Baltimore City sues developer for $478K in unpaid water bills at West Baltimore property
According to the complaint filed March 31, La Cité and Park Square Homes have failed to make a water bill payment for the property at 101 North Schroeder Street since Nov. 16, 2022, despite receiving multiple invoices. Court records show that La Cité's most recent payment was made on Nov. 16, 2022, for $28,000.
Gwendolyn M. Allen, an attorney listed in court records for La Cité, could not immediately be reached for comment.
La Cité was selected by the city in 2006 to redevelop nearly 14 acres in West Baltimore. The developer has completed one 262-unit apartment complex, Center\\West.
In February, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Superior Court issued an order stripping La Cité of its management and development of the long-stalled Poppleton project. The court approved Arctaris Impact Investors' contractual right to take over.
Arctaris Impact Investors, which targets projects in underserved communities, provided initial funding for a senior housing and retail project through a partnership with La Cité.
'Arctaris was forced to take control of the Poppleton project because of insufficient progress and transparency,' Anita Graham, an Arctaris managing director and mid-Atlantic manager, said at the time.
Attorneys with Baltimore City could not be reached for comment.
The court order stems from a lawsuit Arctaris filed in Massachusetts state court in August, seeking to recoup its more than $13 million in initial funding. The lawsuit accused the developer of breaching a contract, reached in November 2022, in which La Cité took on responsibility for securing financing and reaching other milestones.
In June 2024, city officials announced they were trying to cut ties with La Cité because the firm reportedly defaulted on its land disposition agreement after failing to prove it had financing in place for a senior apartment building long planned for the site.
The city's Department of Housing and Community Development declined to extend a missed deadline, putting the developer in default of the city agreement.
Sun reporter Lorraine Mirabella contributed to this report. Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich.
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Centrica Signs 10-Year Deal for US Natural Gas With Devon Energy
Centrica Plc signed a 10-year agreement to buy natural gas from Devon Energy Corp. to help expand its activities across the Atlantic. Centrica Energy, its trading arm, will receive 50,000 million British thermal units per day of natural gas from 2028, or the equivalent of five liquefied natural gas cargoes per year, according to a statement on Friday. The volumes will be indexed to TTF, the European benchmark price.
