Merritt Properties LLC said Wednesday it wants to redevelop the site of its Canton athletic clubs with a new office building and seven-story parking garage.
The project comes as part of the transformation of the formerly industrial southeastern edge of the city into a hub anchored by projects such as the 17-story 1st Mariner tower, Shops at Canton Crossing and the Brewers Hill apartments. Farther east, construction of a new BJ's Wholesale Club is expected to begin today.
Merritt's proposal for the 300-space garage, to be located on the southern edge of its 3401 Boston Street property where a pool is now, would include a new indoor pool on the first level and a second, outdoor one on the top, said Scott Dorsey, the firm's chairman and CEO.
The Baltimore-area developer also is considering a mid-rise tower on the grounds of its front parking lot, with six floors of parking and five floors of offices representing about 102,000 square feet, he wrote in an email. The first floor would contain about 12,000-square-feet of retail.
Merritt is scheduled to present its plans for the site, located just west of the Shops at Canton Crossing, to the city's urban design and architecture review panel Thursday.
The firm does not have a tenant for the office building, which would begin after the garage is complete, pending market conditions, Dorsey said.
Other potential projects in the works nearby include a plan released last year by Columbia-based Corporate Office Properties Trust for 250,000-square-feet of offices, shopping and restaurants on its waterfront Canton holdings. It was looking for a tenant to proceed.
The developers of Canton Crossing, which include Mark Sapperstein and WorkShop Development, are also working on a second phase.
Dorsey, whose firm purchased the 2.2-acre athletic clubs parcel in 2009 for $6.25 million, did not say how much the firm plans to invest in the project. The Merritt Athletic Clubs would remain open throughout construction of the garage, expected to take about a year once the firm secures approvals, he said.
nsherman@baltsun.com