Annapolis has chosen a Baltimore-based developer to oversee the revitalization of the struggling Market House, Mayor Joshua J. Cohen announced last week.
Cohen selected a proposal by the company Gone to Market LLC, to lease the circa-1890 building at City Dock. Its plans include subleasing the property to several vendors, including a bakery, a produce stand, a seafood merchant with an oyster bar and an Italian deli.
The deal has not been finalized, but in an effort to avoid past missteps, the city has hired a lawyer with expertise in commercial leases to begin negotiations.
The company, headed by well-known developers W. Lehr Jackson and Drew Scallan, helped revitalize Belvedere Square in Baltimore and Union Station in Washington.
Market House, once referred to as the "cafeteria of Annapolis," has struggled since a flood closed it down in 2003 and cost $1 million in damages. In 2006, Silver Spring-based Site Realty began leasing the building from the city.
Site Realty sued the city after a dispute over air conditioning resulted in several tenants abruptly abandoning the property. The city paid a $2.5 million settlement to regain control of the site.