Before the meeting, Currie had approached then-MVA Administrator Anne S. Ferro about Mondawmin, according to a November 2003 letter from Ferro to Currie. In the letter, she aired frustrations that negotiations between the MVA and Rouse had delayed a "much-needed renovation to the existing MVA facility, which is experiencing roof leaks, rodent infestation, and a deteriorating interior."
Failing to reach an agreement to relocate the MVA branch office, state officials instead extended their Mondawmin lease, which is now "drawing to a close," said Transportation Department spokesman Jack Cahalan. Meanwhile, a new store for Shoppers was built adjacent to the existing mall building.
The Mondawmin project hit another snag in early 2004 when Supervalu told state officials that it needed $2 million to close the deal with Rouse. Getting a new grocery at the mall was considered a top priority, and a $3.6 million low-interest loan from the DBED to Rouse was considered essential, Henry said. Rouse lowered the rent to "rock bottom," Henry said, and the DBED agreed to forgive $540,000 of the loan to be passed through to Supervalu.
Currie stepped in and called Jeanne Hitchcock, a liaison between the General Assembly and then-Mayor Martin O'Malley, according to a March 2004 e-mail she sent to O'Malley's chief of staff. She wrote that Currie "said the Mondawmin grocery store project has stalled because of Rouse. He wanted to know what I could find out. Said the governor was willing to intercede but knows the mayor is interested as well. Any intelligence would be appreciated."
The following month, Currie set up a meeting at the Bowie restaurant with Henry and a Shoppers official as well as Kevin Malachi, who worked at Baltimore Development Corp. at the time and orchestrated many of the deals that brought grocers to the city.
Aides to Governor O'Malley and to former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich say that both supported the project but that neither recalled speaking with Currie about Shoppers or Mondawmin.
Shoppers never did get the pass-through financing, though, because the project changed significantly when Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc. bought Rouse in November 2004. General Growth dramatically expanded the scope of the project, Henry said, and state officials decided to convert the $3.6 million loan into a $1.8 million grant.
