an environmental asset. On the same note, the development seeks to be an eco-district with LEED certified buildings, storm water capture and irrigation systems.
The most unsettling parts of this project are that the site, although capped, is chromium contaminated and that the project is being funded through tax increment financing. Both these things could potentially be detrimental to the site and city respectively. If for some reason the cap doesn’t hold or can support the type of proposed development, the water and ground all around would be contaminated. Moreover, with tax increment financing, if for whatever reason the development doesn’t generate the value projected, the city would have to pay the investors and the city residents would lose out on those tax dollars.
IV. Visual Comparisons
The biggest difference between Harbor East and the Inner Harbor is density. Harbor East has large buildings separated by small streets and although the streets are tree lined there are no green spaces in the development. While there is a waterfront promenade, the buildings seem to block people from the water. Harbor East was made for living. There are hotels and restaurants, but also apartments and condominiums. The development is mixed use.
The Inner Harbor on the other hand, is much more open with direct access to the water. There’s space for large groups to move together on the promenade. It is definitely made for tourists filled with niche and novelty shops, restaurants, and single use buildings. There are only hotels, no residences and the office space is a few blocks away in the central business district. While both areas are walkable, the Inner Harbor feels safer to walk around. You can walk from Pier Six to Rash Field and beyond without crossing a street or coming into contact with vehicular traffic.
Other than the physical design of the buildings in the inner Harbor, I wouldn't change much of anything. Everything services its purpose and people seem to like it. For Harbor East I would incorporate a park and more greenery.
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