Part one in a multipart interview series featuring the key participants in the plan to redevelop an historic flour mill in Maryland is now available for viewing on YouTube and Vimeo. The existing structure was built in 1916 and stands on the footprint of several mills dating back to 1774 when the Ellicott Brothers built the first structures along the Patapsco River near Ellicott City.
Summary
In Part One, the property developer and founder of Terra Nova Ventures, David Tufaro, explains how he followed his passion for historic preservation and then steps-through his track record of successfully adapting old industrial buildings to new uses — Mill Number One and Whitehall Mill along the Jones Falls in Baltimore.
Part One: Interview with The Developer
This interview was recorded in the Fall of 2021 in a 12-bit High Dynamic Range (HDR) colour space. If played on an older Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) televisions, the interview and b-roll sections will appear somewhat over-exposed or washed-out. Playback on smartphones, tablets, computers with “Retina” or HDR screens, and DHR televisions is recommended, i.e. most modern devices from the past few years.
TECHNICAL NOTE
David Tufaro also shares intriguing stories about the history and development of Ellicott City and Baltimore from the late 18th century through to the industrial revolution and beyond; and explores the strategic thinking that went into planning for the redeveloping the abandoned Wilkins-Rogers flour mill in Oella, MD.
Whitehall Mill. Photo: Marco Kathuria ©2021 Whitehall Mill. Photo: Marco Kathuria ©2021 Whitehall Mill. Photo: Marco Kathuria ©2021 Whitehall Mill. Photo: Marco Kathuria ©2021 Whitehall Mill. Photo: Marco Kathuria ©2021 Whitehall Mill. Photo: Marco Kathuria ©2021 Whitehall Mill. Photo: Marco Kathuria ©2021
Interview Clip Not Used for Technical Reasons
A clip that ended up on the cutting room floor were comments about how David Tufaro and his team deciding to switch from selling condominiums to renting residential units rather, because they felt that potential buyers would find it extremely difficult if not impossible to get financing for a property sitting on a 100 year flood plain. Especially one that has a history of being surrounded by flood waters on occasion.
For readers who are not familiar with the area or the history of flooding in Ellicott City, also of concern was the fact that the site of the original mill was chosen very carefully. The Ellicott Brothers decided to construct the original facilities where the Patapsco River and several of its tributaries converged. This was done to maximize the water wheel turning power of the time. Ideal when milling operations finally began, but disastrous for the community over the centuries. This has been particularly true in the past 50 years when we take into account of the over-development in the region that has resulted in “1000 year flood events” taken place within two years of each other –– 2016 and 2018.
As David Tufaro mentioned in the interview, the current Ellicott Mill was constructed in 1916 using a poured concrete foundation and wall approach, ensuring the survival of the structure during even the most extreme weather events.
In the future, it’s quite likely that the building may be damaged and need to be repaired, but its residents and any commercial patrons still inside the structure as flood waters began to rise, would have an emergency means of egress (over the trestle bridge) if they were unable to evacuate the building beforehand. Specifically:
- Ease of Maintenance
- Design Flexibility
- Damage Resistance
- Strength
Impact of the 2016 vs 2018 Floods in Ellicott City
Public Hearing
A virtual Development & Zoning Hearing is being held at 10am in Towson, MD on May 27, 2022. Visit the Baltimore County government website to find out more or to register as an interested party. Here are the details:
WEB-EX Meeting: PAI #: 01-0616 Tracking #: MAJ–2021–00002
Proposal: Proposed apartments – 190 units, 5,872 sq ft restaurant, 4,897 sq ft retail and 1,693 sq ft museum.
Case # 2021-0291-SPHASA.
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Future Episodes
Parts 2-6 will feature other key stakeholders in this bold imagining of an age-old mill including the architect, engineer, building firm, the politician, and local community activist.
The 30 minute long interviews will be published on an irregular schedule and will be supplemented by regular postings of short standup interviews from team members on the actual construction site once the project is given the green light in early 2022.
About David Tufaro
David Tufaro founded Terra Nova Ventures, LLC, a real estate and investment company, in 2000. His projects have been the recipient of many awards. Through Terra Nova Ventures he is a partner in the development of Montgomery Park Business Center, which includes the redevelopment of the former 1,300,000 square-foot Montgomery Ward catalogue warehouse and retail store located into an office business park and the redevelopment of 900,000 square-feet of warehouse buildings into an industrial and office park. Tufaro has performed historic conversions of two former cotton mills, Mill No. 1 and Whitehall Mill, and adapted them to be mixed-use projects.
About the Producer of this Series
Marco Kathuria is a university lecturer, community media instructor, and independent video producer. He works with the nonprofit sector in the Mid-Atlantic region and in New York City.
Prior to establishing MKCREATIVE in 1998, Marco worked as a freelance producer at public television stations in New York City and Dallas, during which time he also co-founded a Dallas-based television production company—Mystery Trout Productions, Inc.—with partner Charlie Papaceno, previously of the A&E Cable Network. Mystery Trout conceived and developed a music television pilot aimed at the public television and premium cable audience in addition to “Metro 214: An Arts and Lifestyle Show“.
“Just Another Day: How to Survive an Active Shooter Event on Campus” was commission by Towson University. As of May, 2022 the film has racked up nearly 11 Million views on YouTube. The film was recognized with a 2018 Platinum MarCom Award in the video training category by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals as well as a Peer Gold Award, the top prize in the education/training video category, from the Television, Internet & Video Association of D.C. on November 17, 2018. Official Selection IndieFest Film Festival 2019. Producer, Marco Kathuria, and the director, Joseph Kraemer, were also nominated for a Regional EMMY Award in 2019.
Marco Kathuria has won a number of other film and television awards as a producer, including the USA Film Festival “Finalist” for “Metro 214: An Arts and Lifestyle Show“. He also received two EMMA Awards for the television pilot, “617 Boston: An Arts and Lifestyle Show“.
Non-Affiliation Disclaimer
This series is produced as a public service to educate and inform the public. Videos and blog posts in this series are not sponsored, pre-approved, or reviewed by the subject(s) or by any affiliated organization before publishing unless otherwise stated.
The producer of this series declares no affiliation, sponsorship, nor any financial partnerships with Terra Nova Ventures, LLC. Terra Nova Ventures, LLC does not sponsor or endorse MKCREATIVE or any of its products, services, or comments.
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190 apartments with 2 cars per unit 360 cars, where will they park?
One main road running through Ellicott City that can’t handle the traffic we have now, at times during rush hour traffic is backed up a half mile in either direction. Having three traffic lights in a one horse town doesn’t help, unless maybe having no left turns (west bound traffic) during rush hour 3-6 or 4-7.
There will be a public hearing in Towson next month (details in the blog post). I recommend you register your concern so that it is entered into the public record.
I believe it’s incumbent on both Howard and Baltimore Counties to work together to improve the public parking capacity on both sides of the river. The “Master Plan” for redeveloping EC may never see the light of day. In the meantime, persuading drivers to use alternatives to Frederick Road as it approaches the Patapsco River, may be something worth considering.
I’ve always felt that Main Street should have traffic-calming and restriction measures employed to persuade drivers cutting-through town to use Rte. 40 and/or Rte. 29 instead. We need more foot traffic, more viable businesses, and an absence of trucks, cars, and motorcycles if this historic community is ever going to really thrive.
As you say, the choke points are the bridge approach, Maryland Avenue, and Old Columbia Pike. Take them out of the equation by reducing traffic volumes while also introducing a no left turn during rush hour as you suggest, and we may see some real benefits to Old EC and to Oella.