Condominium

The Maryland Commission on Human Relations has ruled that a condominium board's decision to prevent residents from using a rear door as a shortcut to an adjacent synagogue discriminates against a disabled resident. The decision stems from a complaint filed by Sylvan Wolpert, a 90-year-old physically disabled resident of the Imperial Condominium complex in Northwest Baltimore who uses a walker to get around. Wolpert and other Orthodox Jewish residents in the building had previously been able to use a rear fire door in the basement to get to the nearby Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation synagogue.

A foreclosure auction of the Carousel Hotel & Resort in Ocean City, one of the seaside resort's best-known landmarks, was forestalled yesterday when the owner filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.Joel I. Sher, an attorney with Shapiro & Olander who is representing the building's owners, said the partnership sought bankruptcy court protection in part to prevent the auction, which had been set for Monday."The precipitating event was Monday's foreclosure, but there also appears some debt that could be restructured," said Sher.

Developers of a Perry Hall condominium project have agreed to pay nearly a half-million dollars for repairs to settle a lawsuit claiming the project was built without accommodations for wheelchairs.Martin Dyer, associate director of Baltimore Neighborhoods Inc., said yesterday that developers of Red Fox Farms agreed to the settlement after a federal judge ruled that they were in violation of federal requirements to build the condos with adequate ramps, curb cuts, wide doorways and other designs to aid the use of wheelchairs.

A decade ago, the state passed a law requiring builders to install sprinklers in new townhouses, apartments and condominiums to reduce the risk of fire. Today, many owners of those homes feel burned.A recall of one of the most popular sprinkler brands has been ordered and homeowners may have to pay hundreds of dollars to correct the problem.Those homeowners' opportunity to be reimbursed for the installation of new sprinklers expires Aug. 1, the last day homeowners have to place a claim in a class-action settlement.

Dear Mr. Azrael:I am a senior citizen living on a fixed income. I purchased a condominium about 15 years ago. I still have a mortgage and pay a condominium fee, which over the years has been steadily increased. In addition, I have paid several assessments over the years.Now, again, my board of directors has voted for and passed another assessment.I feel extremely strapped to pay this assessment. I made my position clear to the board and was told that I could pay it off over several months.

A dispute that has simmered for more than two years in a scenic Annapolis community is coming to a head -- again.The source of contention -- a simple wrought-iron fence.Residents of Shearwater Condominium, a community of 94 apartments facing Spa Creek in Eastport, want to erect a barrier to ward off the outsiders they say take their parking spots and dump trash in their neighborhood. But their neighbors say the proposed 6-foot-high fence will divide the community and obstruct their view of the water.

The Florida developer working to construct a Ritz-Carlton or other luxury hotel at the Inner Harbor intends to shave off nearly one-third of the rooms planned for the $80 million project to meet height requirements and appease neighbors' concerns.Developer Neil Fisher's decision to chop the number of rooms being planned from 350 to 250 was announced during a private meeting with community leaders and residents Wednesday evening."I thought it was a thoughtful proposal that would try and incorporate the neighborhood's concerns," said David Marshall, president of the Federal Hill Neighborhood Association.

A four-alarm fire at a condominium complex near Mount Washington caused $500,000 in damage to more than a dozen units yesterday afternoon, sent clouds of smoke into nearby neighborhoods and forced some residents out of their homes indefinitely.Fire officials said no injuries were reported in the blaze, which began shortly before 3 p.m. at The Lodge at Jones Valley."It spread so fast, it was unbelievable," said Lenny Sherman, a neighbor who lives across from the development. "The building was fully engulfed."

Dear Mr. Azrael:I am becoming a board member in a condominium association and I would like to know what my responsibilities [are] and what should I look for as far as putting myself into a legal bind if there should be one?I need to know the things I need to do to protect myself.Joseph StevensonWoodlawnDear Mr. Stevenson:The affairs of a condominium are managed by a council of unit owners. In larger condominiums, the council usually is incorporated. A board of directors is elected to handle the policy-making decisions for the condominium.

Warren and Deloris Hobbs may have orchestrated the perfect move.Somehow they were able to take a furnished large home in Guilford and fit everything into a one-floor penthouse condominium in the Strathmore Tower Condominium on Park Heights Avenue.Not only have the Hobbses mastered the switch in space, but their furniture looks as if it was hand-picked for their unique perch over Baltimore.A large buffet table occupies a southern window. A set of white Federal sofas accent a sunny living room, a Lalique glass flower sits on an end table.

When developers began construction on the Four Seasons hotel and condominium tower in Harbor East early last year, it was shaping up to be one of Baltimore's tallest buildings, at 43 stories. But earlier this year, the development team announced plans to complete only 18 stories, delaying condominium construction until the residential real estate market improves. That means the waterfront tower won't set a city height record any time soon. Elsewhere in Baltimore, projects representing a proposed investment of more than $1 billion have been postponed, scaled back or scrapped altogether.

When Lindsay Major Ringgold returns to her Elkridge condominium each day, the sight of a modest American flag on the patio of her first-floor unit gives her comfort. Along with a large yellow ribbon tied to a tree nearby, the flag is a poignant reminder of her husband, Sgt. James Ringgold, a member of the Army Reserve serving in Iraq. "It makes me think of him," she said, explaining her emotional attachment to the fraying flag that has flown since August 2006, just after the couple bought the unit and were married.

Leslie Spencer and Jennie Moser, both 26, were too busy with their teaching duties to attend the Howard County housing event that awarded each the right to buy a new, discounted two-bedroom condominium in Elkridge, but their parents stepped in for them. "This was perfect, especially with the gas prices," said Carolyn Spencer, Leslie's mother, at the county housing department ceremony Wednesday afternoon. The young teacher lives in Ellicott City with her parents. She wanted to buy a place of her own, "but on a teacher's salary, she didn't think it was affordable," her mother said.

People with limited incomes who want to buy or rent a home in Howard County will have another chance Saturday at a county-sponsored housing fair at Long Reach High School. Two Elkridge houses, one apartment condominium in Columbia, and one rental townhouse in North Laurel - all newly renovated - are to be awarded to qualified buyers at the event, which kicks off preparations for a new round of home purchases in May under the county's Moderate Income Housing Unit program. The county is trying to build a list of pre-qualified buyers it can use whenever new MIHU homes become available.

Robert H. Grabner Jr., vice president/senior project manager of the tower division of WCI Mid-Atlantic U.S. Region Inc., has assumed responsibility of the Plaza Residences development, a 23-story tower planned for downtown Columbia. Grabner replaces William Rowe, who recently left WCI to work with another development firm in the area. Grabner will also be responsible for WCI's tower development activities in Virginia, which include the Club on Quincy, a mixed-use condominium development in Arlington.

The Maryland Commission on Human Relations has ruled that a condominium board's decision to prevent residents from using a rear door as a shortcut to an adjacent synagogue discriminates against a disabled resident. The decision stems from a complaint filed by Sylvan Wolpert, a 90-year-old physically disabled resident of the Imperial Condominium complex in Northwest Baltimore who uses a walker to get around. Wolpert and other Orthodox Jewish residents in the building had previously been able to use a rear fire door in the basement to get to the nearby Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Congregation synagogue.

The residents of a Pikesville condominium complex that was evacuated Monday were allowed to return to their homes last night, after additional steel supports were installed to prevent the 43-year-old building from collapsing. Residents returned to the building about 8:50 p.m. after crews worked to shore up the structure and compensate for deteriorating columns that were discovered on Monday afternoon. Harriet Young had stayed with her daughter in White Marsh. "I couldn't wait to come home," she said.

After identifying the victims by their fingerprints, Harford County police released yesterday the names of two men found shot to death in an Edgewood condominium a week ago. The victims were brothers Randolph Mendon Goodson, 30, and Waverly Corey Lewis, 19, New York City natives who had lived together in Harford for about a year, police said. Investigators have yet to determine a motive but said the men were "specific targets." "We cannot divulge how we determined that, but we are certain that they were specifically targeted," said Robert B. Thomas Jr., sheriff's spokesman.

One of the last prime, undeveloped parcels at the Inner Harbor has been sold to developers who plan to build a 50-story condominium and hotel skyscraper, joining other high-profile projects slated to add downtown housing and radically alter Baltimore's skyline. UrbanAmerica LP, a New York-based real estate private equity firm, and Baltimore developer Doracon LLC have acquired the former site of the News American newspaper at 300 E. Pratt St. for $28 million. The block, now a parking lot between South and Commerce streets, had been controlled by Harvey Schulweis, president of New York-based Schulweis Realty Co. The company had floated proposals over the years for offices, a hotel, apartments and condominiums, but none ever materialized.

Baby boomers begin turning 60 this year, but our cheerful spin on this ominous development is that 60 is the new 40. We are doing what we have always done best: determinedly creating a new world order. In this one, we are not old. Something like 78 million of us were born between 1946 and 1965, and the leading edge includes former President Bill Clinton, President Bush, Sally Field and Sylvester Stallone. This watershed year is the opportunity for yet another broad-brush portrait of our generation.