If you’ve driven past The Baltimore Sun printing press in Port Covington recently you might have noticed new piles of soil directly to the east of the building. Although the entire property, which was previously owned by Tribune Co., will eventually become part of the Founder’s Park and Hanover Street districts of the 260-acre Port Covington Master Plan, Sagamore Development is currently compiling soil for a remedial cap on the property. It is additionally raising the grade at the site above city and FEMA floodplain regulations.

Looking to limit the amount of soil that goes to a landfill, Sagamore is reusing soil from projects such as the Sagamore Spirit distillery construction, as well as bringing in certified clean soil. Sagamore Spirit is expected to open this year.

Another project that is expected to get underway soon is a new bike path through Port Covington. This will eliminate the current need of cyclists and pedestrians to use Hanover St. to get to attractions such as West Covington Park, Nick’s Fish House, and the soon-to-be finished distillery. Hanover St. has been criticized by many in the area for lacking pedestrian friendliness. That has been a key aspect of Sagamore’s proposed redevelopment of Hanover St. and Baltimore City Department of Transportation’s Hanover Street Bridge Multimodal Corridor Plan, which is currently being studied.

The new path will begin at W. McComas St. just east of Schuster Concrete near Swann Park, run east of the current site of Atlantic Forest, and then connect with City Garage along W. Dickman. The path would continue along E. Cromwell St. and loop around until it meets E. McComas St. Sagamore has acquired the permits to begin construction on the private parcels, which Sagamore owns. The permit for work on public right-of-way is under review and Sagamore is hopeful it will be approved soon.

The master plan will include a network of bike lanes, bridges, and trails.

Sagamore has made additional improvements to the area including cleaning up a city-owned parking lot along W. Dickman St. and landscaping improvements along S. Hanover St. and medians along S. Hanover St. and Cromwell St.

The Baltimore City Planning Department will vote tomorrow on whether to approve the entire Master Plan for Port Covington.

Rendering from Sagamore Development

About the Author: Kevin Lynch Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, beach volleyball enthusiast, dog lover, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, beach volleyball enthusiast, dog lover, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin