Business Leader Gives New Life to Mondawmin

Former Mondawmin Target Store Purchased to Serve as Community Hub

BALTIMORE, March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council today announced local business leader and community supporter Tim Regan has purchased the former Mondawmin Mall Target store with the aim of creating an active community hub that will revitalize the historic West Baltimore neighborhood and Mondawmin Mall.

The acquisition of the 127,000-square-foot building and surrounding property represents a significant additional commitment to the community personally made by the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company president and chief executive officer. In 2016, Regan and Exelon Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Calvin Butler co-founded Mondawmin's TouchPoint Baltimore, a unique collaboration space that was developed and funded exclusively by Whiting-Turner and BGE and became home to several nonprofit organizations – Thread and Baltimore Corps. The Center for Urban Families, with its headquarters nearby, is also a key partner in TouchPoint.

Like TouchPoint Baltimore, plans for the 127,000-square-foot site will be developed in consultation with local community leaders. The reimagined site will help unlock the vast untapped talent in the neighborhoods of West Baltimore and advance growth within the city.

"This space presents a unique opportunity for Mondawmin residents to shape the future of their amazing neighborhood," Regan said. "It is the ideal location to launch businesses, organizations, programs and collaborations that will realize the vision neighbors have for their community. I firmly believe the Mondawmin area is on the cusp of a renaissance, and I'm hopeful this investment in the mall area will spur additional investment throughout the larger community."

"Service to the community is something I truly value and partnering with Tim on TouchPoint has been a highlight of that service," Butler said. "We always knew we wanted to make a difference, but we were not sure where it would take us. Its success has been remarkable, and Tim's commitment is unwavering. Tim is a leader among leaders, dedicated to listening to the community and achieving real results."

Romaine Smallwood-Faison, General Manager of Mondawmin Mall, added: "Mondawmin Mall has such deep roots in West Baltimore and has been a place where members of the community have worked, shopped, dined and been entertained for nearly 70 years. This will be a wonderful opportunity from a philanthropic standpoint and is truly something that will better our community. We look forward to the important work that Tim Regan and his team will do to enhance our shopping center for generations to come."

Decisions on the use and reconfiguration of the property will be based on community input. Potential opportunities could include retail spaces for locally based entrepreneurs, a larger TouchPoint facility with expanded tutoring and mentoring capacity, and some expanded workforce readiness programming in collaboration with the Center for Urban Families. Other possible uses include a catering/events space, a teaching kitchen, and a small Whiting-Turner "midtown" office.

Regan personally acquired the 8.3-acre site, which has been vacant since 2018, for $1 million and has projected a multi-million-dollar follow-on investment in the property. That additional investment will follow as specific uses for the building are identified and associated renovations are made. Regan indicated that he has been seriously considering the project since 2019.

"Tim has long been a valued and highly involved community partner, and I couldn't be more pleased to expand our collaboration," said Adeline Hutchinson, president of the Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council. "Today's announcement represents a critical investment in our neighborhood and resolves widely held concerns about the future of a prominent local landmark that has sat empty for years. Tim's ongoing commitment to Mondawmin and our neighbors speaks to his belief in the area's potential for continued growth. This will be a transformational project for West Baltimore."

SOURCE TouchPoint Baltimore