City leaders, developers discuss vision for a renewed Harborplace
BALTIMORE -- Harborplace's new owner and city officials want to give Baltimore a nearly billion-dollar makeover.
Paul Gessler sat down with Mayor Scott and developer David Bramble to talk about their vision for the future of Harborplace.
Leaders say Harborplace, which was once an economic stoplight in the city, attracting more than 18 million visitors a year, is now in need of a facelift.
Harborplace now is struggling to attract business as national retailers and chain restaurants have left in recent years.
"This was something that had been decaying and still is decaying for many, many moons," Mayor Scott said. "This could have been done before because malls have been dying for over a decade now. Now, they're dead, right?"
Scott argues the concrete pavilions lining the Inner Harbor's north and west shores are overdue for a makeover.
"They sacrificed the coolness, the uniqueness of the place for Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and other things you can find in a random airport," said Bramble, of MCB Real Estate - Harborplace's new developer.
"We had something, our crown jewel, Baltimore's face to the world, was owned by people out of the country," Scott said.
Scott and Bramble are now selling this new vision of Baltimore's crown jewel. It would tear down the old pavilions and build a new mixed-use complex highlighted by two residential towers.
"We see this particular asset as the heart of the city and if the heart fails, then the body goes down," Bramble said.
The project is ambitious with a price tag of about $900 million. Bramble estimates $500 million in private investment and between $300 and $400 million in public funds to upgrade streets, a new promenade, and a park.
State and city officials stood together to throw support behind the project in October.
A key part of the proposed plan would eliminate this spur from Light Street onto Pratt which planners have argued is not safe. It's part of a larger effort to prioritize pedestrians over car traffic.
Bramble said MCB Real Estate's community engagement sessions revealed several priorities like accessibility, connectivity to the water, and local vendors.
"If we build this as something that's exciting for Baltimoreans, like if we focus on the local and the cool, when your friends come in from out of town, when my family comes in, they'll say, 'Where should we go? What's Baltimore?' And, we'll say, 'Oh, we know exactly where to go. We're going to the harbor.'," Bramble said.
Public safety is another concern MCB must consider.
"A lot of people are focusing on height, but it's a mistake. Height's good. By going up with density, it leaves lots of room on the ground plane for everyday citizens," Bramble said.
A proposed promenade would feature a floating lower level to account for flooding risk.
The plan must clear the legislative process, and ultimately: the ballot box.
The Baltimore City Planning Commission and the Baltimore City Council must approve three bills to rezone the area to residential, then, voters would have to approve changes to the city charter.