Robin Godwin: Lennar Takes Over Stadium Square Apartment Project, Presents Updated Renderings

LMC, a multi-family development company by national home builder Lennar, has taken over a Stadium Square apartment project on the 100 block of W. Ostend St. from The Hanover Company. LMC presented plans for the five-story, 315-unit apartment building yesterday in a virtual presentation to Baltimore City Planning Department’s Urban Design & Architecture Advisory Panel (UDAAP).

Stadium Square is a $300 plus-million mixed-use development by master developer Caves Valley Partners (CVP) on three blocks of South Baltimore and Sharp-Leadenhall. It is located between Cross St. on the north, Race St. on the east, Leadenhall St. on the west, and both sides of Ostend St. to the south.

Hanover’s first building at Stadium Square, Hanover Cross Street, was completed in 2017 and sits adjacent to the proposed new project site. The six-story building includes 293 apartments, 14,000 sq. ft. of retail, and a 450-car garage.

The 100 block of W. Ostend St. currently has a BMORE Around Town tailgating lot, which replaced industrial buildings that were demolished in recent years. The block, which also faces W. West St., Race St., and Leadenhall St., formerly had several rowhomes, a USPS post office, and the VacPac building.

The new apartment building will share this block with a six-story, 67,000 sq. ft. office building at 160 W. Ostend St. that will occupy the northwest corner of the site. The apartment building and its hidden parking garage will be constructed on the rest of the site and accessed on Leadenhall St. CVP will construct the office building and LMC will develop the apartment building.

CVP does not have a timeline yet for constructing the office building, as it is waiting to secure tenants. LMC is hoping to begin construction this fall, but all timelines are currently up in the air due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new LMC apartment building will have around 315 mostly one-bedroom apartment units, two courtyards, a pool, a gym, club rooms, and a 334-car garage which is fully wrapped and hidden by the apartment units and attached office building.

The exterior of the building will have two different styles of facades. One style will feature red brick which is a nod to the surrounding rowhomes, and the other style will be white which is inspired by industrial properties in the area. The corners and entrances to the building will have a modern design that will serve as a transition between the two styles.

The exterior of the building will also have many balconies attached to the apartment units. Ground floor units on Race St. will have walk-out stoops to complement the neighborhood.

The building will have entrances and lobbies on the middle of the 100 block of Ostend St. and at the corner of W. West St. and Race St.

Hanover is working with architecture firm Design Collective on the design.

The surrounding sidewalks will be lined with trees and plants which will resemble the landscaping around Hanover Cross Street. The main entrance to the building on Ostend St. will also have a small pocket park with landscaping.

LMC Development Manager Drew Dunn said during the presentation that “LMC is really excited to pick up where Hanover left off and to build a great community.”

On the south side of the 100 block of W. Ostend St. is 145 W. Ostend St., which is a 72,000 sq. ft. office building that opened last summer. That building is now 75% leased with tenants including Spaces, Ricoh, Clark Construction Group, Employee One Benefit Solutions, and Janney Montgomery Scott.

Also proposed for the same block as 145 W. Ostend St. is an approximately 180,000 sq. ft. office building with first-floor retail at the site of a current parking lot, and an 840-space parking garage that will be located behind both office buildings.

Another project already completed in Stadium Square is the 2,400 sq. ft. Leadenhall Community Center which opened in August.

CVP is also planning a 30-plus unit affordable apartment building for veterans at the southeast corner of Leadenhall St. and W. Cross St. that would replace five existing rowhomes.

Read SouthBMore.com’s articles detailing the Stadium Square development here.

Renderings from UDAAP presentation from LMC and Design Collective

Views from Ostend St.