Armada Hoffler Properties, Beatty Development Group, and Johns Hopkins University officially broke ground on March 26 at 3200 St. Paul, a mixed-use development located on the southwest intersection of St. Paul and 33rd streets in Charles Village, marking the official start of construction on the project.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, representatives from Armada Hoffler and Beatty Development announced that CVS Pharmacy will serve as the building's anchor tenant when it opens a 10,500-square-foot pharmacy in 2016. The pharmacy will be located on the southeast corner of the building, adjacent to the neighboring Jefferson Apartments.
"For the past year, Armada Hoffler has been working in partnership with Beatty Development Group to create a transformational project that adds to the already vibrant Charles Village and Johns Hopkins communities," says Tony Nero, president of development at Armada Hoffler. "We listened to what the residents had to say, and what Johns Hopkins was looking for, and are pleased to bring a national retailer, CVS Pharmacy, to the neighborhood."
The 327,484-square-foot 3200 St. Paul project, which will be officially named in the coming months, will feature more than 31,000 square feet of commercial space that will include restaurants, retailers, and services, as well as 157 market-rate student apartments managed by Capstone On-Campus Management, which runs student housing at campuses nationwide. The building will wrap around a 162-space paid parking structure for residential tenants, retail customers, and other visitors to the neighborhood. Construction is expected to be complete in August 2016, with students moving into the building for the start of the academic year.
"With Johns Hopkins' Homewoodcampus located one block away, Charles Village has always served as a pillar community for Baltimore. This project represents Charles Village's ongoing renaissance and strengthens the university's connection to the neighborhood," says Michael Beatty, president of Beatty Development Group.
The development team was chosen by Johns Hopkins to develop the 1.13-acre site and has been working since 2012 on programming the building, specifying what elements it should contain to meet the university's goals of providing housing alternatives for students and promoting the continued renaissance of Charles Village.
"We are excited to see work beginning on a project that will do so much both for our students and for the wider community in which they live," says Kevin G. Shollenberger, vice provost for student affairs at the university. "3200 St. Paul will provide new options for our upperclass students, further enhancing the undergraduate experience at Johns Hopkins."
Adds Alan Fish, the university's vice president for facilities and real estate, "Great student-oriented housing combined with new shopping and dining alternatives and added off-street parking: This building truly has something for everyone on our campus and in our neighborhood."
Johns Hopkins bought the site in 2009 from an earlier development group whose plans had been stalled by the national financial crisis. The property is on the same intersection where Johns Hopkins opened its Charles Commons mixed-use residence hall project on the northwest corner in 2006. The 68-unit Village Lofts condominium is on the southeast corner.
