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A rendering of 'The Enolia," a 151-unit, 473-bed off-campus housing project at 4529 Harford Road in Baltimore, less than one mile from Morgan State University’s main campus. The 3.3-acre project is set to open in 2025 and is the first new privately built off-campus housing project to serve Morgan State students in more than 20 years. The project is named after Enolia Pettigen McMillan, one of Baltimore’s most significant civil rights leaders: who made invaluable contributions to the desegregation of Maryland schools and the advancement of Blacks. (Rendering courtesy of MCB Real Estate/Alexander Design Studio)
MCB Real Estate to provide relief for Morgan St. housing crunch with ‘The Enolia’
Listen to this articleMCB Real Estate, an institutional commercial real estate investment management firm based in Baltimore with nationwide holdings, Thursday announced plans to build “The Enolia,” a 151-unit, 473-bed off-campus housing project aimed at easing Morgan State University’s student housing crunch.
Located at 4529 Harford Road in Baltimore, less than a mile from Morgan State’s main campus, will be the first new privately built off-campus housing project to serve Morgan students in more than 20 years.
The 3.3-acre project is set to open in 2025.
The Enolia combines affordability with amenities including study rooms, student collaboration spaces, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a game room, secure bike and package storage and an outdoor courtyard. Each unit will offer full-size washers and dryers, granite countertops and ensuite bathrooms with a one-bathroom-to-one-bedroom ratio throughout.
The development is being named after Enolia Pettigen McMillan, a Baltimore civil rights leader who made contributions to the desegregation of Maryland schools and the advancement of African Americans.
Her dedication to these causes led her to serve as the first and only female chair of the Morgan State University Board of Regents. After serving in this role, McMillan went on to become president of the Maryland State Colored Teachers Association and the first female president of the national NAACP.
McMillan died in 2006 at 102 years old.
Housing has become a priority in the past few years at Morgan State. The university now has nearly 10,000 students currently enrolled and more than 50% of new students coming from out-of-state. Morgan has been renting additional housing and hotel rooms off-campus, to meet growing demand for living space.
As part of the Morgan Community Mile anchor-institution initiative, the project also removes the largest blighted property on Harford Road, Baltimore’s longest designated Main Street and replaces it with new housing that will bring new residents to support area businesses. As part of the project, MCB partnered with the nonprofit Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street (HLMS) who secured a SEED Anchor Institution grant from Morgan State and the state of Maryland to demolish the vacant buildings on the site.
In 2022, MCB played a role as part of the development team that led the redevelopment of the troubled Northwood Plaza Shopping Center into Northwood Commons, a fully leased retail center anchored by a LIDL grocery store, Barnes and Noble bookstore and Morgan’s new Public Safety Building.
WesBanco, which entered the Baltimore market in 2019, is a key financing partner in the project. The Wells Fargo Foundation was also fundamental in making The Enolia a reality, having awarded an $800,000 grant to the Morgan State University Foundation, which then invested in the project.
Founded in 2007, MCB Real Estate has $3 billion in assets under management and a portfolio of approximately 15 million square-feet of industrial, office, retail, mixed-use, multi-family and life sciences properties, with nearly 4 million square feet of space in development.
