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mixed use winner Clipper Mill BaltiMore, Maryland Clipper Mill converts a long underused 17.5-acre (7.1-ha) site that once housed Maryland s largest and most productive machine manufacturing complex into a vibrant, mixed-use community. The development team reused the 1853 historic site and its five deteriorating buildings to create 61,500 square feet (5,714 m 2 ) of office space, 47,500 square feet (4,413 m 2 ) of studio space for artists and craftspeople, and a wide range of housing, including 34 townhouses, 38 semidetached houses, and 62 condominium and 36 rental apartments. Completed in September 2006, Clipper Mill development team Owners/Developers Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse www.sber.com Clipper Redevelopment Company, LLC Millrace Building LLC Clipper for Sale LLC Jury statement A midtown site that once housed a major contributor to Baltimore s industrial economy has been transformed into a mixed-use complex of artisan space, ofices, and residences. Taking advantage of the property s location next to a light-rail transit stop and adjacent to an extensive hiking trail network that the developer enhanced along its adjoining portions, Clipper Mill restored the historical characteristics of the property while introducing progressive sustainability features. Architect Cho Benn Holback + Associates, Inc. www.cbhassociates.com Landscape Architect Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc. www.mahanrykiel.com Mixed use 79 Awards04Mixed.indd 79 7/28/08 12:46:25 PM
is a transit-oriented community that integrates many elements of sustainable development. It offers a unique sense of place that is created in part by the preservation of the site s history and the incorporation of the work of resident craftspeople into the project s design. When developer Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse (SBER) took on the $88 million, three-phase project, a number of artists and craftspeople lived and worked on site. SBER wanted to provide safe, codecompliant, and affordable studio space for resident artists; preserve the charm of the historically significant site, which contained five buildings in varying states of disrepair; and convert the complex into a viable mixed-use community that would attract families from outside the city of Baltimore. Its goal was not just to rehabilitate the property but also to inspire the neighborhood. The project faced numerous challenges. A number of underground obstructions both natural and constructed were uncovered. Unforeseen structural problems in several buildings resulted in budget overruns. A neighbor and a tenant launched a project-delaying lawsuit using false deeds to claim ownership of the land. Moreover, market conditions forced one building to be changed from 83 rental apartments to 62 condominiums after the foundation and first-floor concrete decking had been poured. The financing package was complex and multilayered, involving tax increment financing, federal and state historic-preservation tax credits enhanced by new market tax credits, developer and joint 80 Best Practices in development Awards04Mixed.indd 80 7/28/08 12:46:44 PM
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site Plan PhotogrAPhS by PAtrICk ross PhotogrAPhy (78, 79, 80l, 80r, 81tl, 81tr, 81b, 82t, 83); Cho benn holback + ASSoCIAtES, InC (82b) 82 Best Practices in development Awards04Mixed.indd 82 7/28/08 12:47:08 PM
venture partner equity, and grant funds from the Maryland Department of the Environment s brownfield incentive program. The site required approximately $1.2 million in environmental remediation to remove contaminated soils, asbestos insulation, lead paint, and underground oil storage tanks. The project s on-site utility infrastructure was developed in partnership with the city of Baltimore, whose public works department provided specifications and design guidance. The integration of sustainable features was an important goal. Antique steel beams, stones, and sprocket wheels from the original machine shop were recycled as parts of the building structure, landscaping features, and architectural centerpieces. A 1,600-square-foot (149-m 2 ) green roof forms the floor of the open-air atrium of one of the residential structures, lowering temperatures in the building and reducing and purifying stormwater runoff. A porous paving system was used for an office parking lot, which filters stormwater and allows it to infiltrate the groundwater system rather than discharging directly into a nearby river. Clipper Mill s most innovative green feature is a living wall the first in the United States that filters air through plants before returning it to the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system. The wall is in a structure that once served as stables and that is now used as a design studio by Biohabitats, an environmental consultant. Finally, with a light-rail stop at the entrance and shuttle service to other modes of public transit, Clipper Mill offers residents, commercial tenants, and visitors a range of transportation options, thus reducing their reliance on automobiles. ProJect data Website www.clippermill.net Site Area 17.5 ac (7.1 ha) Facilities 61,500 sf (5,714 m 2 ) ofice 3,500 sf (325 m 2 ) retail 72 single-family units 98 multifamily units 375 surface parking spaces Land Uses ofice, residential, retail, restaurant, recreation, parking, open space Start/Completion Dates June 2004 September 2006 83 Awards04Mixed.indd 83 7/28/08 12:47:21 PM