Cross Street Market is back on track for renovations after an outpouring of concern from neighbors wanting the project to continue.
Back in February vendors hosted a rally asking Caves Valley Partners to not shut down the complex for renovations.
This, amid financial difficulties with the project caused CVP to walk away.
That's when the other side got just as loud. "We kept getting email after email from members of the community saying we really thought this was a done deal. We figured with you all involved it was going to get to the finish," CVP Partner and Former Federal Hill Resident Arsh Mirmiran said.
Two big renegotiations happened to get them back on board.
"We were able to get $200,000 in the state capital budget that will be for tenants for the Baltimore Public Market Corporation to make improvements," Senator Bill Ferguson said.
This money will go straight from the state to vendors, for improvements, and help with rent.
The new renovation plan will keep the market open. "We'll redo the middle first, with the people in the middle temporarily moved to the edge, then we'll move the tenants back into the middle and redo the edges," Mirmiran said.
Ideally Mirmiran said new designs will come out late April, September will be the start of construction and about a year later will be the full reopening.
Other concerns, like the market becoming a "megabar" were quelled. A state bill set to be approved in the coming weeks allows only 20% of the space to sell alcohol. That among other alcohol regulations would be monitored by the City Liquor Board.
Also, all of the tenants have had their leases extended six months.
"So that they could have time to negotiate a longer term deal," Ferguson said.
Four of the sixteen merchants were signed on to continue their lease through the reopening.
"We hope to get to that point with every single merchant in the market," Mirmiran said.
Mirmiran said the new market will be a place for neighbors to buy local fresh produce, meat and other high end grocery items in a renovated space.
"I'm sure there will be some more ups and downs from here until we get it done, but at the end of the day if we have 90% of the people happy I think that's a great result," Mirmiran said.
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