Redevelopment project set to breathe economic life into Port of Baltimore

BALTIMORE - Over the past 10 years, Tradepoint Atlantic has worked to clean up the infamous remnants of the Bethlehem Steel Days to bring back new reimagined glory days to the Port of Baltimore. 

"This is the next major phase of redevelopment and clean up at Sparrows Point," said Aaron Tomarchio, Executive Vice President of Tradepoint Atlantic.

To do that, Tradepoint Atlantic is working to rebuild an efficient port economy that will no longer be tied to one single company. 

It's learning its lesson from the Old Bethlehem Steel Days by making this port a welcome place for many companies to import their goods. 

"Fifty world-class tenants here ranging from McCormick and Under Armour to Perdue to Home Depot Gotham Greens, just to name a few of our tenants here and they span many different elements of our economy," Tomarchio said.

So the plan is to build a new container terminal, along with the growing industry buildings, on this massive piece of land that holds a lot of history. But its goal is to return Baltimore to its prominence as a global economic hub. 

"Baltimore contributes to the overarching port economy in our country from raw materials that are coming through our burse today to the hopeful boxes that will be coming through the new container terminal that we have," Tomarchio said.

This billion-dollar project will bring more than 1,100 jobs and restore a somewhat forgotten hub. 

But to get this done, there are a lot of permits that have to be approved, along with community feedback in surrounding neighborhoods, including Turner Station and Dundalk, which is already in motion. 

"I think that this project offers a lot of economic opportunity which is very exciting," said Rebecca Higgins, Chief of Staff for the Federal Permitting Council. "There is also potential impacts that they're considering, like traffic impacts, so I think it's a matter of balancing that and figuring out how to mitigate."

"This is the right idea at the right time with the right partners at the table, and it will signal, Baltimore is going to be a major port along the East Coast United States," Tomarchio said.

The next step is for this fast track permit to be approved by 2025, with operations starting in 2028.