Developer proposes single‑family homes and memorial park for Hartford Memorial Hospital site
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Summary
Trademark Homes representatives told the Havre de Grace council they have been selected to buy the former Hartford Memorial Hospital at 501 S. Union Ave. and proposed replacing the complex with single‑family cottages, single‑level homes for seniors, and a memorial park honoring the hospital’s history.
Clark Turner, representing Trademark Homes, told the council the company had been selected by the University of Maryland Medical System to purchase the former Hartford Memorial Hospital property at 501 South Union Avenue and presented a concept that prioritizes single‑family homes and single‑level units designed for aging in place.
"It is made up of seven different buildings," Turner said, noting the oldest was built in 1943 and the newest in 1972, and that the interlocked nature of the campus makes adaptive reuse costly. Turner described a proposed Hartford Memorial Park with plaques and a bronze marker to memorialize the hospital’s history, benches and gardens, and a landscaped open space at the Revolution/Union corner.
Turner said the property is zoned RO (residential/office), and after analysis the developer concluded retail or traditional office space are not viable downtown uses. Turner said the plan seeks to "go back to what this was, single family developments," adding that rear‑alley garages and cottage‑scale houses would match neighborhood scale. He said a portion of the plan would include single‑level homes "restricted for seniors, designed for seniors" with wider doorways and no interior steps to make aging in place feasible.
Council members welcomed the general concept and stressed community communication. The mayor and Council President thanked the developer and noted broad neighborhood support; Council member Jones asked for a timeline. Turner provided a preliminary schedule: roughly four months to complete demolition/environmental bidding, about four months for environmental cleanup after that, roughly three months to remove buildings, and then two months to process masonry for reuse — while some parking‑lot work might begin earlier. "The market is the ultimate dictator of how long it takes," Turner said.
Why it matters: The hospital parcel is in the historic core of Havre de Grace and lies near single‑family neighborhoods. The developer’s emphasis on lower‑density housing and on a memorial park addresses neighborhood concerns previously raised about higher‑density proposals. Council members emphasized preservation of large trees and community input on the memorial elements.
Next steps: Turner said Trademark Homes will conduct environmental analysis, focus groups, and further community engagement. The project will require standard planning reviews, demolition permits and environmental clearances before construction can begin.
