Westport Waterfront is a $1.5 billion, 50-acre transit-oriented development located along Baltimore’s Patapsco River.  The project is a joint venture of Baltimore-based Turner Development Group and The Carlyle Group, one the world’s largest private-equity firms.  The lifestyle-focused project is presently the only neighborhood development on the East Coast seeking the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification for Neighborhood Development.

Overcoming obstacles
Redeveloping in an urban waterfront environment poses many challenges and requires a collaborative approach to be successful.  The 50-acre Westport site was actually six different parcels which were combined into one mater plan and approved as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) in 2007.  Acquisition of all of the parcels too more than three years and many believed that it would be impossible to acquire all of the prices.

As a formal industrial property, unknowns existed as to what environmental hazards would be uncovered at Westport.  Intensive testing was required in order to demonstrate to the Maryland Department of the Environment that the project could be safely redeveloped.  Establishing a budget for hazardous material removal was difficult as contractors would not – until some demolition was complete – give a fixed price due to the building size and inaccessibility of some areas.  The asbestos remediation in the BG&E building alone cost $4.5 million.

Westport is located on the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, which is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  It is an ecologically significant area, and additional measures will be employed to ensure the preservation of natural habitat and prevent runoff from negatively impacting the basin.  However, by working closely with city and state regulators and embracing the preservation of the landscape as an amenity rather than a burden, the resulting plan allows the urban and natural areas to coexist.

Urban, green, lifestyle-focused community
The U.S. Green Building Council is moving beyond certifying green buildings to certifying whole neighborhoods.  Projects are evaluated by a number of criteria, including location, density, conservation of wetlands, reduction in automobile dependence, proximity to housing and jobs, walkability, energy efficiency and other measures.  Organizers hop to establish a new way to create and evaluate environmental sustainability in urban design and development.

Based on current LEED Neighborhood Development guidelines, Westport Waterfront is a “smart location.”  The project conserves natural and financial resources by its location in an existing community and by promoting urban revitalization.  Baltimore City is committing $160 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to fund new infrastructure, public spaces, piers and streetscape improvements.  Turner Development Group is also partnering with Living Classrooms Foundation, The Parks and People Foundation and others to green and beautify the adjacent neighborhood and improve exiting housing.  Turner is promoting community rebuilding with a full-time community partnerships coordinator to organize residents and leverage resources for neighborhood revitalization.

Access to light rail, bus and a bicycle network will reduce carbon emissions and promote a healthy lifestyle.  The project is located in close proximity to I-95 and MD-295 and the light rail provides easy access to BWI Airport and is one stop from downtown and the MARC commuter rail station.  An urban bike trail will connect to the 15-mile Gwynns Falls Trail.

Unlike the hard-edged bulkhead in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Westport is designed with a soft edge waterfront.  Westport’s design protects and enhances natural resources and will result in the placement of eight acres of land in a permanent Forest Conservation easement, 70,000 trees and shrubs planted, wetlands rebuilt and restored, and new habitat protection areas created.  Dry swales, bioretention, rain basins, green roofs and recreated wetlands will mitigate stormwater runoff into the Chesapeake Bay.

Westport’s neighborhood design includes building a varying scales, architecture and street widths, and more than 16 acres of open space.  The 16-foot wide and heavily planted dry swales will add to the natural aesthetic and serve an environmental function. 

Green is no longer an option but a prerequisite for many businesses.  LEED Platinum ND certification will deliver approximately one-third of the vertical construction LEED points needed for certification.  More than 50 percent of Westport’s multifamily and commercial buildings will be LEED certified.

Whenever possible, sustainable, durable, high-performance local materials and methods will be used.  Steel from existing buildings is being recycled and concrete will be crushed for reuse on site.  High-performance light fixtures will provide greater efficiency.  Pavers will be made of recycled materials and pervious asphalt will cover bike trails.

Westport will serve as a model for future Middle Branch development.  There are about 270 acres of land surrounding the Middle Branch that can be redeveloped.  Other sites will likely face similar challenges and will benefit from the successful tactics implemented at Westport.  The network of parks, hiking and biking trails and natural waterfront linking together new mixed-use neighborhoods will offer a unique urban lifestyle that will benefit the entire region.