Waterside District: A Comeback Story by Brennan Murray

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This month our project Waterside District in Norfolk, VA was featured in ICSC’s SCT Magazine as an example of “Restorative Retail” It’s an example of how we can use design, proper merchandising, and land-use policies to create vibrant destinations that flourish despite the ‘Amazon-age.’

The redevelopment of the Waterside Festival Marketplace by the Cordish Companies is a process that could be repeated in other waterfront markets throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region and beyond. Originally developed by the Rouse Company in the 1980’s, the marketplace had fallen into disuse after several failed attempts to revitalize the center. The Cordish Companies acquired the building after a successful bid responding to an RFP by the City of Norfolk. Aside from the opportunity to control the building, the developer was successful in negotiating the use of the boardwalk and adjacent land for future development.

The Market, Food Hall Anchor

The Market, Food Hall Anchor

Many of the uses of the entertainment complex required a negotiation with the state alcoholic beverage commission to allow for the uninhibited consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises. BCT provided exhibits and renderings to indicate how control would be maintained differently than prescribed rules required. This resulted in the appearance of a freer atmosphere of social consumption throughout the development.

The entire project design was required to be vetted through the city’s Architecture Review Board process. The hearing includes the review of building design, signage, landscaping, streetscape, and historic concerns. BCT presented the redevelopment, including the demolition of a portion of the historic building, and was approved with applause. This comprehensive process has culminated in an almost fully leased development within two-years, going from a completely empty retail center to a fully-activated, unique, and iconic offering within the Hampton Roads region.

You can find the feature article link below:

BCT create and BCT Grants by Brennan Murray

To encourage innovation and creative design and advance our reputation as a design and thought leader, we have initiated an in-house program to foster and develop this mission. Our BCTcreate program acknowledges that we are all very busy with work and personal responsibilities, but we want to recognize and encourage the inherent creative energy we all have as planners, architects, and designers, in a meaningful and collaborative way.

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With this spirit, we are excited to launch BCTgrants. These are time grants that are rewarded to individuals or teams (up to 4 members) for research, design competitions, community engagement projects or other creative ideas that are related to the values of BCTcreate.

BCTgrants provides flexible hours during the work week for our employees to achieve their proposed goals. Grant-worthy projects could include a white paper, design competition, or community-based projects like façade or district improvements. Proposals must include all team members, the intended goal, project statement, how it will achieve design or thought leadership, and schedule. Once approved, the individual or team can spend up to 40 hours each over a three-month period. Final projects will be presented by the individual or team to the office.

Our first grant winner!
The first team’s initial proposal sought to study the neighborhood around Lexington Market. After meeting with Kristen Mitchell from Market Center Merchants Association (MCMA), she made some recommendations for projects around this area. The BCT team documented the existing conditions of the downtown neighborhood and used sketches and photography to show how the area could be improved to keep pace with the proposed renovations to the Lexington Market. Before and after sketches of specific areas, focus on possible solutions that respond to those improvement areas discovered through the analysis.

The team completed a detailed study of the blocks around the intersection of Saratoga and Howard, where the old Provident Bank is located, and also where the Light Rail line passes. Suggestions of design enhancements to these blocks and propose project(s) to further offer development recommendations.

While our team believes a comprehensive planned approach to this study area is still needed, focusing on this particular block was essentially a microcosm of rest of this downtown district. Over the years, there have been many proposals for this area, which will enable a deeper understanding to develop reasonable proposals and both small- and larger-scale solutions. As architects and planners, we are inclined toward preservation of the turn-of-the-century architecture to enhance the existing architectural fabric where it makes sense, rather than the “superblock” approach that scrapes whole blocks.

The BCT team recently presented their ideas to Kristen Mitchell, executive director of the Market Center Merchants Association and representatives from the community.

This area has a tremendous potential!

BCT @ 50 Party by Brennan Murray

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This year, BCT commemorates 50 years of drawing crowds – 50 years of valued clients, talented staff and staff alumni, trusted partners, and enduring friendships. These relationships have helped build our diverse portfolio of award-winning architecture, planning, graphics, and design projects and establish the ideal foundation for our next 50 years. Our dedication to providing exceptional service and design excellence to our clients – clients who have repeatedly trusted us to collaborate with them and achieve their goals with our technical solutions – energizes our team of architects, planners, landscape architects, and interior and graphic designers.

We are now in the next 50 years of BCT. We will continue to exceed our clients’ expectations on every project around the globe.

Thank you for being a special part of our story and our success!

City Dock Action Committee by Brennan Murray

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Over the past nine months we’ve had the opportunity to be apart of an unprecedented and historic opportunity for the City of Annapolis. In response to the NTHP’s designation of City Dock as an endangered site, and the last ULI Baltimore TAP ‘Reclaiming a Local and National Treasure’ City Dock, The City of Annapolis and Historic Annapolis have banded together like never before to create the City Dock Action Committee. They have assembled a group of experts and stakeholders to lead an extensive outreach effort into the community and to prepare an implementation strategy moving forward. We have had the honor of engaging the public through workshops and community meetings to create a framework for the city to ‘Take Action’ at City Dock.

It was a full roster Tuesday night with two separate public presentations, the first being a public Action Committee Workshop, and the second a Ward One Community Presentation. BCT along with Wilson Hammond, Hord Coplan Macht, Moody Graham, Michael J. Dowling, and others presented the latest Consensus Plan that took all nine Action Committee teams’ comments, considerations, and recommendations into consideration to develop an actionable plan.

The nine Action Committee Teams:

  • Design/ Placemaking

  • Financial Tools/Development

  • Programming/Community Access

  • Parking/Pedestrian and Bike Connections

  • Maritime

  • Resiliency

  • Burtis House

  • Business/Property Owners and Retail

  • Community Benefits, Character, and Livability

Bryce Turner delivering the Consensus Plan to Ward One Residents Association, Tuesday, 09.17.19

Bryce Turner delivering the Consensus Plan to Ward One Residents Association, Tuesday, 09.17.19

The overall community reception to the ideas presented was a positive one, with many citizens giving thanks to all the committee members for their effort put forth thus far. BCT is thrilled and humbled to have participated in such a historic committee. Following these latest meetings, all teams will go back and make their final recommendations which will be consolidated into a final report. This report will then be handed over to Historic Annapolis and the City of Annapolis to create an RFQ to implement the Action Committee’s final recommendations. The Action Committee is definitely on its way to reclaiming City Dock for the Citizen of Annapolis.

BCT @ 50 by Brennan Murray

At BCT Architects, we are super excited to celebrating our 50th Anniversary. When Fred Craig and Roger Brown left the Rouse Company in 1969 to form this practice, they brought innovative ideas with them about the future of cities and towns. Although we still like to think like a “Start – Up”, our experience really does provide a perspective that gives us an advantage.

Our focus on the end-user in commercial and leisure environments has found its calling in today’s world of blended social, living, and work activities. We believe the built environment truly can shape our lives and therefore we strive to “blur the lines” between various activities, indoors and out; to encourage a sustainable mix of live, work, and play. This attitude has allowed us to move into the world of housing with a fresh and unique perspective. We look forward to the next 50 years, and promoting people places, as we continue to draw crowds.





The new face of Senior Living! by Brennan Murray

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Our goal focused on breaking the mold of current assisted living facilities with inspiring, warm, modern architecture that promotes hospitality rather than institutional health care. Contemporary design, natural materials, and clean finishes enhance the experience of its Assisted Living and Memory Care residents and their visitors a comfortable and engaging setting – both indoors and outdoors. The wide array of social spaces includes a whiskey bar, club room, salon, PT/fitness, a flexible dining and lounge area, movie theater, activity room, library, and multi-purpose room. Contemporary design, natural materials, and clean finishes enhance the experience of both residents and visitors. This is a place that someone can be proud to call home!

#SeniorLiving

ULI DC Trends Conference Recap by Brennan Murray

On Tuesday, April 30th, over 600 real estate professionals convened at the Ronald Reagan Building for ULI Washington's 22nd Annual Washington Real Estate Trends Conference. The conference, themed, “Urban Innovation: Expanding Possibilities” was jam-packed with high-quality content and speakers, including Janet Meyer, one of our principals and leader of our firm’s senior housing studio, who moderated the panel discussion “Silver Generation: Changing Housing Product Opportunities for our Aging Population.” Janet was joined on stage by Michael Hartman, Principal of Active Living, Capitol Seniors Housing; Philip Kroskin, Senior Vice President of Real Estate, Sunrise Senior Living; Jaana Remes, Economist and Partner, McKinsey Global Institute; Gwen Wright, Planning Director, Montgomery County Planning Department.

#ULIDCTrends #SeniorLiving