Locust Point

The Target opening this fall in Canton at one of the city's largest new retail developments will be joined by a Harris Teeter grocery store and a lineup of stores and restaurants that includes Old Navy, Michaels, Loft, ULTA Beauty and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. The developer of The Shops at Canton Crossing announced those tenants and others Monday and said it has leases or commitments for most of the 325,000-square-foot-center under way on Boston Street. Construction has begun on a 135,000-square-foot Target and some of the other stores, while Harris Teeter will start construction on a store in the next few weeks.

A 100-foot tugboat sank off Pier 3 in Locust Point on Saturday night. The tugboat Kaleen McAllister sank before 10 p.m., Mike Reagoso, the vice president of Mid-Atlantic operations for McAllister Towing, said Sunday. No one was injured in the incident, Reagoso said. Everyone had left the boat by the time it sank, said Petty Officer David Marin, a Coast Guard spokesman operating out of Baltimore's Curtis Bay yards. "It is too early to determine what the extent of the damage may be, but the submersion of the tug is not expected to interfere with any harbor operations or any port operations," Reagoso said in a statement.

Baltimore's urban design panel on Thursday approved a developer's request to build townhouses on land in Locust Point that had been slated for residential towers and a mixed-use complex. The two parcels, on either side of the Silo Point condo building, will have about 50 townhouses divided between them, according to plans presented to the panel by the architects for Mark Sapperstein, the developer of McHenry Row. The decision to build townhomes instead of taller residential office buildings was a reaction to market demands and input from the community, which would prefer shorter structures on those sites, Sapperstein said.

Under Armour plans to hire hundreds of workers at its Locust Point headquarters this year, expand facilities on its campus and bring its brand of sports apparel and footwear to new markets in the U.S. and around the world. CEO Kevin Plank outlined the goals Tuesday while promising shareholders more of the rapid growth that has defined the $1.8 billion company in recent years. During an annual meeting in which Under Armour pitchman and record-setting Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps made a surprise appearance, Plank said the company is just beginning to make inroads in areas such as athletic footwear, women's sports apparel and international markets, with room to grow.

Locust Point was sleepy last Friday night, mostly. Few cars zoomed down Fort Avenue. The sidewalks were empty. The brightest neon sign on the peninsula didn't come from a bar but from the Domino Sugars factory. Music emanated from some bars, but the only noise came from three of us in our 20s walking down the pockmarked sidewalks, past a McDonald's, a strip mall, some warehouses, on a bar crawl in the neighborhood. Locust Point's bar scene got two additions recently — Barracudas and 5 Points — that suggest an infusion of much-needed new blood.

Among Baltimore's neighborhoods, the hip community of Hampden is forecast to see the most home value appreciation this year, according to data-driven real estate search website Zillow. Home values in that North Baltimore district should see a 4.2 percent increase over the next 12 months, according to a report the firm recently released. Zillow considers an annual appreciation of about 3 percent to be the national norm. Locust Point and Highlandtown are tied for second place in the Baltimore forecast.

Natural gas service has been restored to almost all customers affected by the gas main break Monday in Locust Point, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. said Thursday. South Baltimore customers who still lack service should contact BGE at 1-800-685-0123 to schedule an appointment for mechanics to reactivate their meters and light pilots on gas appliances, according to a statement by the utility. More than 200 people, including personnel from utilities outside Maryland, worked to restore gas service, which was disrupted Monday after a bridge contractor accidentally broke a 12-inch gas main in the 1200 block of E. Fort Ave. steve.kilar@baltsun.com twitter.com/stevekilar

Police charged two men Friday in the death of a missing Locust Point man whose body was found in Patapsco Valley State Park last month. Kevin M. Skipper, 30, of the 500 block of E. Fort Ave. was arrested Friday and Christopher S. Calvert, 31, of the 1300 block of Richardson St., for whom police are still searching, are both charged in the death of 31-year-old Matthew C. Martin. Martin was last seen April 9 and was reported missing by his mother, JoAnn Martin, on April 11. His body was found by two fisherman May 15 in the state park.

A 24-year-old man has been indicted on charges that he helped dispose of the body of a man killed in Locust Point last spring, city prosecutors announced. Jeremy Michael Smith , 24, of the 1500 block of Covington St. faces charges of being an accessory after the fact in the killing of Matthew Martin, 31, who disappeared April 9. Fishermen at Patapsco State Park discovered his body. Two men, Christopher Calvert and Kevin Skipper, were indicted July 1 in the killing. Prosecutors said that Smith picked up Calvert at a house on Fort Avenue and went with him to a Lowe's hardware store to purchase a large plastic storage container, which they used to take Martin's body out of a house on Richardson Street in Locust Point.

As of 9:30 a.m. Monday, the Fort Avenue Bridge in Locust Point has been closed to through traffic for a replacement project that will last until next spring. In Baltimore County, a 12-inch water main break near Cooks Lane and North Forest Park Avenue presented a possible road hazard, but no traffic lanes were closed. In Carroll County, emergency road work caused two northbound lanes of Route 97 to be closed north of Old Baltimore Road. There were no major delays to local mass transit systems.

The Wine Market in Locust Point is both a wine shop and a bistro. Twice a year, the Wine Market's wine shop takes over the bistro space for its Wine'd Up event. Wine'd Up will feature more than 25 wines paired with hors d'ouevres. All of the wines will be available for purchase the same evening, and guests will be offered a 20 percent discount on all wines featured at the event. It's a great way to preview wines before you stock up. Wine'd Up is 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at Wine Market Bistro, 921 E. Fort Ave. Tickets are $39. Call 410-244-6166 or go to winemarketbistro.com #sigshell { padding: 10px; float: left; width: 320px; height: 52px; margin: 20px 0px; display: block; }

Harris Teeter will open its planned Ellicott City supermarket on April 2, the Charlotte, N.C., grocer said today. The store in the Towne Square at Turf Valley on Resort Road will be open 24 hours a day, with a seven-day-a-week pharmacy. Harris Teeter came to Maryland in 2010 and now has eight stores in the state, including Columbia and Fulton in Howard County and Locust Point in Baltimore. Another location will open this fall in Canton's Canton Crossing. The company is the 23 rd largest supermarket chain in the U.S., with 2012 sales of $4.54 billion.

The Target opening this fall in Canton at one of the city's largest new retail developments will be joined by a Harris Teeter grocery store and a lineup of stores and restaurants that includes Old Navy, Michaels, Loft, ULTA Beauty and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. The developer of The Shops at Canton Crossing announced those tenants and others Monday and said it has leases or commitments for most of the 325,000-square-foot-center under way on Boston Street. Construction has begun on a 135,000-square-foot Target and some of the other stores, while Harris Teeter will start construction on a store in the next few weeks.

Among Baltimore's neighborhoods, the hip community of Hampden is forecast to see the most home value appreciation this year, according to data-driven real estate search website Zillow. Home values in that North Baltimore district should see a 4.2 percent increase over the next 12 months, according to a report the firm recently released. Zillow considers an annual appreciation of about 3 percent to be the national norm. Locust Point and Highlandtown are tied for second place in the Baltimore forecast.

UPDATE (Jan. 18): Not so fast. Although the Baltimore Business Journal reported soon-to-be new owner (paperwork still needs to be completed to make it official, he said) Steve O'Donnell would "likely 'keep everything the same'" at J. Patrick's, O'Donnell says that's not the case. During a phone conversation this morning, he said he will likely leave it as an Irish bar, but that "it can't stay open and operate how it is right now. " "Is it going to stay J. Patrick's?

Like many young professionals who work in or near Baltimore, Jon and Jenny Kraft searched for city properties when they decided to build a home together. "We looked at myriad different houses and could not find one that was designed for how we live and was also located in a walkable community," said Jon Kraft. His wife noted that parking, open layout, roof deck, fireplace and a minimum of three bedrooms were also priorities. They ultimately found a tailor-made answer to their requirements in The Townes at Locust Point, an enclave of 71 three-story brick townhouses built by Ruppert Homes Urban Redevelopment.

Harris Teeter will open its long-awaited supermarket in Locust Point on Dec. 7, spokeswoman Catherine Reuhl told me today. The 61,000-square-foot grocer will be part of  McHenry Row , a mixed-use development located on the site of the old Chesapeake Paperboard property. Citypeek.com reported that the grocer will sell wine, but that is not the case, according to the developer of the site Mark Sapperstein. Harris Teeter doesn't have a liquor license. But there will be a store that sells wine and beer directly next door to the grocer.

Like many young professionals who work in or near Baltimore, Jon and Jenny Kraft searched for city properties when they decided to build a home together. "We looked at myriad different houses and could not find one that was designed for how we live and was also located in a walkable community," said Jon Kraft. His wife noted that parking, open layout, roof deck, fireplace and a minimum of three bedrooms were also priorities. They ultimately found a tailor-made answer to their requirements in The Townes at Locust Point, an enclave of 71 three-story brick townhouses built by Ruppert Homes Urban Redevelopment.

Baltimore's urban design panel on Thursday approved a developer's request to build townhouses on land in Locust Point that had been slated for residential towers and a mixed-use complex. The two parcels, on either side of the Silo Point condo building, will have about 50 townhouses divided between them, according to plans presented to the panel by the architects for Mark Sapperstein, the developer of McHenry Row. The decision to build townhomes instead of taller residential office buildings was a reaction to market demands and input from the community, which would prefer shorter structures on those sites, Sapperstein said.

Two small thrifts founded many decades ago to cater to Baltimore's immigrant population could merge as early as the end of November following approval Monday by a federal regulator. Kopernik Federal Bank in Fells Point and Hull Federal Savings Bank in Locust Point each have one office, and both will remain open and operate under the Kopernik name after the merger. The marriage of these two institutions — opened a combined 189 years — is just another sign of the difficulties of small financial institutions, banking analysts said.