Plans to convert the city’s infamous Super Block from a vacant eyesore into a modern retail and residential complex are gearing up to move forward in the coming months.
Designs for the newly named Compass project have been created by Gensler and show a 262-unit, mixed-income housing development with a 400-car garage as the first step in the project. Westside Partners LLC was awarded development rights 10 months ago by the city for its properties off Howard Street near Fayette and Lexington streets.
Early estimates show the development of The Compass could cost about $100 million. It will convert the entire block just west of Charles Center and blocks from the Baltimore Convention Center into a mixed-use development that would complement other projects underway nearby, like the new Lexington Market.
The long-awaited, ambitious and high-profile Super Block project has suffered fits and starts for about 17 years.
