Broadway Play

The residents of Fells Point stopped a highway from demolishing their neighborhood back in the 1970's, so Dan Winner and Dave Holmes of South Broadway Properties have untertaken their new project wisely and with community input. Besides, they're Fells Pointers themselves (though Winner moved last year to Homeland.)
Winner and Holmes, both 42, are the men behind a proposed restoration of the old Broadway Market into a retail centerpiece for Fells Point that includes adding a second story to the market. The two had been looking for a "little side project" to do together "that would maybe make a difference," as Holmes says. Today, their "little side project" has ballooned into a $50 million redevelopment.
In researching the history of the market, they uncovered a photo showing that it used to have a second level that was destroyed in a fire in the 1950s, as well as a bell tower and arched windows. Through the stories of long-time residents, they were able to "really get a sense of what it must have been like 100 years ago."
"The market is the keynote of the project," says Holmes, and the plan is to
return it to its original two-story glory. Along with a focus on retail, the existing parking lot on Lancaster Street will be used to extend the market and will include public space, while the Aliceanna Street lot will be opened up for pedestrians. The plan also includes possible residential or office space as well as a parking structure.
The pair have attended more than 40 different community group meetings, and it's paying off. Ed Marcinko, president of the Upper Fells Point Improvement Association, says "it's a win-win situation for everybody. Dan and Dave live and work here and that means a lot to us." Councilwoman Sharon Green Middleton, a member of the City Planning Commission, agrees that the project is sound, and can really benefit the community. She calls the market "the historical heartbeat of Fells Point."
The two secured Land Use Committee approval in April, and now are focused on securing the money while they wait for the Mayor to sign their Plan Unit Development bill into law. They've anted up $15 million of their own and friends' money, and now are searching for a co-developer, but they're going to be particular about their choice.
What kind of influence do they hope their project will have? "We really want it to be looked at 50 years from now and be thought of as a good model," says Winner.
"Something where people will say 'I'm glad they did that then.'"