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09.18.07
BDC Selects BTA + Matrix Settles as Consultant for Charles/North Area
Baltimore, MD (September 18, 2007) – The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) today announced that, on behalf of the City of Baltimore, it will enter into a contract with the architectural design team of BTA+ Matrix Settles (Philip Loheed, AIA, lead principal) for consultant services in developing a vision and physical development plan for the core area of the Charles/North Urban Renewal Area.
BTA+ is an architectural, planning and urban design firm headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts that designed Harborplace in Baltimore and redeveloped Union Station in Washington, D.C. They are partnering with Matrix Settles, an architectural, interior design and facilities strategic planning firm headquartered in Arlington, Virginia that has a regional office in Annapolis.
BTA+ Matrix Settles was one of six teams that responded to a BDC issued Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for consultant services for the Charles/North area. The six teams were short-listed to four, who then made formal presentations to a selection panel composed of City agency heads, BDC staff, community representatives and outside professional design critics.
Commenting on the selection BDC President M.J. “Jay” Brodie stated, “BTA+ Matrix Settles is an experienced and highly qualified architectural/design team that demonstrated their ability to achieve an implementable development vision for the Charles/North area.”
The area to be studied is bounded roughly by 21st Street on the north, St. Paul Street on the east, Howard Street and Falls Road on the west, and the Amtrak/CSX rail right-of-way on the south. Charles/North, designated an Urban Renewal Area in 1982, is strategically located in the north-central Baltimore area, approximately 16 blocks directly north of the Inner Harbor, abutting the neighborhoods of Charles Village and Guilford to the north and Mount Vernon to the south.
The objective for the consultant is twofold: 1) To achieve an implementable physical development plan for Charles/North, that, when completed, will result in an enhanced aesthetic and functional environment, economic revitalization and business opportunities, diverse residential opportunities, public open spaces, and measures which help promote the arts and entertainment character of the area; and 2) A detailed analysis of up to 12 designated sites for redevelopment including estimated investment and return scenarios. These analyses will be used to promote private and public sector investments and commitment to implement the vision.
Charles/North contains a wide mixture of land uses, including rental and owner-occupied residential, churches, theaters, restaurants, and an emerging arts and entertainment area known as the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. The Maryland Institute College of Art, University of Baltimore and the Shuler School of Arts are all important institutional landmarks within or immediately adjacent to the area. Amtrak’s Penn Station provides a major inter-modal transportation center serving the City, the region and national destinations. The neighborhood is amply served by local public bus transit, MARC commuter train service to Washington, D.C., and the MTA’s Central Light Rail Service.
Despite its strategic location and attractions, many portions of Charles/North have suffered disinvestment for over three decades. While various buildings have been renovated, no new construction has occurred since approximately 1980 with the development of a small shopping plaza in the 1900 block of Maryland Avenue and the Housing Authority of Baltimore City’s elderly high rise in the unit block of West 20th Street.
BTA+ Matrix Settles will work under the direction of BDC with the participation of its partner agencies, as well as with the Charles North Community Association, the Central Baltimore Partnership, and public and private sector stakeholders and interested individuals.
Please contact:
Joann Logan at 410-779-3829 x329
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