A birds-eye view of the redevelopment proposal for Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Rendering by MCB Real Estate.
City voters gave overwhelming approval Tuesday to a Baltimore City Charter amendment that advocates hope will help dramatically change and revitalize the Inner Harbor area.
Question F, which clears the way for the redevelopment, passed by a vote of 95,605 to 63,043. The 3-2 margin of victory was praised by the developer behind the planned project, as well as supporters who worked to ensure passage of the amendment.
“We are grateful to the people of our hometown and have always had faith they would believe in the power of progress,” said a joint statement from P. David Bramble and Peter Pinkard, co-founders of MCB, the company behind the project.
“Our vision for the future of Harborplace was developed through an inclusive and intensive public engagement process. That vision is one that looks forward – to an Inner Harbor for future generations of Baltimoreans, to an Inner Harbor with public parkland, mixed income housing and local business opportunities,” their statement said.
Question F amends the city charter to remove the public parkland designation applied to some land around the Inner Harbor and allow it to be developed for parking, commercial and residential, among other uses. The ballot question clears the way for redevelopment of the city’s Inner Harbor area. Bramble and the city want to redevelop the existing the current pavilions with mixed use retail and residential.
“The success of Question F demonstrates that vision is one that the people of Baltimore support. Now the real work begins to transform Harborplace, the Inner Harbor and the City of Baltimore for the benefit of our City and State – and we will need everyone to help make this a reality,” said Pinkard and Bramble.
The original Harborplace was built by The Rouse Co. The pavilions opened in 1980 and signaled a renaissance for the downtown area, but in recent years, the pavilions have lost their luster along with their tenants.
The redevelopment plan has drawn criticism from opponents as a developer giveaway that will limit public access to the waterfront, some of whom tried unsuccessfully to block the ballot question in court. The case made it all the way to the Maryland Supreme Court, which refused to block the question.
Jon Laria, chair of Baltimore for a New Harborlace Campaign said that with Tuesday’s vote, “the people of Baltimore rejected the opposition that tried everything to stop progress.”
“It’s clear that misguided lawsuits, outrageous misinformation, blatant personal attacks, and even blocking traffic on our streets, cannot undermine the will of Baltimore voters to propel us forward,” Laria said. “We thank Baltimore for supporting Question F — for a revitalized Inner Harbor and a bold investment in our future.”