MAG Partners Brings Fire and Ice to Chelsea’s Ruby
By: Larry Getlen
Sauna and ice bath brand Saint sets up shop at new luxury complex
MAG Partners’ luxury rental complex Ruby just got a whole lot more luxurious.
Saint, a brand specializing in private sauna and ice bath facilities, signed a 10-year lease with MAG Partners for slightly over 1,100 square feet at Ruby, located at 242 West 29th Street in Chelsea.
The space, slated to open in the fall, will include “luxurious private sauna and cold plunge rooms for those seeking calm and solitude amidst the chaos of New York City,” according to MAG Partners. Bond, the New York-based architecture and interior design studio, was involved in the spot’s design, the developer said.
Services at Saint will be available as individual sessions or through a membership. Details on either option, including prices, were not available.
MAG Partners was represented by Cushman & Wakefield’s Sean Moran, Catherine Merck, Alan Schmerzler and Patrick O’Rourke, and Saint was repped by CBRE’s Kristen Crossman Fox.
While the asking rent was undisclosed, available streetside retail spaces in Manhattan’s West 20s are currently advertised on LoopNet for annual rents ranging from $80 to $127 a square foot.
With an official address of 243 West 28th Street, Ruby, which was designed by COOKFOX Architects, includes 480 apartments, 30 percent of which are designated affordable. Pet services provider Pet Evolution will also be leasing retail space at the Ruby.
The pairing of Saint with Ruby is a key step in fulfilling MAG Partners’ ultimate desire for the complex.
“With the addition of Saint to Ruby, our vision for a residence that promotes health and well-being is further advanced,” MaryAnne Gilmartin, founder and CEO of MAG Partners, said in an email to Commercial Observer. “Their services will be valuable additions to the Chelsea community and an ideal amenity to Ruby residents. We look forward to building on this momentum, following the lease with supermarket operator Lidl at 335 Eighth Avenue, and bringing additional conveniences to the neighborhood.”
Saint and CBRE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mabel’s Exterior Wraps Up at 335 Eighth Avenue in Chelsea, Manhattan
By: Michael Young and Matt Pruznick
Construction is nearing completion on Mabel, a seven-story residential building at 335 Eighth Avenue in Chelsea, Manhattan. Designed by COOKFOX and developed by MAG Partners and Mutual Redevelopment Houses, Inc., the 200,000-square-foot structure will yield 188 rental units in studio to two-bedroom layouts. The project will also include a 23,000-square-foot Lidl supermarket and additional ground-floor retail space. Thirty percent of the homes will be reserved for affordable housing. The development is located at the corner of Eighth Avenue and West 26th Street within the Penn South affordable housing cooperative, officially known as Mutual Redevelopment Houses.
Exterior work on the upper levels has concluded since YIMBY’s last on-site update in January, when scaffolding still covered portions of the roof and seventh-story setbacks. This has since been removed and landscaping is now visible on the roof deck. The sidewalk shed remains standing around the property as work finishes up on the ground floor.
Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.
Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.
Promotional signage has also been added to columns of the brick exterior.
Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.
The main entrance to Mabel features a dark metal canopy bearing the name and address of the property. A screen of wooden louvers adjacent to the doors complements the vertical bond pattern of the surrounding brickwork.
Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.
The below rendering previews the entrance canopy topped with low greenery.
Rendering of Mabel. Courtesy of DBOX
The rest of the ground-floor frontage will likely finish work in the coming months.
Mabel. Photo by Michael Young.
Ninety percent of the units at Mabel will come in studio and one-bedroom layouts, with two-bedrooms rounding out the remaining inventory. Amenities will include a fitness center, library, media lounge, a coworking lounge with private workspaces, a dining area with a catering kitchen, and outdoor rooftop gardens with dining areas and a grilling terrace.
Rendering of Mabel. Courtesy of DBOXRendering of Mabel. Courtesy of DBOXRendering of Mabel. Courtesy of DBOXRendering of Mabel. Courtesy of DBOX
The Lidl supermarket will feature a bakery, produce, a floral shop, meat and seafood, and other typical everyday essentials. The Germany-based company is also expected to partner with Hire NYC to offer employment to local residents with comprehensive benefits such as healthcare for all full- and part-time employees, regardless of hours worked per week.
JLL Capital Markets arranged a $151.4 million capitalization for the project with financing secured from Bank OZK and MetLife Investment Management.
The property is a short walk from the C and E trains at the 23rd Street station to the south.
Mabel’s anticipated completion date is slated for the third quarter of 2025, and is on track to receive Passive House and LEED Gold certifications.
Serafina to open trattoria at latest Anagram apartment tower
By: Steve Cuozzo
The developers of Anagram luxury rental apartment towers are expanding the brand in Manhattan. Popular Italian trattoria brand Serafina is growing at even faster pace. The two will come together at 300 E. 50th St. at Second Avenue, where Serafina owners Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato will launch their first seafood-driven venue, Serafina Mare, next year.
The latest Anagram, which will begin receiving tenants in August, is a joint venture project of the development teams of Global Holdings and MAG Partners.
Global Holdings’ senior vice president Josh Feder said, “Each of our Anagram projects in the city is uniquely designed to fit into the neighborhood.
The new spot is the perfect match for Serafina’s first spinoff restaurant. Their team saw our vision and approached us, securing a full-floor lease before apartment leasing even began.”
Granato said the location has special meaning for him because, “When I first came to the States, I lived in the building that was torn down for the Anagram. There’s a lot of energy in the neighborhood but no Serafina presence.”
The off-market transaction hasn’t been reported previously. Serafina Mare, with 5,000 square feet in the entire ground-floor retail space, will be the Serafina brand’s 13th Manhattan location in addition to others in the suburbs and around the US.
The new Serafina will do battle with La Pecora Bianca across the street. The latter is part of another growing Italian chain in the mid-priced field, a category that also includes Felice, which recently signed a lease to open in Trump Plaza on Third Avenue at East 61st Street…
Granato wouldn’t discuss terms other than that the landlord provided a tenant-improvement allowance. “The rest is all up to us,” he said. Serafina will get the space on Jan. 1, and will take nine months for design and construction.
Rendering of Anagram tower at 300 E. 50th St. at Second Avenue. Courtesy of Williams New York
The 194-unit Anagram Turtle Bay follows those at Columbus Circle, in Nomad, and in Gramercy. The new project by Eyal Ofer’s Global Holdings and MaryAnne Gilmartin’s MAG Partners began leasing in June and will be completed when move-ins start in August.
Business school to move satellite campus to Baltimore Peninsula
By: Melody Simmons
The University of Maryland will move a satellite campus for its business school to Baltimore Peninsula next year, marking the latest office lease signed at the 235-acre development.
INTERVIEW: MaryAnne Gilmartin on building for New York, one story at a time
By: Michelle Sinclair Colman
MaryAnne Gilmartin, the CEO and Founder of MAG Partners, is no stranger to reshaping New York City’s skyline. As the former CEO of Forest City Ratner, she led the development of landmarks like Barclays Center, the New York Times Building, and 8 Spruce Street. Today, she’s forging a new chapter with MAG Partners and marking a major milestone with the simultaneous leasing launch of two residential towers in Manhattan: Anagram Turtle Bay (“Anagram”) and Mabel in Chelsea.
Anagram, developed in partnership with Global Holdings, rises at 300 East 50th Street with 194 apartments. 30% of which fall under the Affordable NY program, and a lottery is underway until August 21, 2025. On the ground floor, a new concept from the beloved Serafina restaurant group, Serafina Mare, brings a seafood-focused twist to the classic New York eatery.
Images of Anagram Turtle Bay (l) and Mabel in Chelsea (r) (Credit DBOX via MAG Partners)
Across town, Mabel, a tribute to an influential woman in New York City history, sits at 335 Eighth Avenue in Chelsea and was built to achieve Passive House and LEED Gold certifications. Like Anagram, it also reserves 30% of its units for affordable housing. This lottery is underway until August 26, 2025.
For Gilmartin, buildings are more than brick and steel—they’re narratives, layered with intention, place, and people. We sat down with her to discuss the rare moment of launching two projects at once, what sets each building apart, and the values that continue to guide her practice.
What is it like having two buildings launch on the same day?
It’s beyond humbling and truly amazing to have these two buildings launching at the same time. Creating a building is never a small feat. It takes extraordinary people to do extraordinary work, and I’m honored to represent the many who poured their hearts into these projects. They are both labors of love. This is a huge moment for us, each building holds a thousand stories. We’re genuinely gobsmacked.
Anagram Turtle Bay’s residential entrance on East 50th Street
Beyond what may be the first dual launch in the city, you’re a woman in a male-dominated field. Did that add any difficulty?
Being a woman in this field is interesting. I never got the memo that I should feel intimidated stepping into real estate development, an industry still largely dominated by men. I tend to be hyper-focused, surrounded by excellence. I knew it was my time. I believed I could lead a company and build amazing things with amazing people. But the kind of work I wanted to do didn’t fit into the quarterly demands of public markets, where the focus is always “What have you done for me lately?”
Development is a long game. And in the public realm, you’re often better off as an operating company dabbling in development, not leading with it. That realization became my impetus for leaving. At my core, I’m a builder. I needed the freedom to build on my own terms, in the private market. That was seven years ago.
Groundbreaking for Mabel (via Urban Atelier Group (UAG))
In my seven years at MAG, we’ve delivered 1,000 units. That’s a monumental effort, especially with a global pandemic, the expiration of 421a, and countless other headwinds. We’ve been navigating a historic series of challenges. And still, we managed to complete three buildings. It’s a testament to resilience and vision.
At the heart of our mission is a belief: you can build beauty, you can add real value…and you can do it with a team that reflects the city we live in. That’s what we stand for. That’s what we’re out to prove.
Construction wrapping up at Anagram Turtle Bay in May 2025 (CityRealty)
What do you see as the biggest differences between the two projects?
The differences start with geometry and site constraints. The Midtown site, Anagram, is tightly woven into the urban grid – every inch mattered. It was like choreographing a daily ballet of machines and people. We didn’t have the luxury of space. Building so close to the UN meant dealing with security shutdowns, holidays, motorcades—it’s classic New York, and Anagram is no exception.
In contrast, Chelsea offered a kind of rolling meadow by city standards. It’s lush, green, and we had the space to think expansively. The building is low and wide rather than tall and thin, which gave us logistical freedom and marketing advantages. Even though both buildings have roughly the same number of units, the configurations are totally different.
The Chelsea building is part of a long-standing cooperative community—about 3,500 residents who’ve been living in what I like to call a Kennedy-era model of affordable housing. They care deeply. We were a good match for that project because our team approached it with nuance – not just about construction, but about communication, daily coordination, and mutual respect.
Mabel (DBOX)
Are the similarities between the two just as powerful?
Both projects are deeply embedded in walkable, vibrant communities. They celebrate great architecture and sustainability. They were designed as sanctuaries -when you walk in the door, there’s a palpable sense of serenity. That’s intentional. From the rooftops to the lobbies, to the units themselves, there’s a tenderness in the design. These aren’t transactional spaces, they’re life-giving.
Both also feature game-changing retail. In Chelsea, we knew from the beginning that we were in a food desert. Before we even broke ground, we imagined a long floorplate tailored to a grocer. We were approached by the Lidl supermarket brand. That kind of anchor retail took a huge amount of risk out of our underwriting.
At Anagram, it was a different kind of culinary renaissance. Serafina approached us. They were so confident in the building and its audience that they committed not just to a restaurant, but to participating in our hospitality and room service model. That added a new layer of luxury. We’re proud of how we executed the retail vision in both locations.
I believe these buildings will outperform. They’re a cut above. Every detail has been considered—closets, kitchens, light, air, layout. The market will feel that difference through the quality of life and caliber of our tenants.
Do both buildings prioritize sustainability similarly?
Both buildings foster a strong indoor/outdoor connection with thoughtfully integrated green spaces that bring garden culture to life. This is integral to our overall approach. We made a real commitment to building Mabel to Passive House standards. People think Passive House is expensive, and, it is, but the long-term savings for renters are significant.
Rick Cook and his team at COOKFOX inspired us with their biophilia. When Rick asked, “Can we try this?” I said yes…even though it came with serious challenges. Every time the budget tightened, there was an option to cut Passive House and hit our numbers. But being the boss means you get to say, “No, we’re not cutting it.”
Our staff would arm wrestle for the chance to work on this. Everyone felt the meaning behind it. We made sacrifices (for example, no pool), but our Passive House speaks to a new generation of residents who care deeply about how they live. For them, sustainability matters more than amenities. That’s why we named the Chelsea building after Mabel Osgood Wright, an unsung environmentalist hero. That won’t be lost on the people who choose to live there. Beyond that, they will save up to 60% on their operating costs. That’s real, provable value.
Corner living room at Mabel. Residents can save up to 60% on operating costs, including heating, cooling, and electricity, thanks to the development team’s sustainability efforts.
Who is going to live in these buildings?
Each building attracts a slightly different demographic. At Anagram, which we’re developing in partnership with Global Holdings, we’re seeing more three-bed inquiries from families. Space is the greatest luxury in New York, and people really value it. Midtown draws a mix of working professionals, the young and not-so-young. And with proximity to offices like JPMorgan. It’s a “15-minute city” concept where everything you need is a 15-minute walk from your home.
At Mabel, you’re within the confines of a cooperative community. We think tech workers will gravitate there, especially with hybrid work here to stay. The West Chelsea location also has a big educational draw where students and their families want a safe, sophisticated environment near world-class institutions. That mix of art, education, and community is powerful.
Rooftop terrace at Mabel (Credit: DBOX)
What does the future look like for NYC renters?
I believe these buildings could be bellwethers for what the city wants and needs. Beyond that, affordable housing is core to our mission comprising about 30% of our homes. We’ve studied and hacked the programs to make it possible to build high-quality mixed-income housing across the city. For the first time, I’ve heard every mayoral and gubernatorial candidate acknowledge that the housing crisis is real. And we’re among the best equipped to meet that challenge.
Personally, I’d love to do more conversions. My first love was office development, like the New York Times Building. But in my “field of dreams,” I want to lead the next wave: a brand-new, 21st-century vision of housing in New York.
From the Listing: One bedroom residence with private terrace! Offering 1 month OP and 1 month free on a 13 month lease! Discover Mabel, a rental property that redefines sustainable modern living by blending thoughtful design and natural tranquility. Abundant natural light, lush green spaces, and a commitment to peace and comfort at every level create an environment as serene as it is enchanting. See floor plan and full details here.
Anagram Turtle Bay, #4F (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
From the Listing: Now Leasing: Elegantly Designed Studio to 3-Bedroom Residences Offering 1 month OP and 1 month free on a 13 lease. Inside, bright and airy studio to 3-bedroom residences feature oversized windows with iconic Manhattan views, elevated ceiling heights, White Oak-style flooring, in-unit Bosch washer & dryers, and smart home conveniences like programmable climate control and keyless entry. Residents enjoy three thoughtfully designed levels of indoor and outdoor amenities, including wellness and social spaces that foster community and connection with nature. Net effective rent advertised. See floor plan and full details here.
Anagram Turtle Bay, #5E (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
From the Listing: Now Leasing: Elegantly Designed Studio to 3-Bedroom Residences Offering 1 month OP and 1 month free on a 13-month lease.
Anagram Turtle Bay is a refined residential experience shaped by the energy of New York City. Inside, bright and airy studio to 3-bedroom residences feature oversized windows with iconic Manhattan views, elevated ceiling heights, White Oak-style flooring, in-unit Bosch washer & dryers, and smart home conveniences like programmable climate control and keyless entry. See floor plan and full details here.
Since Adam Freindlich was from New Jersey and interested in real estate, working for a developer of New Jersey waterfront properties seemed like a pretty good job.
Yet, after three years at Roseland Residential, the Wharton grad went to work at a real estate private equity firm, hoping to learn a different aspect of the business.
After he spent just five days in the office, COVID-19 hit. Freindlich was now relegated to sitting on his couch, trying to bond with his team through online Zoom meetings. So, when the phone rang — and even though the screen said “unknown number” — he answered.
The caller was MaryAnne Gilmartin, a New York real estate legend who had been hired as interim CEO at Mack-Cali, the company of which Roseland was a part. “She wanted to get my take on the people, the company,” Freindlich recalls.
His honesty and forthcoming attitude was enough to impress Gilmartin. She offered him a temporary job two weeks later. Said Freindlich: “It didn’t take that much convincing.”
After the interim gig ended, Freindlich followed Gilmartin to her own development shop, MAG Partners. The firm was wrapping up being awarded a development on the Penn South campus in Chelsea.
And just like that, Freindlich had a great job, one he calls a “master class.” He structures strategic partnerships and manages assets through all phases of investment. In June 2025, the Chelsea multifamily project named Mabel and another MAG Partners project, Anagram Turtle Bay, opened for leasing on the same day.
Across the two projects, Freindlich led efforts in conjunction with firm leadership to secure $169 million of total construction loan financing and $124 million in new equity investment. These commitments represented 83 percent of total project capitalization, sourced from MetLife, Global Holdings, and Bank OZK.
The two projects are each about 200 units, but in other ways they are very different. In contrast to the 23-story tower of Turtle Bay, Mabel is seven stories, built horizontally to stay contextual within the environment south of Penn Station.
“Not just to maximize returns but to build the user-centric neighborhood enhancement,” explained Freindlich. “To enhance the neighborhoods, I think that’s our special sauce.”
Baltimore native Pinky Cole finally brings Slutty Vegan home: ‘I was always a winner’
By: Matti Gellman
Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole announced Thursday that she is opening a location at Baltimore Peninsula. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
No one is less surprised by the success of the growing plant-based food chain and soon-to-be main attraction for the new Baltimore Peninsula neighborhood than its founder: Baltimore native Pinky Cole.
Slutty Vegan, her restaurant, as well as its companion Bar Vegan, is scheduled to open in the Rye Street Market, a boutique office space within the Baltimore Peninsula neighborhood (formerly known as Port Covington). It joins the company’s other eateries in Georgia, Texas, Alabama and New York.
She sat down with The Baltimore Banner on Thursday, clutching the baby bump protruding from her satin leopard dress, to discuss the announcement before a news conference featuring a performance from Morgan State University’s marching band and remarks from Mayor Brandon Scott. Behind her lay at least a dozen untouched copies of her “I Hope You Fail” memoir. Its early October release had prompted a Wednesday visit to “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” which, Cole noted, was not her first time as a guest there.
Slutty Vegan’s success left many at the event inspired, including one resident who walked up to Cole crying Thursday to express his gratitude, she said. Some have called her a “young Oprah,” according to Cole — a comparison she’s never shied away from.
“I knew as a kid that I was going to be great in the world,” said Cole, 35. “I was always a winner. I always had a winning mentality and that didn’t die.”
Pinky Cole cries while talking about Baltimore’s impact on her life as Mayor Brandon Scott and Councilwoman Phylicia Porter look on at an event for Slutty Vegan on Thursday. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)Slutty Vegan’s “Sloppy Toppy” burger is topped with jalapeños, vegan cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato and “Slut Sauce.” (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
Cole’s business, now valued around $100 million, was built on her flair for the theatrical. Growing up on Cedonia Avenue in East Baltimore, she learned about stocks and business practices from her father, who had been incarcerated during her childhood.
The only person able to compete with Cole for the spotlight was her mother, the lead singer of a local reggae band called Strikers Posse. Ichelle Cole, a native of Jamaica, spent nights center stage in locs that touched the floor, singing and playing “nearly every instrument,” according to her daughter.
When the Posse went to Ocean City, so did Cole. She often joined her mother in the spotlight.
“I would see these crowds of people and I saw how many people loved my mother and I’m like, ‘I want people to love me like that, too,’” Cole said.
She took on her mother’s Rastafarian diet of fresh produce and some fish. But by 2007, Cole cut out meat entirely. She cooked vegan food for her friends, though Cole is the first to admit she was never a chef. In her early 20s, she used the money she made working as a television producer on the Maury Povich show to start a bubblegum pink-painted, Jamaican-inspired storefront in Harlem, New York.
About a year after opening in 2015, the restaurant burned down in a grease fire.
“People never talk about failure,” Cole said. “It’s inevitable. Like, life happens. … And I want people to know you don’t have to wallow in negativity.”
Success came for Cole in 2020, when she capitalized on her love of a plant-based diet and created the first iteration of Slutty Vegan, which she called a “merge between the two most pleasurable experiences in life: sex and food.”
Interested converts could choose plant-based burgers slathered in the usual condiments and vegan cheese, otherwise known as a “Sloppy Toppy,” or sandwiches like the “Hollywood Hooker,” a seductive twist on a classic Philly cheesesteak.
“I knew I had to get people dialed in, so that they can spark a dialogue and start to ask questions. And if I can get people to ask questions, that means that I can educate them on whatever it is I want to teach them,” she said.
And that was vegan food. She got pushback in the beginning, she said, but saw her business spurring conversation about the way customers eat and respond to marketing.
Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole’s necklace gets straight to the point. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
Whispers of Cole’s return to Charm City have hung over the Baltimore food world since the company’s infancy. In December 2022, Cole said she’s “gotta come back home” in an interview recorded with the radio station 92Q. In March of the following year, she tested the Chesapeake Bay waters with a pop-up store at Hampden’s Whitehall Mill. Lines of hungry people wrapped around the building.
“Who knows, if we run out of burgers we may just have to open a location here,” she previously said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun.
Cole said she remains optimistic about the growth of her Slutty Vegan chain despite a volatile year in the restaurant and vegan food industry.
She told The Baltimore Banner her business recently won a bid to open a location in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the country by passenger traffic. Slutty Vegan is also looking into licensing the brand overseas.
“My husband … he’ll be the guinea pig,” she said of Derrick Hayes, founder and CEO of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks.
”But right now, the main focus is the Baltimore Peninsula,” Cole said. She indicated that plans to move into Northwood Commons, which previously listed Slutty Vegan as one of their new tenants over Instagram, were not currently in the works.
”I like new things. I like new fresh things,” she said. “There’s a big opportunity to be able to drive a new audience to this area.”
Cole said another draw was learning that more than half the employees hired to work on the Baltimore Peninsula’s $5.5 million development effort would be Baltimore residents.
MaryAnne Gilmartin, founder of MAG Partners, a New York firm leading the project, said Cole’s arrival as the anchor tenant in Rye Street Market will help drive traffic to the neighborhood.
According to Gilmartin, developers are expecting more residents and local businesses to move in after Cole, including a potential grocer; there is no grocery store within the community’s largely industrial 235 square acres.
“This is about real people, making real impact and delivering real change and lifting up entire communities,” Gilmartin said. “[Pinky Cole] is the embodiment of what this project represents.”
In what could be a Baltimore first, communities and developer are partnering in South Baltimore
By: Jasmine Vaughn-Hall and Hallie Miller
The coalition has formed a nonprofit that is in charge of overseeing how a momentous volume of funding gets spent in South Baltimore.
Views of CSX facilities scene from the Curtis Bay neighborhood in Baltimore, Thursday, August 3, 2023. (Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)
Growing up in South Baltimore, Michael Middleton became accustomed to the invisible barriers separating his neighborhood from the next one over. Those imaginary lines, he recalled, meant that Cherry Hill and Brooklyn neighbors shared little in common besides geography.
Now retired, Middleton said something extraordinary has happened to those walls over the last few years. Six South Baltimore communities, wary of development north of the Patapsco River’s Middle Branch, joined forces nearly a decade ago and turned a page. Together, they and the developers leading Port Covington’s revival have built relationships, convened to discuss shared problems and formed a nonprofit organization and board to handle a momentous influx of money they can put to use in their communities however they see fit.
The nonprofit, SB7 Coalition Inc. — representing Cherry Hill, Brooklyn, Mount Winans, Lakeland, Westport, Curtis Bay and their Baltimore Peninsula partners — is set to receive more than $20 million by 2026. With that historic investment, the nonprofit organization and the residents it serves are tasked with something both novel and daunting: using the money to fill in the gaps left behind by generations of neglect.
The needs in the six communities are varied and vast, ranging from dire environmental threats to an over concentration of vacant and abandoned housing. And now, representatives across six very different neighborhoods — many of them volunteers or brand new to grant writing, community organizing and managing large sums of social-impact funds — say they are starting to see the first fruits of their efforts bloom.
“For decades, the communities really didn’t have much to do with one another. The most significant thing that has happened is that we have come together now,” said Middleton, a former poverty law attorney who now leads the South Baltimore nonprofit organization. “And the six communities recognize that we have more in common than we have differences.”
The ways by which the funding is divided, allocated and spent are complex: The coalition has devised a multi-tier system that appropriates some of the money for individual community organizations in each neighborhood; some for broad priorities such as transportation, public safety and education; and some for recipients whose work directly impacts the South Baltimore area.
Middleton, who formerly led the Cherry Hill Community Coalition, is first to acknowledge that the $20 million investment can only go so far.
But it’s a start, he said, that can set these communities up to be more prosperous and effective in the long run. And for what could be the first time in the city’s history, a private developer and a group of community members are banding together to see the work through.
Greg Sawtell, Chenire Carter, Michael Middleton, Ashley Cotton and Lindsay Staton pose for a portrait outside of the SB7 coalition’s future office space in Baltimore, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)
A long-term commitment to South Baltimore communities
The six communities once housed the workforces of South Baltimore’s industrial past. Over the last few decades, fueled by manufacturing’s exodus, the community demographics have changed. And from 2010 to 2020 alone, the population decreased by about 5%, city Department of Planning data shows. The Latino population more than doubled over that same period.
And now, the first Baltimore Peninsula residential and office tenants are trickling in. The more than $5.5 billion project — funded partly with some $660 million in tax-increment financing from the city, the largest such package to date — is expected to bring millions of square feet of office, retail, residential and public park space spanning 235 acres of mostly barren and industrial waterfront land. It will contain the new headquarters of sports apparel giant Under Armour, whose founder, Kevin Plank, began buying up the land about a decade ago.
SB7 was formed largely as a response to skepticism about what effect a project of this scope and scale would have on its residential neighbors. Though it involves no direct displacement of businesses or residents, some neighborhood leaders have raised concerns about being priced out of their homes, excluded from incoming investment and ignored in favor of a new “mini-city.”
While some of these concerns still exist, those involved in the nonprofit’s work say they are building lines of communication, collaboration and change that they have long gone without.
“So many things are starting to get attention — multi-decade-long priorities that didn’t get done because there were no resources,” said Greg Sawtell, an SB7 board member and co-president of the Curtis Bay Association. “The outcomes aren’t there yet, but it’s a process. The structure is there.”
At the center of the community benefits agreement is a multimillion-dollar commitment to the six neighborhoods from Sagamore Development Co., Plank’s development arm. That includes a direct $10 million disbursement over the first five years and a commitment from Sagamore Ventures to help the coalition raise another $10 million over the following five years, according to the 2016 agreement.
The deal also includes a requirement from Sagamore and the other Baltimore Peninsula developers to contribute funds from a portion of every new lease signed to SB7 — a minimum of 15 cents per net square foot — and a portion of every transfer fee per property sale. Sagamore Ventures has also donated $1 million to Baltimore’s CollegeBound Foundation and $1 million to Partners in Excellence for local students’ scholarships.
How has the rest of the money been spent so far?
The 10-page agreement does not dictate how the community entities or the SB7 nonprofit should use the funds, but it does offer a list of short- and long-term priorities that the coalition should address over the next 30 years. They include one-time expenditures on items such as athletic fields and community centers, and it gives examples of needs such as cemetery maintenance, funding for youth development and recreational programming.
“They know what they want in their communities, but may need guidance and/or resources to bring their aspirations to fruition,” said Marc Weller, the president and founding partner of Weller Development Partners, who led development of the project’s first phase. Weller’s team served as advisers to the group from 2016 until 2022, when a new development team, MAG Partners, took the reins.
“It was purposely designed that way so that they could control their own destiny, future, and decisions,” he added. “Our philosophy has always emphasized the importance of community interaction, and frankly, it is just the right way to do business.”
Mark Pollak, a partner at Ballard Spahr LLP who represents the Baltimore Peninsula developers and helped negotiate the 2016 agreement, said the coalition may well be the first of its kind in Baltimore.
“There were no models from which we took our ideas from,” he said in an email. “We believe the partnership is a successful model that represents what can happen when the City and a development team believe in the ability of a project, in collaboration with community members, to deliver unprecedented benefits to the City.”
How they’ll pick projects
The structure through which money flows to communities is a complicated one — so much so that, during an interview with reporters earlier this year, SB7 board members — including representatives from MAG Partners — came prepared with thick, stapled packets of paper they could refer to.
Here’s how it works: To start, each of the six community organizations receives $200,000 apiece to help them grow. The money might be used to secure designated meeting space, add paid staff or apply for nonprofit status.
On another tier of the funding system, six committees — devoted to organizing around solutions for education, public safety, quality of life/zero waste, transportation, economic development and community land trust — can propose projects that can have impact in at least two or more of the six communities. Those proposals must address concerns laid out in SB7′s strategic plan and are reviewed by committees, the nonprofit’s appropriations committee and then the board for approval.
And finally, community association review panels can award grants of up to $2,500 at a time to individuals or organizations already active in the area to further their work or fund new projects. These recipients include the Black Yield Institute, the Baltimore Compost Collective and the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. Each community receives $50,000 to spend.
Coalition members said they rely on their communities to identify challenges they face and how to solve them. But not everyone always agrees on every expenditure and priority,which can spark debate and occasional infighting, the SB7 representatives said.
“I don’t think you’re going to find authentic governance without potential conflict, and it’s that process that gets to some of our best outcomes,” said Sawtell of the Curtis Bay Association.
‘It’s a lot of money’
Out in the communities, SB7 members say their work touches upon a spectrum of needs identified in their neighborhoods: cleaning and greening, older adult programming, health and wellness.
For example, some of the funds have gone toward commemorating a 100-year-old firehouse in Curtis Bay and helping the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter with chipping and vaccination services in Brooklyn and Cherry Hill.
Community members also said the larger community grant awards, meanwhile, have presented new opportunities to collaborate on projects and ideas.
One such proposal — a transportation initiative — is funding church vans that can be used by the South Baltimore nonprofit City of Refuge to shuttle residents around who may not have other modes of transit available. Another allowed the SB7 nonprofit to purchase a former Brooklyn dental clinic that will be converted into community meeting space.
The South Baltimore Environmental Justice Collaborative is another such combination of efforts. Students Carlos Sanchez, Taysia Thompson and Vilma Gutierrez are on a small team that’s collecting data that tracks environmental outcomes for neighborhoods close to the CSX Coal Terminal in Curtis Bay, where methane gas that built up in a tunnel exploded in Dec. 2021.
“We’re the next up-and-coming generation to fix the problem that’s been broken for many years,” Thompson said.
From left: Taysia Thompson, Vilma Gutierrez and Carlos Sanchez pose for a portrait outside of the CSX Facility in Curtis Bay on Aug. 4, 2023. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
LETS GO Boys and Girls, a nonprofit that promotes equitable access to STEM learning, was given a grant to provide coaching, training, mentoring and materials in Westport, Cherry Hill, Brooklyn and Lakeland.
In Brooklyn, funds to strengthen the community association still haven’t been distributed, but that’s because Concerned Citizens for a Better Brooklyn is solidifying its budget. Andrea Mayer, co-chair of Concerned Citizens for a Better Brooklyn, said they’ve changed the budget a few times as they’ve decided on different programs and partnerships they want to pursue in the community.
“We were struggling because it’s a lot of money and we wanted to be wise in how we spend it,” Mayer said. She said they’re considering hiring staff to help run the community association.
In Mount Winans, Angela Smothers, president of the community association, surveyed residents door to door in 2021. There were two consistent asks, she said: a community center and more activities for seniors and kids. She plans on using funds for a playground, walking trails and exercise equipment on South Paca Street.
“As opposed to saying, ‘This is what I want or this is what we need,’ I asked, what would be the thing they’d like to see happen?” Smothers said. “They were losing interest because it has been so long, promises that were made were ignored.”
For Keisha Allen, the Westport Neighborhood Association president and chairperson of the Westport Community Development Corporation, a benefit of the SB7 funds is its flexibility to be infused into existing projects. The Westport CDC, for example, owns 17 houses that will eventually be transformed into affordable housing units, and SB7 money is augmenting that work.
Other coalition funds are supporting Westport’s “green ambassador” program, which pays people to take on beautification work such as trash pickup, lawn mowing and tree pruning, she said.
Allen, who recalled feeling skeptical about the plans for Baltimore Peninsula initially, said her feelings have warmed and softened over time.
“We’re no dummies; we saw a threat, and we saw what could happen,” she said about the coalition forming. “It was making sure we weren’t being mistreated or pushed out of our homes.”
Allen said she has high hopes, especially about the brick-and-mortar headquarters in Brooklyn that coalition members will be able to use for meetings, classes and other in-person gatherings. She thinks the physical space could inspire younger people to get involved and make connections. And maybe, she said, it will attract more visits and attention about the coalition’s groundbreaking work.
“Look at what we did, and how we came about, and what we’re doing,” she said. “I don’t see the same enthusiasm in the same way they get enthusiastic about things in other parts of the city.”
MAG Partners scaled its business in a big way during the past year and not long after the company’s birth.
The developer, which MaryAnne Gilmartin founded in July 2020, launched leasing in February for its inaugural New York project, the 480-unit Ruby residential development at 243 West 28th Street in Chelsea. Thirty percent of the units are designated as affordable, and the property includes 8,500 square feet of ground-floor retail. It is named after Black fashion designer Ruby Bailey, and it marked the first of a portfolio of multifamily buildings MAG plans to name after historical and influential women.
“Ruby embodies what we as a company did through the pandemic, where we doubled down on New York and we bet on the city when people were writing its obituary,” Gilmartin said. “We managed to get the financing and the construction underway in very, very difficult circumstances. And now, behold, we have this beautiful building.”
Two other New York City projects from MAG began to take shape in the past year, including at 335 Eighth Avenue, where demolition has begun for a 188-unit rental building. MAG’s project team also assembled a development site at 300 East 50th Street with plans for construction later this year.
Gilmartin also led MAG’s expansion into the Baltimore market by joining with MacFarlane Partners in May 2022 on a 177-acre master-planned community project in South Baltimore. The
1.1 million-square-foot mixed-use development also includes sponsorship from Sagamore Ventures, the family office of Under Armour founder and chairman Kevin Plank, as well as Goldman Sachs’ Urban Investment Group. Since taking over in the developer role, Gilmartin
has signed two commercial leases and an extended-stay hotel development deal, and also started the residential lease-up of nearly 600 units, with a 20 percent affordable component.
“We’ll always be a New York company, but our love of New York and our ability to do what we do, which is to build multiple asset classes and think really big and boldly, brought us to Baltimore,” Gilmartin said. “I think that that was a high-water mark for us to grow the company outside of New York and actually put a flag in the dirt in Baltimore.”
Growing MAG’s footprint into Baltimore contributed to the company more than tripling its employee roster. It now has 33 on staff, 50 percent of them female.
A new Lidl grocery store is headed to 335 Eighth Avenue and it’s anything but little, Commercial Observer has learned.
Lidl inked a 15-year deal for 23,000 square feet at the base of the affordable housing development between West 26th and West 27th streets, according to developer MAG Partners.
Asking rents were $150 per square foot on the ground floor and $65 per square foot in the basement, according to landlord broker Cushman & Wakefield. The new outpost — set to open in 2025 — will be Germany-based Lidl’s second in Manhattan, after it debuted in Harlem at 2187 Frederick Douglass Boulevard in February 2021.
Lidl also has locations in Staten Island and Queens and plans to “open even more stores” in the next few years, including a Brooklyn outpost, Or Raitses, senior director of real estate for Lidl’s New York region, said in a statement.
As part of MAG’s deal with 335 Eighth’s owner — the board of the neighboring housing cooperative — to build the 188-unit residential building, it was required to find a low-cost supermarket for the retail space, and Lidl fit the bill, according to MAG.
“Lidl shares our commitment to the greater Chelsea community and will bring excellent service and products to this neighborhood,” MaryAnne Gilmartin, founder and CEO of MAG, said in a statement.
MAG will break ground on the seven-story project this month, demolishing the existing retail building previously occupied by a McDonald’s, a Gristedes supermarket and restaurant Taco Bandito.
CBRE’s Stephen Sjurset, David LaPierre, Robert Bonicoro and Duane Davis brokered the deal for Lidl while Alan Schmerzler, Sean Moran, Catherine Merck and Patrick O’Rourke of C&W represented MAG. A spokesperson from CBRE declined to comment.
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