Petition to block Harborplace redevelopment misses deadline for November ballot
BALTIMORE - The group seeking to stop the nearly $1 billion Harborplace redevelopment along Baltimore's Inner Harbor failed to meet the deadline to qualify their initiative for November's ballot, according to our media partner The Baltimore Banner.
Their petition, spearheaded by Baltimore attorney and former mayoral candidate Thiru Vignarajah, fell short of the 10,000 signatures needed to qualify for the election by Monday afternoon's deadline.
The petition group, which calls itself "Protect Our Parks," aimed to counter a plan approved by the City Council that would clear the way for the redevelopment by allowing construction of residential buildings on the city-owned waterfront, according to the Banner.
In March, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott moved forward with plans to redevelop Harborplace by signing three related bills.
Those bills include amendments to zoning, an urban renewal plan and the city's charter.
Baltimore-based developer MCB Real Estate plans to demolish the current Harborplace pavilions and replace them with park space, commercial buildings and sky-rise apartments.
Before the project can move forward, Baltimore City residents will have to vote on the charter, which will be on November's ballot.
The Harborplace pavilions that ushered in a renaissance in the 1980s have since largely emptied out and fallen into disrepair and would be torn down under the proposal.
Related Coverage:
- Design plans unveiled for Baltimore Harborplace redevelopment
- Baltimore community weighs in on plans for revitalized Harborplace
All design images are available at www.ourharborplace.com/theproject.
