Residents expecting to see a transformation of plazas along the north and south sides of Frederick Road in Paradise may be waiting longer than expected.
Shops from 6417 to 6433 Frederick Road, co-owned by Gilbert Moscatelli, were expected to have a new facade and upgraded electrical systems before winter began.
Construction stalled while obtaining permits from Baltimore County, said Moscatelli, managing partner of Esworthy Properties.
"We are near done. We probably have two months to go," Moscatelli said.
Across the street, shops between 6400 and 6412 Frederick Road were also expected to receive a new facade before the start of winter, according to Sam Pleeter, who bought the building last April from Jim Mohler, whose father built the plaza in 1925.
Pleeter had planned to receive financing assistance through Baltimore County's Building Improvement Loan program, which is available to those looking to renovate properties located within the county's 17 designated Commercial Revitalization Districts.
He said the county couldn't accommodate the amount required to complete the project. "The amount we were asking for is over their threshold," said Pleeter, owner of Samlor Construction Co.
Because the project is located within one of the 80 designated sustainable communities in the state, the county encouraged Pleeter to seek assistance from the state's Neighborhood BusinessWorks Program.
That program provides financing for flexible gap loans of up to $500,000 for small businesses locating in, or expanding within, specified areas in the state, according to information on the website.
In 2010, former Gov. Martin O'Malley signed into law legislation that established a sustainable communities designation aimed at the revitalization and promotion of investment in older communities.
A portion of Catonsville achieved the designation in 2013. The area is bounded by the Baltimore City line to the east; the Patapsco River to the west; Somerset Road and Baltimore National Pike to the north; and runs from the Patapsco Valley along Bloomsbury Avenue to the Paradise community to the south, county records show.
Pleeter received a $450,000 loan to complete renovations on the property, said Michael Haloskey, director of business lending programs for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
Because Catonsville is in the 80 sustainable communities across the state, the area's nonprofits and small businesses are eligible to apply for loans of up to $500,000 through the program, Haloskey said.
"The loan is still in the underwriting process," Haloskey said. "We shoot for a 60 day target from application date to closing."
Haloskey said the program provides assistance to small businesses who want to finance a project, but are unable to do so through a private lender.
"It happens a lot with these older sustainable properties," Haloskey said.
To complete the loan process and begin construction, the state needs a letter of support from the county, said Donnell Zeigler, planner coordinator with the county's Department of Planning, in an email.
First District Councilman Tom Quirk plans to introduce a resolution at the County Council's Tuesday, Feb. 17 legislative session, in support of the financing.
"This is proof that the sustainable communities law is really working," Quirk said. "This will only add to the momentum building in Paradise."
Zeigler said the letter of support should be approved by the state on March 2.
Pleeter said he plans to begin construction on the exterior of the building in March. That work will include extending the walls of the building, adding brick, adding new signage, replacing the roof and adding a new facade. He expects the construction to be complete in October.
"We're looking to attract long-term tenants with a national presence with the improvements," said Pleeter, a Pikesville resident.
Those who have been part of a community movement to improve Paradise say the improvements are worth the wait.
"It takes a long time to get business renovations done, " said Maureen Sweeney Smith, a resident who has been part of a volunteer effort to pick up trash and plant flowers in the community. "I'm just really excited because I think we're going to see some real changes this spring."
Sweeney Smith said she is particularly excited about the potential removal of raised planters with trees, which residents say block businesses from the view of passersby.
Moscatelli said his colleagues are working with the state and county to remove the planters and trees.
"I would prefer replacing them with a trees like crepe myrtle, in place of the existing trees at ground level," Moscatelli said.
"The hope, or the fantasy, is that on all of the sidewalk space, we could have outdoor seating," he said.
Paradise resident Scott Schools, who co-manages the "Love Living in Paradise" Facebook page, called the changes a "step in the right direction" for the community separated from the Frederick Road business corridor in Catonsville by the bridge over Interstate 695.
"We definitely want to be hip and up-and-coming," said Schools, who owns a hair salon in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Baltimore City. "I think it's all a step in the right direction."