Robin Godwin: Phase II of Alta Federal Hill Apartment Community Now Under Construction

Phase II of the Alta Federal Hill apartment community in South Baltimore is now under construction on the 1900 block of S. Hanover St. The six-story Phase I building was completed in late-2021 on the 1800 block of S. Hanover St. It includes 267 apartments, 367 parking spaces, and 1,000 sq. ft. of retail.

Phase II will be a six-story building with 258 apartments, 370 parking spaces, and 1,000 sq. ft. of retail.

Executive Managing Partner of Wood Partners Scott Zimmerly told SouthBMore.com the Phase I building is 86 percent leased. The company has not yet secured a retail lease on either building.

The Phase II building will have a vehicular auto court at the intersection of S. Hanover St. and E. Wells St. The new retail space will face the existing retail space constructed during Phase I. The two buildings will be separated by a private road.

Phase II of Alta Federal Hill will have an interior resident courtyard, a rooftop deck, and amenity spaces. The garage will face the I-95 on-ramp at the southern edge of the property. A sliver of the property that is south of the I-95 on-ramp will be used for stormwater management.

The exterior design of the building will have a brick facade in additional to a variety of other materials. In 2020, the team at Wood Partners said at Baltimore City Planning Department’s Urban Design and Architecture Advisory Panel (UDAAP) that they hope the design of the two-phase project will help smoothly transition to the two- and three-story brick rowhomes on S. Hanover St.

Steve Rolls of Wood Partners said at UDAAP that he sees the building as an “anchor for Federal Hill” as it’s the first building in the neighborhood after people leave Port Covington and drive underneath I-95. Wood Partners also sees it as a stitch between the two neighborhoods. The Port Covington development, which is now known as Baltimore Peninsula, is currently wrapping up the first phases of the 235-acre, $5.5-billion redevelopment.

Construction for Phase II of Alta Federal Hill is expected to take 19 months to complete.

When asked about the current environment with high interest rates and construction supply chain issues which have delayed many local construction projects, Zimmerly told SouthBMore.com in an email: “No issues so far, certainly a challenging environment though.”