Robin Godwin: Third Apartment Building and Destination Dining Planned for Stadium Square

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Third Apartment Building and Destination Dining Planned for Stadium Square

Caves Valley Partners (CVP), developer of Stadium Square, is currently planning a third apartment building with ground floor retail on the 100 block of W. Ostend St. in South Baltimore. The building will take the place of the United States Post Office, which is moving to Hanover St., and the recently-demolished Furst Bros. building. It will also surround the former Vac Pac building at 150 W. Ostend St. which will be renovated to 30,000 sq. ft. of offices and retail.

The new building will have about 350 market-rate apartments, up to 25,000 sq. ft. of retail, and an approximately 500-space parking garage. CVP is hoping to start construction in about a year.

The property was originally eyed as a potential site for a grocery store, but that effort has not been successful according to Arsh Mirmiran of CVP. Without a grocery store in picture, CVP will focus on making Ostend St. and Stadium Square a dining destination. There will also be 7,000 to 8,000 sq. ft. of retail space at 150 W. Ostend St. and the potential for 6,000 to 8,000 sq. ft. of retail across the street at an under-construction office building at 145 W. Ostend St.

An additional 20,000 sq. ft. of retail will be available a block north of Ostend St. where the Hanover Co. is currently constructing a new building with 293 market-rate apartments, 14,000 sq. ft. of retail, and a 450-space parking garage on the 1100 blocks of Leadenahall and Race St. The block will also be home to a new four- to five-story, 30- to 50-unit affordable housing apartment building for veterans with 6,000 sq. ft. of retail. CVP is leading that project.

“It could be a Hampden-like restaurant scene with its great accessibility to highways and ample parking,” said Mirmiran. “It will be suburbanite friendly, plus we are already centrally located around the people of South Baltimore.”

He also noted it would lift the dining scene for all of South Baltimore and Federal Hill and that they hope to use its parking garages to partner with local restaurants on valet.

A new approximately 850-space parking garage will also be constructed behind 145 W. Ostend St. and a future office building is planned at a 1.3 acre lot at 155 W. Ostend St. which could have up to 200,000 sq. ft. of space. The parking spaces will be used for the office buildings and retail spaces, Stadium Square residents, and people visiting other businesses in Federal Hill. There will also likely be opportunities for area residents to rent spaces.