BALTIMORE, MD (April 15, 2013) – Bombardier Transportation, an affiliate of Bombardier, Inc. the Montreal-based manufacturer of airplanes and trains, has signed a lease with St. John Properties, Inc. for 6,039 square feet of space at Baltimore Gateway, a five-story, 100,000 square foot office building located on 3700 Koppers Street in Baltimore City. Last year St. John Properties purchased the building, which previously served as the corporate headquarters for the Environmental Elements Corporation, and immediately implemented a comprehensive re-branding, renovation and leasing strategy.

The lease, Bombardier USA’s first in the Maryland region, will provide office space from which Bombardier USA will service the $200 million-plus contract the company was awarded last fall by the Maryland Board of Public Works to provide operational and maintenance services for the Camden and Brunswick lines of Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC). More than 100 employees are expected to work out of the Baltimore Gateway building for this requirement.

Bombardier USA is a subsidiary of Bombardier, Inc., the world’s only manufacturer of both trains and airplanes. The company employs more than 70,000 workers worldwide.

Location was a key factor in Bombardier’s selection of space for its office. “We were looking for a central location close to our customer’s offices, with convenient access for our staff who support MARC maintenance facilities, stations and rail operations,” said Bombardier Transportation’s Jennifer Mouchantaf, Site General Manager, Operations & Maintenance. “Baltimore Gateway was the ideal choice. The quality of the building refurbishment and related amenities were other important considerations in our decision.”

“Bombardier Transportation represents the ideal tenant profile and corporate usage that we envisioned when we invested in the acquisition of Baltimore Gateway, specifically a service-oriented company that required a strategic position near the core of Baltimore City,” stated Jerry Wit, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Leasing for St. John Properties, Inc. “With our extensive renovation strategy now complete, we are experiencing tremendous interest and feedback from medically-oriented and professional service companies for the remaining space.”

Upon its purchase of Baltimore Gateway, St. John Properties initiated a comprehensive $8 million renovation of the structure, including a complete modernization of the lobby and common areas, installation of energy-efficient low-E windows, three new high-speed elevator systems, an all-new HVAC system, and renovation of the bathrooms with ADA-compliant fixtures. Improvements also included new exterior landscaping, sprinkler systems and lighting.

Baltimore Gateway features an exterior of brick masonry with ribbon glass windows and expansive floor plates offering 20,000 square feet of contiguous space. The building is located with roadside visibility from Interstate 95 at the Caton Avenue exit, in close proximity to Interstate 695 and MD Route 295. With more than 180,000 vehicles passing the site on a daily basis, St. John Properties is offering prominent signage opportunities on the building. An adjacent surface lot offers parking at the rate of five vehicles per 1,000 square feet of space.

As the property is located in a Baltimore City Enterprise Zone, tax credits are available to tenants. Matt Lenihan of St. John Properties represented the landlord and Tony Caselena of Sperry Van Ness Commercial Real Estate Advisors represented the tenant in this transaction.

About St. John Properties

St. John Properties, Inc., founded in 1971 as MIE Properties, owns and has developed nearly 15 million square feet of R&D/flex, warehouse, office and retail space in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana, Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit sjp.mu9b0uf9-liquidwebsites.com.

For more information, contact:
Al Cunniff, Director of Marketing, St. John Properties, Inc.
410-369-1277