BALTIMORE — Folks in a historic Baltimore neighborhood are considering the possibility of a parking lot on President Street being rezoned to allow for a 24-story building.
The surface-level parking lot at 301 South President Street sits at the front door of Little Italy, beside bustling President Street, which serves as a major artery carrying cars downtown, to I-83 and to Southeast Baltimore.
Lisa Regnante, president of the Little Italy Neighborhood Association, said this marks the second time a developer has requested a rezoning change for the property.
The developer, who could not be reached for comment, is eyeing a 24-story apartment building for the plot and needs rezoning approval to make it a reality, Regnante explained.
"The purpose of that is to go above the 12 stories that it is now zoned for. So what we know right now is somewhat similar to the first request. The first request was 32 stories, which would be higher than Avalon at 24, now they say they'd like to build a 24 story apartment building, so equal height to Avalon which is next door," Regnante said.
Regnante is asking neighbors to vote online or with paper ballots to make their voice heard to their City Councilman, Jermaine Jones. A rezoning would have to be approved by the Mayor and City Council, according to the city's Planning Commission.
Pamela Needleman owns Sweet Louie's salon on Albemarle Street, a block away from the parking lot.
"We're not anti-development, but I don't want, and I don't think it would be good, to have something like a very big, Empire State Building kind of building at the end of the street. I mean, I'll never see the light of day again," Needleman said.
Joe Welke, another Little Italy resident, said there's nothing wrong with building on the property but would like to see more thought given to access, and the daily operations of a building that size.
"From the meetings we went to, most of the access for the property's off of Fawn Street. Fawn Street's probably not capable of the traffic coming in and out as far as the deliveries, trash, parking and what not," Welke said.
“I’d like to see development on the lot," he said, "but I don’t know if we necessarily want to change zoning to go 24 stories.”
Neighbors in Little Italy can vote from now until October 1 to make their voices heard on what could become a new high rise.
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