Welcome to the State Center Transit Oriented Development (TOD) web page. The purpose of this web page is to provide an overview of transit oriented development, the State Center Transit Oriented Development project, the process to select a master development team for this site and to present an overview of the development program as well as a status of the development program. Additionally, we would like to maintain community coordination meeting information on this web site. Where is State Center? How Did the State Department of Transportation Select a Master Development Team? What is the Development Strategy (vision) for State Center? What is the Development Program for State Center? How Does the Development Program Fit into Baltimore City's Plans? What is Status of the Neighborhood Alliance & Community Outreach? What is the Status of this Development Program? Fall 2006 Joint Chairman Report to the Maryland General Assembly Please visit the for current news, planning issues, and events. Back to Top "State Center" refers to an area in mid-town Baltimore City generally bordering Preston Street that includes four buildings which house a large number of State Agencies and employees. The State Center complex is the largest concentration of State government offices in Maryland, and it is comprised of approximately 25 acres +/- of land around the State Center/Cultural Center Metro Station and across the street from the Cultural Center Light Rail Station. The site is surrounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Howard Street, Hoffman Street and Madison Avenue. The complex has 4 mid-to-high rise State office buildings including: 201 West Preston Street; 300 West Preston Street; 301 West Preston Street; and, 1100 North Eutaw Street. 
A 650-space parking structure, a chiller plan, and three surface parking areas occupy 5 of the 25 acres. In addition, the State is interested in the redevelopment of the historic 5th Regiment Armory building at the corner of Howard and Preston Streets, after it is vacated by the National Guard, its current ocupant. The 5th Regiment Armory is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The area has been the subject of a cooperative effort between the State and the City of Baltimore to assess opportunities to revitalize the State's office complex through greater use of transit oriented development (TOD). These TOD principles include: development that is physically and functionally integrated with transit; that reduce auto dependency; increase pedestrian/bicycle trips; foster safer station areas; enhance walkable connections to transit stations; provide mixed-use development, including housing and convenience goods and services; offer attractive public spaces; promote and enhance ridership; and encourage revitalization and sound growth. 
Back to Top Based on the State Center Transit Oriented Development Strategy and significant community input, the Maryland Department of General Services(DGS), in association with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP), and in collaboration with the City of Baltimore and neighborhood stakeholders, sought an experienced Master Developer of mixed-use projects for the redevelopment of underutilized State Center properties in accordance with principles of Transit Oriented Development. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was used to solicit and select a Master Developer who is capable of comprehensive redevelopment of State-owned properties in the State Office Complex known as "State Center" in the heart of Baltimore's Cultural District. The term "Master Developer" signified a development entity or entities with the capacity and demonstrated experience to acquire the State-owned properties and successfully handle all aspects of the development process, including planning, community involvement, design, negotiation of public/private partnerships, structuring of private and public financing sources, construction, sales and leasing, and ongoing management. An Evaluation Panel consisting of representatives from more than seven area neighborhoods, local stakeholders, third party observers, City agencies and elected officials unanimously recommended the selection of the "State Center Partnership" development team. This is a very large team headed by Struever Brothers, Eccles, and Rouse (SBER). The members of this team and their significant development experience are displayed below: - Last 10 years, created 4.8 million square feet in Baltimore with $300 million in urban residential
- Greater Fells Point, Baltimore, 70 acre mixed-use, 3 million square feet office, 1 million square feet retail, 1,000 residential units, 6 hotels & parking
- 6 North, St. Louis, 82 residential units, industrial/loft style, including 5 street level retail work/loft units
- Metro Hollywood Apartments, Los Angeles County, 1st transit village for low-income residents
- Cupples Station, St. Louis, 255-room Westin Hotel adjacent to Metro light rail station
- Waterview, Baltimore, 65 luxury condos and 40 luxury townhouse units
- Harbor East, Baltimore, with H&S Properties & SBER, mixed-use community
- Excellent local mentoring program
- Various mixed-use TOD's on State-owned property working with New Jersey Transit
- As DDPC, Freedom Village in Baltimore, failed public housing site into new mixed-income housing development
- National Harbor, Washington, D.C. mixed-use development including High-end residential, retail & office
- Twinbrook Transit Village, Montgomery County - 500,000 square feet office, 1,500 residential units, 75,000 square feet retail & 300-room hotel, structured parking
- Shady Grove Transit Village, Montgomery County - 300,000 square feet office, 2,400 residential units, 150,000 square feet retail & 300-room hotel, institutional uses pending
- Tide Point, Baltimore, with SBER - 15 acre corporate office campus with 400,000 square feet office, 50,000 sqare feet commercial linked services & 1,000 parking spaces
SBER has partnered with MBS and DDPC to draw on the complementary expertise of each firm. Baltimore-based SBER is nationally recognized for innovative urban, mixed-use redevelopment projects. St. Louis-based MBS has completed three TODs in the last six years, and it is a leader in developing economically integrated communities. DDPC consists of Doracon Development, one of the fastest growing contracting firms in Baltimore and Pennrose Companies, a regional developer with a substantial Maryland presence. These developers bring more than 85 years of combined experience in creative financing, thoughtful urban design, and aggressive community and stakeholder engagement. The partnership offers the State a team with coast to coast TOD experience and many credentials in creative public/private financing; urban office, retail and commercial development; high quality mixed income and senior housing; historic preservation and adaptive reuse; "green" sustainable design; community and stakeholder engagement; and minority and women-owned business participation. SBER projects attempt to create a critical mass of activity by blending commercial and residential uses with quality open spaces, lively streets, and exciting retail, restaurant and entertainment venues. MBS has partnered with community organizations, state and local governments to create more than 12,000 units of high quality, mixed income housing for families and seniors in 25 cities including recent TODs in Los Angeles and St. Louis. DDPC played important roles in several local large-scale mixed-use developments such as Harbor East and the new East Baltimore Biopark adjacent to the Johns Hopkins Medical Center. Back to Top The State through the Department of General Services (DGS), with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP), has expressed the following objectives for redevelopment of State Center: - Develop financially viable projects using private-sector funding sources;
- Create new revenue sources for the public sector;
- Increase Metro andLIght Rail ridership;
- Expand State and local property, sales and income tax base;
- Provide a mix of housing for a broad range of incomes, including working families and others of very low, low and moderate incomes; and
- Implement Transit Oriented Development (TOD) principles.
The State also seeks to ensure that the resulting development reflects a commitment to the following values: - Affordable Housing
- Green Design
- Senior Friendly Design
- Historic Preservation and Appropriate Design
- Support of Create Arts & Culture
The State seeks to achieve the most appropriate TOD for this site. A significant goal is the integration of the State Center development program with other redevelopment efforts at the adjacent McCulloh Homes and Maryland General Hospital, as well as other nearby properties owned by other institutions and private owners. The Maryland Department of Transportation's (MDOT) Office of Planning and Capital Programming (OPCP) and Office of Real Estate Development, in partnership with the State of Maryland's Department of Planning (MDP), Department of General Services (DGS) and Baltimore City commissioned a comprehensive visioning and planning initiative to review the potential for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) centered on the existing State-owned property adjacent to the State Center Metro Station in Baltimore. In December 2004, the consultant team began by reviewing the planning area, detailing site characteristics and market conditions. At the same time, the consultant team and partners (MDOT, DGS, MDP & Baltimore City agencies) initiated a comprehensive community input process including individual and group stakeholder meetings. The initial analysis and background information served as the foundation for a five day charrette process. At the charrette, community leaders, area stakeholders and government officials worked with the consultant team to craft alternative development concepts. The consultant's development recommendations at the end of the five day planning charrette included more than 3,000 new housing units (53% for sale and 47% rental); approximately 1.2 million square feet of office/institutional space; 500,000 square feet of retail/entertainment space and a 200-room hotel. In response to community interest, the retail space incorporated a 60,000 square foot grocery store. Based on shared parking arrangements, the TOD strategy projects the creation of more than 5,000 parking spaces with a mixture of structure, tuck-under, surface and street parking spaces. The draft State Center Transit Oriented Development Strategy provides a framework for disposition of State-owned properties and promotion of TOD in the corridor between Penn Station and Pennsylvania Avenue. The State Center Transit Oriented Development Strategy sets forth a vision that through new TOD at State Center and nearby properties the existing cultural and educational institutions of the Cultural Center can be enhanced and the area diversified so that it becomes one of the City's most attractive arts, entertainment, retail and residential districts. This newly vibrant area would serve to reconnect and reenergize some of the City's most diverse and historically significant communities and resources. At the completion of the visioning process, the area's neighborhood associations formed the State Center Neighborhood Alliance. The Alliance includes representatives from the following neighborhood groups: Bolton Hill, Madison Park, Marble Hill, McCulloh Homes, Mount Vernon, Seton Hill and Upton. The Alliance meets on a monthly basis to discuss issues related to the State Center redevelopment and area wide concerns. Back to State Center TOD. The development program is not yet developed. We anticipate a participatory planning process to create a concensus program during 2007. The City of Baltimore has been very actively involved in the development of the State Center Transit Oriented Development (TOD) project. This project is consistent with City of Baltimore plans. To view more information on the City of Baltimore, please use the following links: Back to Top At the completion of the visioning process, the area's neighborhood associations formed the State Center Neighborhood Alliance. The Alliance includes representatives from the following neighborhood groups: Bolton Hill, Madison Park, Marble Hill, McCulloh Homes, Mount Vernon, Seton Hill and Upton. The Alliance meets on a monthly basis to discuss issues related to the State Center redevelopment and area wide concerns. Back to Top The State Center TOD project is undergoing a number of pre-development planning activities and developer's due diligence on the complex. To view the Joint Chairman Report submitted to the Maryland General Assembly in the Fall of 2006, please download the following status report: State Center TOD Report - Fall 2006. Back to Top OPCP Home |
