Construction Continues On Waterfront Redevelopment Project At Port Covington
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Port Covington is beginning phase 1B of construction for its waterfront redevelopment project.
It's one of the largest in the county and promises tens of thousands of new jobs as well as new office buildings, homes and parks.
"This is one of the biggest revitalization projects in the country and we're talking about bringing tens of thousands of jobs to Baltimore City," said Councilman Eric Costello.
Gov. Larry Hogan was there Wednesday and took a tour of the site.
"Port Covington is a shining example of the potential and the positive growth that the city of Baltimore needs," Hogan said during his tour.
"This is a big deal, not just for south Baltimore, not just for the city, but for the State of Maryland," the governor added.
Gov. Hogan, along with Under Armour founder Kevin Plank and dozens of other local leaders broke ground Wednesday on phase 1B of the Port Covington Project.
It signifies the start of construction of buildings in the 1.1 million-square-foot development, including 440,000 square feet of office space, 586,000 square feet of residential space with 367 residential dwelling units, 89 affordable dwelling units, 81 extended stay units, 116,000 square feet of retail space, 1,000+ parking spaces and 10 acres of parks and public space.
"There are going to be over 50,000 jobs created just in the construction of the project," said Margaret Anadu, the Global Head of Sustainability and Impact for Goldman Sachs, a partner and investor in the project. "But I think even more importantly, there are going to be over 25,000 permanent jobs that get created."
The project began construction back in 2019, and right now includes an Under Armour campus, Rye Street Tavern, Sagamore Spirit Distillery and the entrepreneurial Hub City Garage.
Local leaders said it will bring a big boost to the city economy and benefit surrounding neighbourhoods like Brooklyn, Cherry Hill and Curtis Bay.
"This is just a huge moment in what we're doing here in Baltimore City," Costello said. "I think it's going to help lead to a resurgence of our city."
Project leaders said they've also emphasized including local, minority and women-owned businesses in the redevelopment.
"The inclusive waterfront community... There's not a lot of that in the world and I think this project is going to be a new template for how to do that in the right way," Mike Gaffney, Chief Financial Officer of Weller Development Company, said.
Officials said some of these buildings that are part of this next phase of construction will open next year.
