28 Walker Plans New Apartment and Retail Building on Cross Street in Federal Hill

The development team of Alex Mandel, Jay Sapperstein, Mark Sapperstein, and Scott Slosson of 28 Walker are planning a new five-story apartment building, called Wheelhouse, with first floor retail at 1100-1106 S. Charles St. in Federal Hill. The site, which is across from Cross Street Market, also faces Cross St. and Olive St. The property includes a parking lot; a 4,022 sq. ft. of building, including a former auto body shop, and a rowhome with an apartment and a retail space. The sale was for $2 million in July according to state records.

28 Walker is going for a “co-living” concept at Wheelhouse, inspired by buildings such as Ollie, which has a location in Pittsburgh and which is opening four additional buildings. Wheelhouse’s 29 apartments will be mostly three- and four-bedroom units, along with one-bedroom apartments and small studios. Apartments will have their own living rooms and kitchens with high-end finishes, but residents are encouraged to hang out in the common areas, which will include work spaces, a business center, a dining room and kitchen, and an outdoor courtyard.

“Our amenity spaces are designed for getting everyone together,” said Mandel. Events will also be planned for Wheelhouse residents.

Some apartments will come furnished, and 28 Walker will assist individual tenants who are looking for a room within an apartment. Mandel told SouthBMore.com that the apartments will be ideal for a person who comes to Baltimore with just a suitcase and a checkbook and doesn’t have a lot of furniture. He also said the building will be ideal for residents who work from home.

Wheelhouse will also ideally look for tenants who do not have a car. The building will not have a parking garage and tenants will not qualify for area street parking passes, but each apartment will come with a bike. “We are looking for residents who want to live a car-free lifestyle,” said Mandel. “If someone has a car, we’ll encourage them to look at McHenry Row.” 28 Walker is the owner of McHenry Row in Locust Point which has two apartment communities.

Wheelhouse will have 5,500 sq. ft. of ground floor retail facing Charles St. and Cross St. It will mostly likely be filled by two or three tenants, which 28 Walker is working to secure. The building is not pursuing a liquor license.

28 Walker is still finalizing the exterior design, but preliminary drawings show large windows, terraces, and multiple building materials. The design will be presented to Baltimore City Planning Department’s Urban Design & Architecture Review Panel (UDARP).

28 Walker is hoping to break ground in March 2018 with a construction timeline of about a year. The plan was recently presented to the South Baltimore Neighborhood Association and it does not require any zoning variances.

This Federal Hill site has been included in several real estate proposals in the past. In 2013, Michaels Café proposed a 5,600 sq. ft. restaurant at the site, but walked away from the project after disagreements with local community associations about aspects of the project. The Ryleigh’s Restaurant Group also proposed a restaurant called Federales around 2010, but failed to reach a lease agreement with the property owner. Townhomes and retail at the site have also previously been proposed.

A redevelopment of the adjacent Cross Street Market by Caves Valley Partners is expected to begin this Fall.

Renderings courtesy of 28 Walker 

Corner of  S. Charles St. and  W. Cross Street

Corner of Olive St. and W. Cross St. 

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via http://southbmore.com/2017/10/03/28-walker-plans-new-apartment-and-retail-building-on-cross-street-in-federal-hill/