DSB and A&R ran into trouble with the Baltimore Department of Planning's Design Advisory Panel, which met for the second time on the project on Aug. 5. The panel took issue with certain elements of the proposed design and, apparently, sent the team back to the drawing board one time too many. What could have been was a skyscraper featuring 120 rental apartment units, 60,000 sf of retail space and a 250-room hotel. Now, what will be is a 90,000-sf shopping center that will cost significantly less to build at an estimated range of $10 to $15 million.

This is not the first time that development visions have changed for Lockwood Place. The site had been designated to become the headquarters building of law firm Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe LLP, a convention center hotel idea also popped up, as did plans for another office building, which later gave way to the three-story retail plan, then the high rise, and now, back to the three-story retail plan. Construction on the shopping center is expected to begin immediately.