Senator to debut in July; TU comes to Bel Air

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The historic Senator Theatre in North Baltimore is set to reopen in expanded and upgraded digs in July, owner James “Buzz” Cusack said this week.

The 74-year-old movie house has been undergoing a gut rehab for the past several months under the direction of Cusack and his daughter, Kathleen Lyon.

When it opens, patrons will be able to see the changes steps past the ticket booth: The entrance space and its rotunda will hold a custom-made Art Deco-style chandelier, and the main theatre will boast a new custom-made concession stand, stadium seating and upgraded bathrooms. Additions include three smaller theatres inside the complex and a 75-seat wine bar facing York Road.

Cusack said the construction is progressing at a steady pace with a goal of the grand reopening just as the summer movie blockbuster season gets into full swing.

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Mark your calendar for May 30 at noon for the groundbreaking to kick off construction of the new satellite Towson University campus in Bel Air.

The $28 million TU in Northeastern Maryland facility will be located on the campus of Harford Community College and will represent a budding partnership between the two institutions and nearby Cecil College. First classes will be offered in the 60,000-square foot TU building in fall 2014.

The academic partners aim to offer students who seek a two-year associate degree at the community colleges the opportunity for a “seamless” transfer to TU courses that will include an emphasis on science, math, technology and engineering offerings in order to prep them for jobs at Aberdeen Proving Ground, the largest employer in Harford County.

TU President Maravene Loeschke will attend the ceremony alongside Harford Community College President Dennis Golladay. The campus will be located at 510 Thomas Run Road in Bel Air.

Harford County officials have said for years that stronger higher education offerings were needed in the area to set up a better feeder system to APG and its new focus on cyber security, engineering and national security development.

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Four new retailers are moving into The Mall in Columbia as part of the landmark’s 70,000-square foot expansion and redevelopment, owner General Growth Properties announced this week.

Lulumon Athletica is opening a 3,200-square foot store on the upper level this summer, followed by the vintage denim retailer, True Religion in a 1,572-square-foot space. Both stores will be located near the mall’s new entrance to its redesigned Main Street-like lifestyle center and streetscape.

In addition, Aerosoles will open a 2,100-square-foot shoe store on the upper level wing near Nordstrom this fall, and frozen yogurt maker Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt is set to begin offering treats in a 975-square-foot location on the lower level food court this summer.

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Greenberg Gibbons officials announced four new tenants for the $130 million redevelopment of the Towne Centre Laurel project.

The announcement that a 50,507-square foot Regal Cinemas, a 49,000-square foot Harris Teeter grocery store, a Sports Authority and a Burlington Coat Factory store will be added to the development was made at a meeting of Laurel’s mayor and City Council.

Phase one construction will begin next month. The Towne Centre is a conversion of the 31-year-old Laurel Mall. Overall, the project will include 400,000 square feet of retail, entertainment and dining space and 435 residential units when build out is completed in March 2016.

Brian Gibbons, chairman and CEO of Greenberg Gibbons, was recently awarded the 2013 Henry A. Rosenberg, Sr. Distinguished Citizen Award by the Baltimore Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Gibbons, a graduate of Loyola Blakefield High School, was recognized for his community leadership and outstanding contributions to improving the quality of life in the Baltimore area. His other developments include the Annapolis Towne Centre, the Hunt Valley Towne Centre and the Waugh Chapel Towne Centre. He is also developing Foundry Row in Owings Mills, to be anchored by a Wegmans grocery store, at the former Solo Cup site.

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Local experts at The Verve Partnership, a boutique interior architecture firm, recently created a high-tech, open floor plan at the 3,600-square-foot offices of CyberPoint International in a suite at 621 E. Pratt St. in the Cyber Technology & Innovation Center.

CyberPoint, a cyber security company located off Pier 4 at the Inner Harbor, was given a sleek workspace “where cubes don’t thrive,” Verve officials said, explaining the challenge of designing workspace for a new generation whose approach to the 9-to-5 is not your grandfather’s (or even your father’s, for that matter) workspace.

The new space includes modular furniture in a casual meeting space, a demonstration lab, a test and integration lab, a community space, and conference rooms that encourage team work. A wood floor “path” shows the way to a technology screen insert in an industrial-looking metal grate. Custom-made “harvest” tables were added to help creative teams get their thoughts flowing in a collaborative manner.

Verve’s managing principal, Kelly Ennis, holds a degree in interior architecture from the Maryland Institute College of Art.

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TIDBITS: The city’s Board of Estimates this week approved $40,500 to help fund a renovation to the entrance of Patterson Park at Eastern and Patterson Park Avenues. The new gateway is also near the park’s endearing other landmark, the Pagoda … This week, the Columbia Foundation announced it had changed its name to the Community Foundation of Howard County. The nonprofit group was first formed in 1969 by Columbia’s visionary and founder James W. Rouse, who established it as a local charitable base. The group has awarded millions to local charities since then … The popular and very preppy Ellie Boutique in Ruxton will close for good later this month. Owners Steve and Margaret Smith will soon focus on opening an exclusive Lillie Pulitzer store in Rehoboth Beach, Del. The shop’s closing was first reported by Baltimore Fishbowl … Fast Park officials said this week they have installed three charging stations at their Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport facility for owners of electric vehicles. The juice is free. Clients can charge their cars while they travel. Baltimore is one of the first markets to offer the service, Fast Park officials said … The foot-stompin’ Cajun/Zydeco music of The Crawdaddies will kick off the Friday summer concert series at Belvedere Square, beginning tonight at 6 p.m. Other gigs booked through Aug. 30 will play a smorgasbord of music types that include Irish rock, salsa, Latin jazz, reggae and good old rock n’ roll.