This Week's Baltimore Deal Sheet
Amtrak, formally known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp., filed eminent domain lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland last week seeking control of West Baltimore properties as part of its planned improvements of the Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel, according to court documents.
Amtrak's court filings ask for control of properties around 2028 W. Lanvale St. In September, Amtrak also requested control of properties at 2036, 2038 and 2045 W. Lanvale St., according to the Baltimore Business Journal, which first reported the eminent domain lawsuit.
The railroad agency contends it needs control of the properties to continue expanding and improving the 1.4-mile tunnel, which it will rename the Frederick Douglass Tunnel, connecting Baltimore’s Penn Station with the West Baltimore MARC station. Maryland and Amtrak have already committed $1.3B in funding for the project.
“The B&P Tunnel, located in Baltimore, dates from the Civil War era. At nearly 150 years old, it is the oldest tunnel along this section of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and is a bottleneck for operations of MARC and Amtrak passenger trains,” Amtrak says in its description of the project.
Amtrak aims to bolster passenger service between Baltimore and D.C. by improving the tunnel. Tunnel construction started in early 2023, and plans call for building two high-capacity tunnel tubes primarily serving electrified Amtrak and MARC passenger trains.
Early last year, President Joe Biden visited Baltimore and used the tunnel as a backdrop to tout his administration’s investment in national infrastructure, with much of the project’s funding coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law championed by the Biden administration.
“You wonder how in the hell it's still standing,” Biden said during his remarks last year.
SALES
Marcus & Millichap announced the $3.4M sale of nearly 8 acres of industrial land in Owings Mills at 11145 Redland Court. Bryan Herr, Arvin Gholamrezae and Robert Filley, investment specialists in Marcus & Millichap’s D.C. office, represented private investment firm Blue Ocean, which sold the property to an undisclosed buyer. Property records show Blue Ocean purchased the property early last year for $2.2M.
LEASES
Quick Servant Co. has signed a full-building lease with Adler Real Estate Partners for nearly 47K SF at 9065 Guilford Road in Columbia’s Rivers Park I business community. The company repairs, replaces and maintains commercial HVAC systems and previously leased space in Annapolis Junction. Matthew Curran and Andrew Meeder, senior vice presidents and principals for MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services, represented the tenant.
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Buffalo Wild Wings Go, a compact delivery and takeout format of the national casual dining and sports bar franchise, plans to open its first mid-Atlantic location at the Windsor Office Park in Baltimore County. Franchise owners Ranmeet Singh and Manki Suri signed a lease with St. John Properties for 1,400 SF and plan to open in the business community in early 2024. Eric Llewellyn of St. John Properties represented the landlord, and Rachel Klein of KLNB Retail represented the tenant.
DEVELOPMENT
Demolition of the five-story Bard Building along Lombard Street in downtown Baltimore started this month. The building previously housed a Baltimore City Community College satellite campus. It is still undetermined what will replace the property once the demolition finishes, the Baltimore Business Journal reported.
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Baltimore city planners selected architecture firm Gensler to develop the master plan for redeveloping the State Center complex in West Baltimore, Baltimore Fishbowl reported. Gensler is also serving as the master planner for the proposed redevelopment of Harborplace.
PERSONNEL
Commercial real estate trade association NAIOP Maryland has elected its slate of officers and its board of directors for 2024. Kate Jordan, principal at Lee & Associates | Maryland, is president. Sean Doordan, executive vice president of acquisitions and growth at St. John Properties, is president-elect. Christopher Nevin, regional manager of investment real estate at First National Bank, is treasurer. John Hermann, vice president of asset management/leasing for COPT Defense Properties, is the immediate past president. Each will serve a two-year term.
