Streets Market Grocery Store Coming to Reservoir Square

MCB Real Estate Announces Streets Market Grocery Store Coming to Reservoir Square and Blank Slate Joining the Development Team

Addition of Regional Grocer Provides Relief for West Baltimore Food Desert

MCB Real Estate, an institutional commercial real estate investment management and development firm with nationwide holdings, is excited to announce that regional grocery chain Streets Market will occupy the anchor retail space at Reservoir Square, an eight-acre, $170 million mixed-use development located along the 600-850 block of West North Avenue in Baltimore, that is currently under construction.

The development team for Reservoir Square has been further enhanced by the addition of Baltimore-based Blank Slate Development, a full-service development company specializing in vacant and historic properties, bringing together local expertise and a shared vision for community-focused revitalization.

To accommodate the space for a supermarket, MCB and Blank Slate acquired 600 W. North Avenue, a 1.5-acre adjacent parcel, in October 2024. This new addition will feature 20,000 square feet of retail space, anchored by a 12,000 square foot Streets Market, with opportunities for both local and national businesses.  Approximately 75 rear-accessed surface parking spaces to support the retail component of the mixed-use development. Early funders of this phase include the state-backed West North Avenue Development Authority (WNADA), which has designated the property as a key anchor along the North Avenue corridor.

Streets Market will provide a much-needed full-service grocery store offering fresh produce, prepared foods, everyday essentials and more for the neighborhood, which is often considered to be in an urban food desert. Currently, local residents only have one option within a one-mile radius, located on the other side of one of Baltimore’s busiest streets, North Avenue. This is not the first time an MCB development has helped alleviate a Baltimore food desert. These include a Streets Market at Yard 56 in East Baltimore, and Northwood Commons in Northeast Baltimore, which features Baltimore City’s first Lidl grocery store.

Eliminating a food desert is just one of the ways the development team is taking a stand for a community that has long deserved investment. The creation of a development of this size will spur a new era of home ownership and in turn, also build a new era of generational wealth. And for MCB Managing Partner and Co-founder P. David Bramble, the Reservoir Square project carries a very personal connection that goes back to his childhood.

“I’ve lived in West Baltimore since I was a baby and am proud to call it my home today,” says Bramble. “I grew up just a few blocks from where Reservoir Square is being built and when I was young, the project that stood where Reservoir Square was rising was notorious for its crime. For me and for MCB, being able to permanently cast aside that reputation and unlock the unlimited potential and opportunity that exists in this neighborhood is deeply rewarding.”

The introduction of Streets Market is part of the recent acquisition of 600 W. North Avenue, a vacant and blighted lot at the northwest corner of Park and North Avenues. This property will anchor the second phase of the Reservoir Square development, which is planned to include housing, additional retail options, and the new 63,000 square-foot home to the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED), slated to open in 2026. The first phase of Reservoir Square, currently underway, focuses on establishing a new street grid and delivering over $1 million in upgrades along North Avenue. This phase also features the sale of 120 Ryan Homes townhome lots, 50 of which have already been purchased by future residents.

“We’re thrilled to join Reservoir Square in this next phase and contribute to a development that improves access and quality options,” said Alex Aaron, founder of Blank Slate Development. “We are committed to creating spaces that foster growth, inclusivity, and opportunity. Partnering on this project allows us to deepen our investment in Baltimore’s future, bringing sustainable development and meaningful change to Reservoir Square and beyond.”

As the Reservoir Hill neighborhood continues to grow, adding more professional offices, attracting new residents, and welcoming more retailers, Reservoir Square will tie together West Baltimore’s historic neighborhoods and will provide abundant places to live, shop and work. And MCB is proud to be investing in its own hometown.

“From my perspective, this is one of the most important projects MCB will ever do,” adds Bramble. “Neighborhoods like this are worthy of a major investment. And we can’t wait for some outside savior to do it. It needs to be led by people and companies who call Baltimore home.”