Plans for a new skyscraper for money manager Legg Mason and a Four Seasons Hotel and condos in Baltimore's Harbor East community passed one of the first hurdles yesterday, getting preliminary design approval from a city panel.
That approval clears the way for the $600 million complex to go before the City Council for review, but still leaves a host of design issues to be resolved.
Mayor Sheila Dixon is reportedly mulling a financial assistance package recommended by the city's economic development agency, which Harbor East's developer says is necessary for the project to move forward.
In February, Legg Mason Inc. signed a 15-year agreement to lease up to 400,000 square feet in a 24-story waterfront office tower to be built alongside a Four Seasons by H&S Properties Development Corp.
H&S Properties has been transforming the former industrial site east of the Inner Harbor into a mixed-use, urban neighborhood of apartments, condominiums, offices, hotels, shops and restaurants.
Members of the city's Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel granted approval of the preliminary design, but said the developer needed to think more creatively about creating signature buildings and making the most of public space in the waterfront community.
"I feel like we've trying to achieve signature buildings without a signature public space," said Mark Cameron, one of the panelists. "More could be and should be done with the public space."
Plans presented to the panel yesterday show two glass towers with brick and glass podiums, with a waterfront promenade wrapping around both and outdoor areas for restaurant seating. A 1,200-car parking garage would be built underground.
"I still feel like the towers should not be twins," said Deborah K. Dietsch, a panel member. "The hotel could have more of a residential feeling. There is a disconnect between the towers and the base. The most disturbing part of the project is the loss of public domain. You've really privatized the promenade," by reserving large chunks for use by restaurants.
The developer had always planned the twin towers as part of the Four Seasons complex, but had originally intended one for the hotel and a second for condos.
