Speaking of mixed use, Amtrak proposes a boutique hotel for Baltimore's Penn Station

Ceiling, Penn Station Baltimore. Photo by Luis Gomez.

Not a bad idea if you ask me. See the Baltimore Sun's "Amtrak revives its plan for hotel at Penn Station," which states:

Amtrak has revived a plan to open a boutique hotel inside Baltimore's historic Penn Station, which would be a first in an Amtrak-owned station. The passenger rail operator is negotiating with a developer to create a 72-room hotel on three levels at the station, Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said yesterday.

"It makes sense for us to make the best use of our properties, to help supplement our passenger rail income, and real estate is one way we can do that," Black said. The upper floors of the station, once used as offices for Amtrak police, customer service and maintenance workers, are vacant, Black said. Baltimore's Penn Station is Amtrak's 10th-busiest.

The negotiations with an unnamed developer also include some redevelopment of the station's main floor for shops, he said. The hotel would encompass about 40,000 square feet, he said Amtrak planned a hotel there about four years ago and had agreed to a deal...

Mixed-use, layering, utilization of unused space, more street activity, income for Amtrak. These are good things.

Index Keywords: urban-design-placemaking