Baltimore’s quasi-city agency that oversees development has posted a detailed job description for its soon-to-be-vacant head job following the retirement of M.J. “Jay” Brodie last month.

The Baltimore Development Corp. is seeking a “well-qualified economic development official” as president and CEO, a post that also holds a seat in the cabinet of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the job posting on the BDC’s website says.

Rawlings-Blake will hire a replacement for Brodie, who is stepping down after 16 years, subject to approval of the City Council.

The ideal candidate, the job posting says, will have “strong leadership qualities and possess thorough knowledge and experience in urban economic development, a passion for business and real estate development, and demonstrate a successful track record in the strategic planning, implementation and completion of complex projects, business negotiations and organizational restructuring.”

Among the other duties, the candidate is responsible for:

– Creating a strategic economic development plan with the BDC board of directors, mayor’s office and public and private partners
– Recruiting new businesses and supporting existing businesses that create job opportunities for city residents
– Providing business assistance and opportunities for minority- and women-owned and small businesses
– Facilitating new commercial development projects in Baltimore
– Actively and strategically marketing Baltimore as a premier urban location to do business and real estate development
– Actively advocating for public policies and development projects that support Baltimore’s economic growth

Brodie’s salary in 2009 was $204,175, according to the latest federal documents with BDC compensation on file.

Applications will be accepted through April 6, the posting says.

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At the city’s emerging new hotspot, Locust Point, the new apartments and retail at McHenry Row are filling with tenants and retailers. Spies there say about six of the 250 apartments in the development are being rented each week, with tenants paying rents that average nearly $2,600 a month for a two-bedroom pad.

The development by Mark Sapperstein unofficially opened Dec. 7 with the ribbon cutting for the Harris Teeter grocery store, the 61,000-square-foot anchor of the commercial side of the project that also includes a strip of shops, salons and restaurants and a Greene Turtle bar.

In the meantime, another project is getting ready to launch.

A 200-unit apartment development with street-level retail at near Lawrence Street and Fort Avenue is in the planning phase, with a ground breaking in the near future. That’s the former site of the General Electric plant. The development will be considered by the Locust Point Civic Association this spring.

Around the bend of Key Highway, Under Armour is getting ready to embark on a massive expansion at the Tide Point complex.

This week, a company executive testified before a City Council committee about the expansion project in a hearing about changing the planned unit development there for the office expansion and rename the PUD Under Armour Headquarters. The full City Council will hear the proposal Monday evening.

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This week, NAIOP named Randall M. Griffin as winner of its Maryland Lifetime Achievement Award to be given out an awards gala on April 19 at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore.

Griffin will retire as CEO of Corporate Office Properties Trust at the end of this month after a nearly four-decade career in the commercial real estate business. For the past 19 years, he has headed the Constellation Real Estate Group and its successor, Corporate Office Properties Trust, or COPT. Before that, he was vice president of development for EuroDisney in Paris.

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A city commission voted Tuesday to add two downtown buildings on the city’s Westside to the list of Baltimore City Landmarks.

The Baltimore Commission on Historical & Architectural Preservation voted to add the old Baltimore Equitable Society Building at 21 N. Eutaw St. and the Turnbull Building at 311 and 313 W. Baltimore St. to the list after a brief hearing Tuesday near City Hall.

The old Baltimore Equitable Society Building is located across from the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. It is now Alewife, a restaurant and pub owned by Bill Carr.

The Turnbull Building, located around the corner, is being converted to 18 apartments by owner Ibrahim Sheikh.

The vote by CHAP means both designations will move on to the city’s Planning Commission for approval to the list. If that is received, the proposals will be forwarded to the City Council for a vote.

The Baltimore City Landmarks list holds structures that have historical significance to the city, said Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Business Partnership of Baltimore.

Criteria for selection to the list includes “the quality of significance in Baltimore history, architecture, archeology, engineering,” according to the CHAP website.

Photo: Beer in Baltimore

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Two local firms have won design kudos in the Wood Works Wood Design Awards.

Ayers Saint Gross Inc. recently won the commercial wood design category for the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center in Charlottesville, Va.

The design uses wood as the primary building material to complement the brick architecture of Jefferson’s historic and grand house, Monticello, and it reflects the surrounding natural beauty of the property.

The King Hall Galley Renovation in Annapolis won the interior beauty of wood category.

The awards are given in eight categories and entries were submitted from design and architectural firms in 20 states.

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How’s this for personal service?

Charm City Concierge has just inked a deal to serve the seven General Growth Properties properties in the Columbia Corporate Center that are leased and managed by Cushman & Wakefield.

The CCC will add to its team of 40 for this effort that will help GGP secure, retain and expand relationships with tenants, a release send this week said.

“Our goal is to be of service to the people that are most important to GGP,” said Tina Urquhart, president of Charm City Concierge. “We do this by getting to know their tenants personally and providing memorable service experiences that improve their lives and enhances their work environment.”

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NAI KLNB recently sold a 44,800-square-foot warehouse and distribution building located at 225 Talbot Road in Chestertown for $1.47 million.

Jim Caronna, Principal for NAI KNLB represented both the buyer, KRM Development and the seller, 225 Talbot Road LLC.

The site was formerly occupied by the Wisco Envelope Co. as a mid-sized manufacturing plant. Under the new owners, the building will be used by the Dixon Specialty Products Division of Wisco to manufacture industrial hose couplings and accessories.

“We were in need of a well-maintained building with an expansive and flexible floor plate that would be suitable for creating a manufacturing plant,” said Ron Athey, president of KRM Development, the real estate division for the Dixon Valve Co. “It was also important for the facility to be large enough to incorporate a warehouse element. In addition to the strategic location of 225 Talbot Road, this building satisfied each of our requirements,” he added.

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The University of Maryland Faculty Physicians has signed a lease for 8,182 square feet at 5500 Knoll North Drive in Columbia for a new University of Maryland Orthopedics outpatient center.

The facility will join Columbia Medical Practice, US Physical Therapy, 1st Choice Chiropractic, Audiology First, Earl Wilkinson MD, LabCorp, Chesapeake Oncology, St. Agnes Hospital Cardiology and Johns Hopkins Cardiology at the Columbia Medical Campus near the intersection of Routes 175 and 29.

The University of Maryland was represented by CBRE broker David Fields, while Montecito Medical hired brokers Kim Penny and Laura Westervelt, also with CBRE, for the transaction.

“University of Maryland is a recognized leader in the healthcare industry, and its Orthopedics Program is ranked as one of the nation’s 50 best by U.S. News & World Report. We could not be more pleased to welcome the physicians to their new location in Columbia Medical Center,” said David McNeil, MMAC Senior Vice President, Asset Management.

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TIDBITS: A temporary pedestrian bridge is now open on Fort Avenue where the $6 million bridge replacement work has been gridlocking the Locust Point peninsula near the new McHenry Row development for months now. The new bridge is expected to be completed in early summer … Merritt Properties has leased 8,763 square feet to the healthcare management firm Strategic Health Solutions LLC at 8830 Stanford Boulevard in Columbia. Jamie Campbell, Liz Tarran-Jones, Vince Bagli and Steve Shaw negotiated the deal for Merritt … School construction updates: Bidding is open for the $10 million renovation and addition to Stoneleigh Elementary School in Baltimore County. Meanwhile, the $58 million project to build a modern, new Carver Center for the Arts and Technology in Towson is nearing completion. A nostalgic walk-through the old school is being planned for alumni before that building is razed this summer to make way for new playing fields … New owners of what used to be Sanders’ Corner on the scenic, rural Cromwell Bridge Road are preparing to reopen the restaurant as McFaul’s IronHorse Tavern at Sanders’ Corner. Target date to begin serving brunch, lunch and dinner (and a variety of beers) is early May … Besides the butterflies and dandelions now showing early spring glory, many Rita’s stores are now open for business again.

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Last week, 27 multi-unit properties in the Mt. Vernon Historic District were auctioned by Alex Cooper Real Estate — an event that included 50 registered bidders and a renewed air of optimism about the market.

The bankruptcy auction, held in Towson at the Alex Cooper office, centered on several apartment houses along Calvert and St. Paul streets, and on other historic streets in center city, many three- and four-story stately brick buildings that hold up to 2,100 square feet of space.

Auctioneer Paul Cooper reported that the buildings that sold went for up to $60,000 per unit with a 25-day close. Some were bought back by lenders. Locations like 10 E. Biddle St. sold for $388,500; 1210 N. Calvert St. for $220,500 and 802-804 Cathedral St. for $630,000.

“The pace of bidding and activity” of the auction rivaled 2005, Cooper reported.

In addition, Cooper said a 24-unit apartment project on Melrose Avenue between York Road and Charles Street was also auctioned last week and attracted 18 registered bidders.

“I see a definite uptick of investors into the marketplace,” he said, of both auctions.

Two days prior to the Mt. Vernon auction, bidders were required to submit bids in writing, and some started as low as $100,000. That paced the sales, Cooper said, at a fast-moving clip.

Overall, it was an example that the investment market is ramping up locally again, Cooper said.

“It was like taking orders at a deli at lunch time,” Cooper said jokingly, of the Mt. Vernon auction.

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A new branch of the upscale BRIO Tuscan Grille opened March 2 at the busy corner of Pratt and Calvert streets, a prime restaurant space that’s been vacant for five years since Legal Seafood closed.

The restaurant’s menu features a variety of Italian fare including soup, salads, pasta, steaks and grilled fish, chicken and lamb and pork chops.

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The 416-acre private business park at Aberdeen Proving Ground is growing.

A three-story, Class “A” office building has broken ground, and owner St. John Properties Inc. says it expects new tenants to move in this fall.

The 75,000-square foot building will be located at 6190 Guardian Gateway within the Government and Technology Enterprise, or GATE, project, a business community located inside the Harford County Army base.

This fall, when the building is completed, St. John will have built a total of 10 office and research and development buildings within three years at the site, totaling more than 625,000 square feet of space.

“We continue to see demand at the GATE as firms look to join or expand their presence inside the fence line of APG,” said Matt Holbrook, regional partner for St. John Properties.

“Through the recent Base Realignment and Closure Act process, APG has emerged as the nerve center for the Army’s technological development and procurement activities,” he said. “We also see strong interest from government contractors and other agencies that want to join the APG community and co-locate with their federal customers. Only the GATE location provides this connection to the APG community.”

The new building has been designed to achieve LEED Silver Certification for environmental sustainability. Features will include a high-efficiency HVAC  system, high-performance windows, sustainable lavatory fixtures, a white thermoplastic polyolefin roofing system, significant open space and wetland/forest preserves and drought-tolerant landscaping.

Overall, St. John has capacity to build up to two million square feet of Class “A” multistory and single-story office space at the GATE and has a 10-year build-out plan for the site.

Existing tenants there include the Boeing Co., CACI, General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Raytheon, Science Applications International Corp. and Telford Aviation.

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Yerman Witman Gaines and Conklin, a.k.a. the Strata Group, has recently downsized by shuttering several satellite offices in Bel Air, Fort Meade, Locust Point at McHenry Row and Severn Square.

This week, the realty firm announced another change: a merger with the Pennsylvania-based Prudential Homesale Family of Companies.

The name of the new company is Prudential Homesale YWGC Realty, the nearly 200 local Realtors were told via Tweet and text sent from headquarters at Bare Hills in North Baltimore Wednesday afternoon.

The newly merged company will have a sales force of about 1,150 Realtors, sources say.

The Prudential Homesale group is based in the southeastern portion of Pennsylvania, focusing on Lancaster, York, Reading and Harrisburg.

YWGC had opened many of its satellite offices in the region to great fanfare this past year, and perhaps grew too big too fast as the recession’s grip still holds tight to the state’s housing market.

In Bel Air, William Yerman, the Strata Group’s CEO, said he had hoped to hire up to 60 Realtors to handle expected sales from relocating BRAC employees to live near Aberdeen Proving Ground. The same theory held for the Fort Meade office, which is in an area being expanded by BRAC at Fort George G. Meade.

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NAI KLNB Retail Investment Sales this week sold two Food Lion-anchored retail shopping centers in North Carolina for $2.8 million to New York investors GA-FCU Management LLC.

The shopping centers are 36,000-square-foot Roseboro Centre, which is 75 percent leased, and 43,550-square-foot Mountain View Shopping in Hickory, which is totally leased.

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There was a milestone hit this week at the Maryland Live! Casino at Arundel Mills.

Workers completed the exterior work of the $500 million gaming palace and 8-story parking garage, set to open in June. The topping-off ceremony took place Wednesday at the site, located around back of the mammoth mall off of Route 100 in Hanover.

Developer and owner David Cordish signed his name on a steel beam that was lifted to the building’s crown as part of the completion of the outside work.

By mid-June, officials estimate that 3,000 slot machines and electronic table games will greet patrons at the 300,000-square-foot casino and restaurant space owned and operated by the Cordish Co. of Baltimore. Another 1,750 machines will be added by the fall.

The casino development has been in full swing at the site since Anne Arundel County voters approved the plan in November 2010 on a referendum vote. Plans to build a casino in Baltimore City, roughly 15 miles away at a site near M&T Bank Stadium, are stalled.

Cordish officials say 2,500 workers are helping to build the casino at Arundel Mills and the casino is expected to employ another 1,500 when it opens.

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Saturday in Fulton, homebuilders Miller & Smith will unveil their Fells Point Collection of houses in Howard County’s Maple Lawn during a celebration called “the big reveal.”

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Last week’s announcement that Giant Food was leaving its long-time location at the Rotunda to relocate to the site of a Fresh & Green’s  store less than a mile away sparked intense speculation about the future of the Rotunda as a retail center.

The mall has been a gathering place in north Baltimore since 1971 and has ebbed and flowed with several eateries, boutiques and shops over the years. Today it is nearly vacant.

Plans unveiled five years ago to pump $70 million into the site to redevelop it into a mixed-use space to include a hotel, expanded retail and office space, 302 apartments, 12 townhomes and 44 condominiums stalled. Now comes word that Giant is clearing out its shelves and moving on.

The future of the food store has kept the Rotunda’s owners, New Jersey-based Hekemian & Co., on hold for years, said Chris Bell, senior vice president for development.

Bell said Giant has been in limbo to remain at the site since 2009 — even as plans were underway to expand the size of the store there from 35,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet.

“We have been sitting on our hands since then waiting for Giant,” Bell said Friday.

What is the status of the changes at Rotunda today?

“It’s on more than ever,” he said. “The response we’re getting from the real estate community and the citizen community is excellent. We’ve heard from every major brokerage house, wanting to know when we are going to put our tenant mix together. We are starting the process to redo the program right now.”

City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke’s office said a community meeting is being planned in the next month to discuss the future of the development Hekemian reps.

“There have been a ton of calls,” said Jermaine Johnson, an aide to Clarke. “Most of them are of the sentiment that now that Giant is leaving, what can be done? They think it could bring in new life here. I don’t think people are distressed.”

Johnson said many are talking up an idea to lobby Trader Joe’s to locate a store in the old Giant site, bringing the grocer’s eclectic and affordable offerings closer to Hampdenites and Roland Parkers.

“That seems to be the fan favorite,” Johnson said, of the calls to City Hall.

Johns Hopkins University, which purchased the former Zurich insurance office complex located next door, is not interested in adding the Rotunda to its real estate holdings.

Spokeswoman Tracey Reeves said this week that is simply not in the institution’s future.

“Johns Hopkins has not purchased the Rotunda nor are we interested in buying it,” Reeves said in an email.

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KLNB Retail will be the sales broker for the proposed Aberdeen Station, a retail center now on the drawing board for a site near the Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Harford County’s latest commercial strip is expected to have four to six free-standing retailers using 70,000 square feet of space. The merchandising mix is expected to include a food store, convenience store/fuel station, bank and sit-down restaurants. Developer Frankel Properties expects to break ground on the project this year for a 2013 target completion date.

Aberdeen Station will be located on 10 acres on Route 40 near the Route 715 intersection.

“Retail development in the Aberdeen Proving Ground marketplace has not kept pace with the accelerated growth of Class A commercial office space over the past several years and the resultant influx of new employees to the region,” said Patrick A.M. Miller, a principal at KLNB. “The 2.5 million-square-foot APG Command Center was completed last fall, and a multitude of developers have delivered and leased several million square feet of additional space both within and just outside the gates of Aberdeen Proving Ground over the past several years. The immediate marketplace remains underserved for day-to-day retail amenities including various restaurant concepts, soft and hard goods and basic amenities.”

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This week, the Board of Public Works voted to rename the Jeffrey Building at 16 Francis Street in Annapolis in honor of Fred L. Wineland, a former state delegate and senator and secretary of state from Prince George’s County.

The Jeffrey Building was built in 1965 and is home today to the state’s Department of Planning, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security.

Wineland was a World War II veteran and served in the Pacific. He was secretary of state for Maryland from 1971 to 1982 and also served on the Maryland Port Commission.

“Fred Wineland served Maryland for more than 40 years in elected and appointed capacities with the highest degree of ethics and concern for Marylanders’ well-being,” said Department of General Services Secretary Alvin C. Collins. “In view of Mr. Wineland’s service and dedication, it is wonderful that the Board of Public Works has voted to bestow this honor on such an outstanding citizen.”

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Movie goers will revel in the news this week that the historic Senator Theatre is moving forward with its renovations, thanks to a $300,000 state tax credit.

Look for the Art Deco theater on York Road to add two screens, a wine bar and new seating in the big house that will now hold 600 seats. The upgrades will be complete renovations to the theater

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TIDBITS: The Mall in Columbia announced this week a new Sketchers sneakers and casual shoes store will open there in May …  Everyman Theatre officials say they are continuing efforts to raise money to help pay for the new house at 315 W. Fayette St., now under renovation and construction … Yet another corner drug store? A new Walgreens will be dedicated in Towson on Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. at 939 York Rd.

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A lone insurance adjuster stood by what was left of a dilapidated row house in Johnston Square Thursday morning, taking photos for what certainly will be an upcoming claim.

The address in ruins was in the 800 block of E. Preston Street, just south of the historic Greenmount Cemetery. It was part of a $5.3 million rehab project of scattered vacant houses in the community, funded mostly with federal stimulus money. Mi Casa, a Washington-based nonprofit, is the developer of the project.

Thursday, what’s left of the house littered the site, with nail-studded beams loosely hanging in a perilous position from the top story, aimed at the sidewalk below.

What exactly happened, though, is in dispute.

Top city housing officials including Commissioner Paul T. Graziano said Wednesday they did not know of the collapse of the structure.

Graziano’s spokesperson, Cheron Porter, said in an emailed statement Thursday: “Mi Casa’s end of group structure at 818 E Preston completely collapsed. It is fenced off and the debris is contained on site. They had permits, and it seems they were onsite and handled the incident themselves. They have not taken any additional action (re: new permits to reconstruct). The go forward issues are not principally code enforcement ones. They will have to appropriately permit the rebuild, or the razing of the foundation.”

A neighbor across the street on Thursday described how the rowhouse “just collapsed” one day last month, sending a loud boom across the community.

The insurance adjuster, said he was informed that the house had collapsed on Jan. 20, “and thank God, no one was in it or near it.” It went unreported for a couple of weeks, he added.

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