Finding a space
From Baltimore Node Wiki
Revision as of 19:57, 26 June 2009 by Jonlesser (talk | contribs) (→Search criteria: defining some location types)
Contents
Search criteria
Price range
Ideal locations
Must have
What are our power requirements?
Bathroom facilities?
Security:
- Windows either covered or up a level
- A strong door with a solid lock
Nice to have
- 2,000 to 25,000 square feet stand-alone, zoned for mixed use.
- Target of $0.50 to $1.00 per square foot total monthly cost.
- Heavy power (400 amps or more, 3-phase).
- Open flex floor plan.
- Fenced back yard or secured side area for working on large projects.
- Secured storage.
- Roll-up door from yard into building for vehicle projects.
- Nice enough area that a parent would drop off their children for classes, and feel safe if we offered intro to electronics projects classes.
Can't have
- Heavy lead paint
- Asbestos
- Limited ventilation options
- No working plumbing
Legal / insurance / zoning considerations
??
Location types
- Garages — Garage bays are very cheap, have large doors, and offer modular space. It might be possible to lease several neighboring garages for additional space. On the other hand, there is unlikely to be running water or bathroom facilities and heating/cooling could be problematic.
- Store front — A store front would give us more visibility in the community, be easy to find, and invite passersby to see what we're up to. The price per square foot is likely to be higher than other location types.
- Residential home — An entire town house would yield a lot of space with a kitchen and bathroom facilities. Neighbors might be upset with noise and lot of activity around the space. Wood and metal working could do damage to a residential interior.
- Warehouse — Lots of cheap space where we can be noisy and messy. Bathrooms and plumbing could be dodgy and kitchens are unlikely. Warehouses tend to be out the way and more difficult to find for people unfamiliar with the location.
Possible Leads
- 2980 Falls road. The property is on the market now by Krauss Real Property Brokerage, but there are some leasers (squatters?) there now. Nice location on a bike route. Across the street from Ruintown. 410-329-9898.
- 3500 Ash Street. There's a big banner hanging on the building advertising Industrial/Commercial space, 1000 - 5000 sq ft. Preller Properties / Hilltop Mgt. has a few sites in Hampden that might be interesting. 410-235-7891.
- 920 Cathedral - 301 770 2007 - 6 Bay garage - Contact Mandy Lipman : portagecorporation@gmail.com
- 720 montford av. - FOR SALE - Prudential Carruthers Realtors - Contact: April Love Raimond - Phone: 443-474-4404
- Fells Point Futon Factory - Fleet St. - FOR LEASE - Zoned = M3 - 15000 SqFt - Phone: 410-866-8088
- 1534 Fleet St. & Bond - FOR LEASE - Three Floor 3000 Sqft (1000 per floor) - meatP Real Estate - Email: info@meatp.com - Phone: 443-630-9507
- 3205 Fait Ave - FOR SALE - Phone: 410-935-2817
Resources
Online Industrial Real Estate Search
- Long and Foster (Change map options to "rentals" and "commercial/industrial"
- MacKenzie (rerun search for industrial in Baltimore)
- Craigslist commercial rental
- Loop net
- City Feet
Letter to potential landlords
should express who we are and what we seek to do in an extremely positive and socially uplifting light. the word "hacker" should be deemphasized.
DRAFT
We're hoping for something in the range of 2000 - 20000 ft^2, amenable to being used as light industrial/technological workspace. A garage or something similar would be best.
The goal of Baltimore Node is to build a membership based, non-profit open creative space where folks can hold classes, attend workshops, and generally geek out on hardware and electronics. A few examples are:
