GLEN BURNIE, Md. — A local real estate agent has purchased a prominent, long-vacant building in downtown Glen Burnie and has big plans for the property.
Richard May said he wants to turn the former mattress and futon store on Route 648 and Crane Highway into a mixed-use building with retail on the ground floor and housing above.
He said:
That corner has been an eyesore for years and something we've had our eye on for years… just waiting for the right time.
This is one of several projects underway in Glen Burnie Town Center and nearby areas. The Anne Arundel County Economic Development Authority is currently seeking a developer for a 13-acre county-owned industrial site located at 7409 Annapolis Blvd. in Baltimore. The county also partnered with the University of Maryland to obtain several preliminary designs to move forward with the recent Glen Burnie Town Center redevelopment plan.
May plans to purchase the mattress building in 2022 and develop it to the fullest extent allowed by the county's zoning code.
Although he is still working out the details, the building is one of several planned mixed-use buildings in the Town Center revitalization plan, with 12,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor and approximately 32,000 square feet on the second and third floors. ft. (or 35 apartments). There is a parking lot under the building.
May and his wife Rene are long-time business owners and own May Realty, just down the street.
May believes Glen Burnie needs housing, including townhouses, condos, apartments and affordable housing.
With the Baltimore-Annapolis Bike Trail nearby, he said it's nice to see people coming in from out of town to enjoy the downtown area.
When asked what kind of business he would like to see in his building, he replied:
“We want our retail store to be a destination where people can come and enjoy the Glen Burnie area and stay, and be able to walk to other stores.”
County Councilor Alison Pickard, who represents Glen Burnie, said she hopes people will see real results in the next few years.
She noted that they have applied for a “Main Street” affiliation with the state and also have a new town center manager in the Economic Development Department whose job is to focus on the Odenton and Glen Burnie town centers.
“We're really excited,” she said. “It's really starting to come into focus. It's exciting.”
