St. John Properties Signs Five Leases at Hunt Valley Exchange

Dunkin', Elite Golf Studios, The Goddard School, GPT Wine & Spirits, and Spicy Olive joining 110,000 square foot mixed-use community in northern Baltimore County

BALTIMORE, MD - St. John Properties, Inc. has signed five inaugural leases at Hunt Valley Exchange totaling more than 26,000 square feet. The 110,000 square foot mixed-use community at the corner of York Road and Wight Avenue includes two 23,000 square foot flex/R&D buildings at 25 and 35 Wight Avenue, and an 8,165 square foot inline retail building at 11060 York Road. Dunkin', Elite Golf Studios, GPT Wine & Spirits, and Spicy Olive Indian Restaurant have signed leases and are expected to open by year-end, with The Goddard School scheduled to follow in Q2 2027. St. John Properties acquired the 17-acre site in 2023 and has since delivered the speculative space flex/R&D and retail space. The project is now 67% leased, with approximately 30,000 square feet of flex/R&D space remaining, while the company continues to market two retail pad sites for future development.

The Goddard School relocating existing franchise location in Sparks

The Goddard School is an early childhood education center which operates more than 600 franchise locations nationally across 38 states, with more than 30 centers in Maryland. They use the proprietary Wonders of Learning program - an inquiry-based, play-led curriculum designed to nurture children's curiosity and social-emotional development. Local franchise owners Jocelyn and Chuck Sabia and Maddison Hunton plan to relocate the Sparks-area school to a new 15,155 space at 25 Wight Avenue. KLNB's David Fritz represented the tenant in this lease transaction.

"As long-time local residents, my wife and I are extremely familiar with Hunt Valley, Lutherville, and Timonium and are confident in the long-term prospects of Hunt Valley Exchange given the dynamic neighborhoods surrounding the business community, and heavy concentration of commercial office buildings where people commute to every day," explained Chuck Sabia. "Hunt Valley Exchange is a high-visibility new development that will be convenient for early morning drop-offs and late afternoon pick-ups for Baltimore County families." He adds that the school will be equipped to serve nearly 200 students, with a faculty of approximately 40.

Golf simulator concept aims to leverage location near major employment centers

Golf enthusiast Tom Carolan finds little time to play 18 holes of golf given his responsibilities as a full-time employee, husband, and father of two young children. To make up for his limited time on the course, he installed a golf simulator in his garage. The setup worked so well that he is now turning the concept into Elite Golf Studios, a business that he expects to open at Hunt Valley Exchange by the end of this year. The 3,031 square foot space at 25 Wight Avenue will be equipped with four private, soundproof bays, each equipped with Trackman IO technology. The system provides a realistic golf experience, detailed swing analysis, and ability to virtually play major courses from around the world. Gardner Commercial Realty's Mike Mull represented the tenant in the transaction.

"Players can complete an individual round of golf in approximately 45 minutes and two hours in a foursome, which satisfies the schedules of time-constrained people," explained Carolan. "We chose Hunt Valley Exchange, in part, due to the major employment centers located nearby because we envision executives visiting Elite Golf Studios during lunch, or before and after the workday.

Dunkin' franchise owner attracted to drive-through opportunity at Hunt Valley Exchange

Dunkin' franchise owner Sukhwinder Sidhu currently owns and operates 13 locations throughout the Baltimore County area and will relocate the group's current site on York Road to 11060 York Road. St. John Properties Senior Vice President of Retail Leasing, Bill Holzman, represented the landlord and KLNB's Keith Barnett represented the tenant in this transaction.

"Locations with drive-through capabilities are typically our highest performers, as consumers crave convenience and quick product delivery times," stated Sidhu. "We could not pass up the opportunity to secure space within this up-and-coming business community which is less than one-half mile from our current location. We anticipate Hunt Valley Exchange quickly emerging as a high-traffic destination given the new retailers and companies already committed and we wanted to be among the first new tenants."

Entrepreneur opening fast-casual Indian restaurant and separate wine and spirits shop

Girish Garg will open two new retail concepts at 11060 York Road. Spicy Olive, a fast-casual restaurant specializing in Indian cuisine, and GPT Wine & Spirits, a store offering a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink specialties, are planned to open later this year. Garg has operated Café Spice since 2011 - the Indian cuisine restaurant is located on York Road within St. John Properties' Yorkridge Center North business community.

This new concept at Hunt Valley Exchange will be "the only Maryland restaurant offering an Indian buffet for both lunch and dinner, and will also feature a variety of naan pizzas along with Indian Street Food," Garg explained. "Based on consumer demand, I am extremely confident that the buffet concept will perform well, because this option is extremely popular at my other restaurant and it offers high value," he said.

"We have an extensive and loyal consumer following in the northern Baltimore County area," Garg said. "Adding a second location to accommodate a larger audience was a natural move. Opening within a highly-visible and best-in-class business environment will significantly benefit both concepts."

Nearly 3,000 businesses and approximately 55,000 employees are located within a three-mile radius of the Hunt Valley Exchange business community. The flex/R&D buildings feature all-brick-and-glass exteriors, 18-foot ceiling heights, and rear dock and drive-in loading. The retail component features frontage along York Road, where nearly 33,000 vehicles pass the site each day.

"Hunt Valley Exchange is generating strong demand and leasing momentum because it is one of the only new retail and flex business communities being delivered along the heavily traveled York Road corridor," stated Holzman. "Our development plan is performing as envisioned, and our vertically integrated platform has enabled our development, construction and leasing teams to work seamlessly together to bring the project to market and respond quickly to tenant demand."

Founded in 1971, St. John Properties, Inc. is one of the nation's largest and most successful privately held commercial real estate firms. The company is distinguished by its commitment to customer service, achievements in green building, and top-rated workplace culture. Throughout St. John Properties' 55-year history, the company has developed more than 25 million square feet of flex/R&D, office, retail, and warehouse space and has investments in over 3,200 residential units. The company proudly serves more than 2,800 clients in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Utah, and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit www.sjpi.com.

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