South Baltimore Business Roundup

The Outpost Opens in Federal Hill 

The Outpost American Tavern opened in the former Porter’s Pub at 1032 Riverside Ave. in Federal Hill. The Outpost is owned by neighborhood resident Chris Frisone and Seung Cho, who previously worked at Cross Street Market. Former Top Chef Contestant Jesse Sandlin, who has worked at Petit Louis, Oliver’s Speck, and Jokers & Thieves, will lead the kitchen. The team at The Outpost will be advised by the owners of Blue Agave and Don’t Know Tavern.

The team is describing The Outpost as an American-themed neighborhood restaurant. Entrées on the menu include spaghetti and meatballs, roasted half chicken, and seared scallops; sandwiches include fried chicken, crispy shrimp po’ boy, and blackened tuna wrap; and starters include avocado toast and housemade soft pretzels.

The Outpost will open every day at 3pm for happy hour. It will also be open for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Porter’s closed in July 2014.

Sagamore Acquires More Port Covington Properties

Sagamore Development has acquired more properties for its 266-acre Port Covington redevelopment. From the Baltimore Business Journal:

Sagamore Development, the real estate arm of Under Armour Inc. CEO Kevin Plank, purchased 101 W. Cromwell St. for $3.32 million, and 2400 Clarkson St. for $1.3 million, state property records show. The seller for both properties is the National Aquarium. A spokeswoman for the National Aquarium said it was not allowed to profit from the sale of the land, per the terms of an agreement with the city.

The properties are currently the site of West Covington Park and a parking lot for City Garage. Sagamore is planning on using these properties for a 28-acre park called West Waterfront Park. The park will include a large sport complex in partnership with Cal Ripken’s Ripken Baseball.

Port Covington Improvements

Atlantic Forest recently left a 12-acre site on Dickman St., adjacent to City Garage, in Port Covington and relocated to Tracepoint Atlantic at Sparrows Point. Atlantic Forest’s former site has been cleared and the warehouse has been painted Sagamore’s signature black/charcoal paint color.

A portion of Atlantic Forest’s former site is being used for a new bike path. The new path, which will use “an innovative path material that will absorb sunlight during the day and emit a glow at night,” will begin at W. McComas St. just east of Schuster Concrete near Swann Park. It will run east of the former site of Atlantic Forest and then connect with City Garage along W. Dickman. This phase is funded by Sagamore Development and not any public or Tax Increment Financing (TIF) bonds. The second phase of the path will continue along E. Cromwell St. and loop around until it meets E. McComas St.

Baltimore’s Minimum Wage

The Baltimore City Council proposed a new bill that would raise Baltimore City’s minimum wage to $15/hour by 2022 for business with more than 50 employees and by 2026 for smaller businesses. This bill has the support needed to reach Mayor Catherine Pugh’s desk with 10 of the 15 council members backing it, according to The Baltimore Sun. The Mayor has not taken a position on the bill at this time.

This measure could be blocked by the Maryland General Assembly as a bill has been proposed that would block Baltimore City and other jurisdictions from raising its minimum wage above the state’s minimum wage. From WBAL TV:

Delegate Dereck Davis, D-Prince George’s County, the state bill’s sponsor, is a strong advocate of raising the minimum wage. He pushed through the legislation that established Maryland’s current rate.

Davis said it’s important that Maryland speak as one voice.

“We’re not a collection of 24 fiefdoms. We are one state. We have to market ourselves as such so we can get good-paying jobs,” Davis said.

Across the country, 24 other states have similar laws according to the article.

SouthBMore.com will follow this as it plays out and get feedback from South Baltimore business owners. The Greater Baltimore Committee has released a statement expressing “serious concerns” about the City Council’s minimum wage bill.

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via http://southbmore.com/2017/02/08/south-baltimore-business-roundup-124/