In recent years, people interested in moving to South Baltimore had two primary rental options—apartments or rowhomes. But in September, the 28 Walker Development team added a new alternative to the mix with Baltimore’s first co-living apartment building, Wheelhouse.

This sleek property on South Charles Street allows residents to rent by the room in one of its 29 furnished apartments, ranging from studio to four-bedrooms, which come equipped with everything from a flat-screen TV to a silverware set.

Similar to co-living spaces in other cities, residents are encouraged to interact with one another in Wheelhouse’s common areas, including a coworking space and a shared kitchen.

“Living in a studio or a one-bedroom apartment can be challenging for young people today because they are pretty pricey, and while you can usually find an affordable room within a rowhouse, you have to have a group of people ready to rent together,” says Scott Slosson, director of development for 28 Walker. “We created a rental product that was a hybrid of the upside of both South Baltimore options.”

That being said, all of Wheelhouse’s perks, including a bike for every resident, come at a price, as the cost of a private bed and bathroom lease runs between $797 and $1,117. Slosson says the concept is marketed toward renters like Maame Aba, one of the building’s original tenants, who had recently moved to Baltimore and was looking for a built-in social community.

Wheelhouse hosts weekly events ranging from fitness classes to whiskey tastings for its tight-knit group of residents to connect. “[Wheelhouse] is, and has, the potential to be a great social living place for like-minded people,” Aba says.

As of January, the building was filled to about 40 percent capacity. 28 Walker is building a second co-living location in the development across from The Shops at Canton Crossing, testing another neighborhood full of high rental prices and millennial renters. “We want to be responsive to the changing ways that people live and work, and our hope is that [Wheelhouse] hits the sweet spot,” Slosson says.

In response to the fried chicken wars that have recently played out on social media, we have only one thing to say: Eat your heart out, Popeye’s. Baltimore has a long-standing love of fried chicken. Chicken boxes are a Charm City staple that dates back to the 1930s. (One of the earliest records of the tradition, which is believed to have derived from the packed lunches of the Great Migration, is a 1933 Baltimore Sun ad for a $1 box of fried chicken and a loaf of toasted bread.) And the rise of Royal Farms has put us on the map as a bonafide drumstick destination. Locally, there are plenty of restaurants that take this reputation seriously.

Among them is BRD (pronounced Bird), the R. House chicken-sandwich concept that was part of the Remington food hall’s opening roster when it debuted in 2016. In October, owner Alex Janian officially spread BRD’s, well, wingspan with a second location on the bottom floor of the new Wheelhouse apartment complex in Federal Hill. Designed by PI.KL Studio, the same firm that built the Remington stall, the new space carries over a similar aesthetic with light woods, touches of red and black, communal seating, and the same counter-service model as the flagship.

But, when it comes to the menu in the larger spinoff space, there are plenty of new additions to savor. Of course, loyalists can count on old standbys such as the “Bmore Bird” sandwich—an inevitably messy but filling affair that stacks two hefty hunks of crispy-fried chicken with house-made pickles, Old Bay, and the signature BRD sauce reminiscent of spicy mayo. There’s also the Japanese-inspired “Katsu Sando” layered with cabbage and a tangy katsu sauce, as well as the “Angry Buffalo” dripping with hot sauce in between a soft potato bun.

But, the second location—which is open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays to accommodate Fed Hill revelers after last call—also wisely highlights expanded offerings, including an Indian-influenced “Bombay BRD” sando with cilantro and curry sauce, wings tossed in maple honey mustard and Carolina barbecue sauces, hand-spun milkshakes (banana split and PB&J flavors are a hit), and “BRD Bites”—Janian’s version of chicken nuggets.

After a recent visit to Mothers’ Purple Patio to catch a Sunday afternoon Ravens game, we made our way across the street to sample an order of the nuggets alongside an overflowing box of piping hot, seasoned fries. Although either would have been satisfying on their own, in this case, the dipping sauces took them to the next level. You can’t go wrong with a side of orange BRD sauce, but in an effort to get out of our comfort zone, we tried the maple mustard—which provided just the right amount of sweetness to enhance the dunkable snacks to the next level.

While enjoying the eats in the space, diners will notice a glowing neon sign that reads, “Fried and True.” It’s a fitting mantra—because if you’re going to run a fried chicken joint in Baltimore, it has to be the real deal.

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›› BRD 1104 S. Charles St., 667-210-2222. Mon.- Wed. 5-10 p.m., Thur. 5-midnight, Fri. 5 p.m.-3 a.m., Sat. 11- a.m.-3 a.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

From the beginning, R. House in Remington was meant to be a launchpad for aspiring chefs and restaurateurs to grow their budding food businesses beyond the communal food hall. A solid example is Alex Janian, the owner of BRD and Amano Taco who is expanding his fan-favorite chicken sandwich stall to South Baltimore this summer.

Though he was solely focused on getting the two concepts up and running inside R. House when it opened in 2016, as time went on, Janian started to think about how BRD could translate into other neighborhoods.

“We saw customers really latching on to it and coming back all the time,” he says. “And that’s when I really started thinking this could be something cool for Baltimore to experience in other parts of the city.”

Featuring BRD’s drool-worthy chicken sandwiches, wings, and fries, the Federal Hill shop will be located on the ground floor of Wheelhouse—a five-story apartment building currently under construction on the corner of South Charles and Cross streets. The late August debut will come at an ideal time for the neighborhood’s dining scene, which will also welcome the newly renovated Cross Street Market just across the street this spring.

Given the restaurant’s location in the heart of the Federal Hill bar district, Janian plans to stay open after last call on weekends.

“We want to be there when people want it,” he says. “We don’t want to close when people are hungry. We want to be there when the crowds are there, and we want to be enjoying the night right along with them.”

Diners can expect to see the same globally influenced sandwiches and wings (everything from spicy Japanese katsu to Jamaican jerk chicken), as well as the Old Bay-seasoned “Bmore Bird” and French fries with vinegar inspired by Janian’s local upbringing. But the new menu will also grow to include crispy chicken tenders and thick milkshakes to wash down all of the eats.

Taking up 1,700 square feet of Wheelhouse’s ground-level retail space, the eatery will offer 40 seats and feature the same counter-service model that BRD does at R. House. In fact, Janian says that many aspects of the new space will take inspiration from the food hall flagship, developed in part by his brother, Chris, founder of Vitruvius Co.

“We’re going after a similar vibe,” he says. “The developers at R. House did such a great job creating a communal space where people can come and stay for hours. We want that convivial atmosphere where people can rub elbows with friends, or even meet people they don’t know.”

Designed by Kuo Pao Lian of PI.KL Studio—the same local firm that dreamed up the interior for R. House—the new spot will offer all communal tables, warm woods, and pops of red and black throughout.

“It’s going to be a space that’s both modern and very comfortable,” Janian adds. “It really centers around the communal table and the counter so that the focus is still on the food and the people sitting next to you.”

Janian, who says opening restaurants has been a dream of his since he was young, is looking forward to spreading the BRD footprint throughout his hometown.

“I’ve lived in Federal Hill before and I know the energy that’s there,” he says. “That’s the exact energy we want for BRD—people who love their food, love having a great time, and really just have a love for Baltimore.”