A veterinarian, a “medi-spa” and an interior designer are on the latest list of new and renewing tenants at The Village of Cross Keys.
Caves Valley Partners announced on Thursday that it has signed 20 new leases in recent months at Cross Keys – eight new retail and office tenants and 12 lease extensions.
The announcement comes one year after Caves Valley acquired the retail and office components of the mixed-use community at 5100 Falls Road from Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation of New York. With the latest transactions, Caves Valley has executed a total of 35 leases since the purchase was completed on July 21, 2020.
“The commitment of the existing tenants to the property, along with the new types of high caliber tenants we are attracting, demonstrates that our vision for the property, coupled with the changes we have made in the year since our acquisition, are resonating,” said Arsh Mirmiran of Caves Valley, in a statement.
Two new commercial tenants will be part of the Village Terrace section of Cross Keys, near the former Donna’s restaurant.
One is Numa Aesthetics, a specialized medi-spa with a focus on natural-looking facial enhancements. Numa is managed by Baltimore native and Towson University nursing school graduate Sara Fowler. According to Caves Valley, Fowler’s career in the business has taken her to Beverly Hills and then Seattle, where she started her first medi-spa, before choosing to relocate to Baltimore this year.
With Numa Aesthetics, Fowler plans to continue her approach of creating a natural look for her patients, helping them age gracefully, improving their complexions, and meeting their personal goals through her services.
“We’re very passionate about the art of aesthetics at Numa,” she said in a statement. “Trusting someone with your face is a big deal and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. Our goal is to help our clients improve their self-confidence through beautiful enhancements that don’t compromise their natural appearance. You don’t have to look ‘done’ in order to age gracefully. We are excited to be at Cross Keys and looking forward to establishing Numa as Baltimore’s premier medical spa.”
The second new tenant coming to the Village Terrace section is Everhart Veterinary Medicine–Cross Keys, owned by veterinarian Robert Goodman. Goodman currently owns two facilities in the area, an animal hospital in South Baltimore and a veterinary clinic serving Severna Park and Pasadena.
“At Cross Keys, we see opportunities to serve the existing community and surrounding neighborhoods, as well as to retain many of our patients who end up moving to North Baltimore after initially establishing their families downtown,” Goodman said in a statement.
Goodman said he was introduced to Cross Keys by architect Randy Sovich, whose design firm RM Sovich is there.
“We quickly found that we share a vision for the future of Cross Keys and how Everhart will become an integral member of its professional community,” Goodman said. “We look forward to being one of many providers that allow area residents to conveniently meet their regular routines at the property.”
“The continued addition of high caliber tenants will further our objective of attracting an upscale clientele to Cross Keys on a daily basis,” Mirmiran said.
“We continue to build on the foundation to not only meet, but surpass, Cross Keys’ historical place as Baltimore’s premier boutique shopping and office destination. With the planned addition of new retail space to accommodate a food market, as well as a luxury apartment building that will offer rental opportunities for future residents, a level of density and symbiosis will be achieved that was envisioned and planned by the legendary Jim Rouse,” the original developer of Cross Keys.
New office tenants that have signed leases at Cross Keys include Squadra Ventures and Aumen Asner Interior Design.
Squadra Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund led by local tech entrepreneur and investor Guy Filippelli. According to Caves Valley, it invests in portfolio companies similar to ones Filippelli himself has started.
“When looking for a new office space, we were drawn to Cross Keys because of its central location within the region, the other tenants that were choosing to locate at the project, and by the look and feel of our space itself, with its vaulted ceilings and window line overlooking the property’s mature courtyard,” Filippelli said. “We look forward to locating at Cross Keys later this year.”
Currently located at 100 North Charles Street, Aumen Asner is a 42-year-old, full service interior design firm owned by Karen Aumen. It’s the successor to Michael Asner Associates, Inc., whose founder and namesake died in 2004. Its move makes it the latest of several longtime office tenants to leave downtown Baltimore.
“Cross Keys and Aumen Asner are a great mutual brand fit,” Aumen said. “Our firm prides itself on providing superior interior design services over a wide range of project types. When one thinks of Cross Keys, from its inception to its ongoing revitalization, the project has always been design-driven and it is a great example of a mixed-use project that has stood the test of time. We are eager to move into our new space and continue to draw inspiration from our surroundings to achieve the design goals of our clients.”
Current tenants that are remaining at Cross Keys include the accounting firm Abrams, Foster, Nole & Williams, located at The Quadrangle building; and Fulton Bank, which is located within the Village Shops. Both have made long-term lease commitments and will significantly renovate their spaces in the coming months, according to Caves Valley.
Cross Keys was originally developed starting in 1965 by Rouse, founder of the Maryland-based Rouse Company. Rouse owned Cross Keys until 2004, after which it was owned by Chicago-based General Growth Properties, then Ashkenazy. It returned to local ownership when Ashkenazy sold its holdings to Caves Valley.
The portion of Cross Keys owned by Caves Valley includes nearly 300,000 square feet of commercial space. It has been approved for the addition of up to 350 apartments, 150,000 square feet of office space and 50,000 square feet of retail space, including a boutique food market. An operator for the food market has not been named.
Staff of the upscale restaurant The Prime Rib have told patrons that the owners are contemplating a move from Mount Vernon and that Cross Keys is a possible new location. The restaurant owners have not confirmed a move to Cross Keys and no applications or hearings for a new license or license transfer have been posted by the city’s liquor board.
Mirmiran has promised to keep area residents updated about new developments at Cross Keys, including tenant leases and renovation of the Gatehouse that is now underway. Caves Valley is working with Questar Properties to build a 350-unit apartment building south of the Village Square.
The latest leases are further evidence of the progress Caves Valley has made over the past year, according to Mirmiran.
“In a sense, we are now completing the first phase of leasing at the project and entering into a new phase, during which we will add some fuel to the fire,” Mirmiran said.
“We are really excited for the next six months and the announcements we expect to make later this year. The trust placed in us by the community and our tenants is beginning to pay off, and we will keep the pressure on to deliver the project everyone is expecting.”
