BDC Issues RFP for Charles North/Parkway Theatre Properties

Baltimore, MD (December 1, 2011) – The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) today announced that, on behalf of the City of  Baltimore, it has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for three properties at the intersection of Charles Street and North Avenue, including the former Parkway Theatre.

BDC is seeking proposals from qualified developers for the redevelopment of properties at 1820 North Charles Street, 1 West North Avenue and 3 West North Avenue (the former Parkway Theatre), located within the boundaries of the Charles North Urban Renewal Plan and Station North Arts and Entertainment District.

The goals of the City in offering the site includes: 1) The delivery of an appropriately integrated, quality development that enhances the Charles North community, including the Station North Arts and Entertainment District; 2) Significantly advancing the Charles North Vision Plan; 3) Renovating and retaining The Parkway and 1820 N. Charles Street is a requirement. The theatre should support cabaret, film, live music, and live performance, or other appropriate uses; 4) A project that achieves a positive impact for the City including quality jobs, increased tax revenues, community stabilization, MBE (minority business enterprises) and WBE (women’s business enterprises) opportunities and contribution to the City’s long-term economic growth objectives; and 5) A financially viable market-driven redevelopment project.  Reliance on public sector financial support is discouraged.

Charles North is located in Central Baltimore, surrounding historic Penn Station and abutting the Jones Falls River Valley.  It is bisected by North Avenue and is located halfway between the Inner Harbor and the campus of Johns Hopkins University.The area is well served by existing transportation elements including Penn Station’s Amtrak, MARC and other train connections, Light Rail and numerous bus lines.  General boundaries of the Charles North area are defined as the Jones Falls Valley edge to the west; 23^rd Street to the north; St. Paul Street to the east; and Penn Station to the south.

The area is home to many successful arts and entertainment venues and is part of the Station North Arts and Entertainment District.  The Charles North Vision Plan describes a major regional destination for arts, retail and entertainment, proposed significant mixed-use and transit-oriented development.

Baltimore’s Parkway Theatre was designed by Oliver B. Wright and patterned after the West End Theatre near Leicester Square in London.  The design is in the Louis XIV style and was envisioned as a Vaudeville performance house with about 1100 seats.  The theatre was acquired in 1926 by the Loews organization and extensively remodeled.   Movies remained the mainstay until the theatre was acquired and closed in 1952 by the Morris Mechanic organization. It reopened in 1956 as the Five West Art Theatre, continuing that operation into the mid 1970’s when it again closed and remained so until the early 1990’s when an attempt was made to open commercial office space in the rear orchestra level.  The theatre has remained vacant since 1998.

The site is zoned B-5-2 and allows for a wide variety of commercial, retail and residential uses.  

The subject properties fall within the federally designated North Central National Historic District and may be eligible for federal historic tax credit incentives for rehabilitation.  State and/or local historic tax credits may also be available on a competitive basis.

Deadline for receipt of proposals is 12 noon on Friday, March 30, 2012, accompanied by a $300.00 non-refundable fee.  The RFP can be downloaded from BDC’s website at www.baltimoredevelopment.com.  To obtain further information regarding this offering, contact Phil Croskey, BDC’s Director of Economic Development - West, at 410-837-9305.