Johns Hopkins to Build a Village

Following consultations with neighbor organizations and other relevant parties next month, planning and designing efforts will begin. Construction is on target to commence sometime next year. "Our commitment to the Charles Village neighborhood includes master planning and merging a variety of strategic and solid development elements that can now be put into place to create a vibrant neighborhood with tremendous staying power and broad appeal to a variety of stakeholders," SBE&R senior development director and project leader Linda T. LoCascio explains in a statement. The three-part facility will sit on an L-shaped parcel on N. Charles St., across from the Homewood campus. Homewood Garage and buildings containing office space and class space currently occupy the site and will be demolished to make room for the new structures.

For Johns Hopkins students, faculty, visitors and area residents, the retail portion of the Charles Village Project will provide a much-needed boost in retail options in the community. And having the additional residential space will allow the university to reduce the gap in available campus housing for undergraduates. "The project provides an opportunity to bring the Charles Village community and the university together to improve the Hopkins experience for students and the quality of living for residents," notes John Spurrier, immediate past president of the Charles Village Civic Association. "Retail development that complements rather than competes with existing businesses will result in residents making fewer trips to the suburbs." The Charles Village Project is expected to reach completion prior to the start of the school's 2005 fall semester.