The Mayfair Theater site on North Howard Street headlines a list of long-vacant properties set to be redeveloped on the west side of downtown, as the city announced Monday that it has selected developers to help improve the area.

The intersection of Howard and Franklin streets, once at the heart of Baltimore’s retail district, could see more than 30,000 square feet of new retail space and nearly 80 apartments in buildings that are now city-owned, according to the Baltimore Development Corp. This amounts to an estimated $27.5 million in spending between two developers announced Monday by the BDC. Both companies will now have the exclusive right to cut a deal with the city for the properties.

Mayfair Development Group LLC, a partnership between Potomac-based Accent Development Co. LLC and Century Associates LLC, won the rights to redevelop the theater, where it is planning 17,000 square feet of retail space, 26 apartments and on-site parking. The company also plans to work on two nearby parcels where it will develop 14,000 square feet of retail space and 37 more apartments. The combined projects are expected to cost $26 million.

The company is already working on a project on the West Side at 307 West Baltimore St., and Principal Sean MacCarthy said the area is attractive both because of its potential, and the availability of historic tax credits which the company will sell to help pay for the project.

It used to be the hip, happening place in downtown Baltimore, MacCarthy said. We saw the most opportunity for the restoration of historic properties in the West Side.

All of the buildings on the sites will remain. Their exteriors will be refurbished, while the interiors will undergo substantial renovation.

P&D Realty LLC, of Ellicott City, won the rights to a smaller redevelopment project south of the Mayfield properties. The company has proposed a mixed-use project with 16 apartments and ground-level retail. The cost of that project has been pegged at $1.5 million.

Co-owner Pravin Ponnuri said he is hoping eventually to attract national retailers, but is also prepared for local business to come in. He said the West Side is a good investment right now.

We feel that that particular location has a lot of potential and is going to turn around very quickly, he said.

J. Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc., also served on the panel that selected the developers. He said apartments have worked very well on the West Side recently, and he expects that to continue. He said a full-scale retail resurgence will also depend on projects including the nearby superblock, a new sports arena and a redevelopment of the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre, but this is a step in the right direction.

He said he expects the new development to attract smaller retailers. Both developers said there will be a potential to convert apartments into condominiums later, if the market will support that.

BDC President M.J. Jay Brodie said the area is likely more attractive now that projects like the highly-touted St. James Place project are underway, and the buildings around the Mayfair will get some much-needed attention.

I thought once [other projects] were underway, and before the buildings fell in, we should go out and test the market again, Brodie said.

For other businesspeople in the area, the prospect of more retail and potential foot traffic was appealing.
Kathy Costanza, manager of Uniform City USA, whose North Howard Street location is surrounded by city-owned buildings set to be redeveloped, said she will be glad to see more businesses in the area.

Its been a long time coming, she said.

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