GLEN BURNIE, Md. — A local realtor has bought a prominent, long-vacant building in the heart of Glen Burnie, and has big plans for the property.
Richard May said he hopes to turn the former mattress/futon store, on Crain Highway at Route 648, into a mixed-use building, with retail on the first floor and residential units above.
He said:
That corner has been an eyesore for years and it's something we've had our eye on for many years... It was just waiting for the right time.
It's one of several projects in the pipeline for Glen Burnie's Town Center, and nearby neighborhoods. Anne Arundel County Economic Development is now looking for a developer for the 13-acre county-owned industrial site at 7409 Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard. The county also just partnered with University of Maryland to get some preliminary design ideas to move the recent Glen Burnie Town Center Revitalization Plan forward.
May bought the mattress building in 2022 and plans to develop it to the maximum of what's allowed by the county's zoning code.
He's still working on the specifics, but the building is among those slated in the Town Center Revitalization Plan for mixed-use, with 12,000 square feet of retail on the first floor, about 32,000 square feet (or 35 apartments) on the second and third floors, with parking under the building.
May and his wife, Rene, are longtime businessowners and own May Realty just down the street.
May believes Glen Burnie needs housing - townhouses, condominiums, apartments, affordable housing.
With the nearby Baltimore Annapolis Bike Trail, he said it would be nice to see people enjoying the downtown area and coming in from out of town.
Asked about the type of business he'd like see for his building, he said:
"We would like retail that would be a destination place for people to come and enjoy and stay in the Glen Burnie area, and be walkable to other businesses."
County Councilwoman Allison Pickard, who represents Glen Burnie, said she hopes people can see real results in the next few years.
She noted that they've applied for a "Main Street" affiliation with the state, and there's also now a new Town Center manager at Economic Development, whose job is to focus on the Odenton and Glen Burnie town centers.
"We're really excited," she said. "There's starting to be a real focus. It's exciting."
