Voters must OK waterfront cafes

Council looks to change amendment that locks up 26 acres in Inner Harbor

As Baltimore leaders reimagined the Inner Harbor in the 1970s, city voters amended the city charter to guard against an abundance of restaurants and shops flocking to the waterfront and hurting businesses downtown.

The amendment locked in 26 acres of open space, while also clearing the way for pioneering urban planner James Rouse to build the Harborplace pavilions along Light and Pratt streets.

Nearly 40 years later, the City Council passed legislation last week for a new charter amendment. With aides to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake saying she will sign it, the city will ask voters in November to rethink how many amenities can line the waterfront.

The nonprofit that oversees the Inner Harbor is calling for two outdoor cafes — one at Rash Field and one at West Shore Park — pending approval of the charter amendment.

“Times change,” said Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, who also served on the council in the late 1970s.

Back then, she says, she worried about losing the green space, where families flocked on sunny days for picnics and play.

Clarke remembers impassioned debate gripping the city over then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer’s controversial plan to redevelop the harbor with hotels, shops and restaurants.

In 1978, a group of concerned citizens gathered enough signatures to force a ballot question on whether 29 acres around the harbor should remain parkland in perpetuity. In response, Schaefer introduced the charter amendment. Baltimore voters must approve any proposed change to the city charter.

Laurie Schwartz, president of the Waterfront Partnership, which oversees the Inner Harbor’s upkeep and progress, said the proposed outdoor cafes would follow a trend among the nation’s most vibrant parks. She said local surveys show the harbor’s visitors want more dining options.

The new cafes would be places where people could grab a sandwich and sit outside, she said. They would be amenities, she said, not profit-making ventures. Combined, they could not take up more than a half acre.

“The Inner Harbor is a real asset to Baltimore,” Schwartz said. “It belongs to all of Baltimore, so it’s appropriate that Baltimoreans have a chance to say, ‘Yes, this is something we want.’ ”

Clarke said that Schaefer always envisioned the harbor as a bustling entertainment center.

“William Donald Schaefer finally got his original plans. It took all of these years,” Clarke said. “I am sure he’s smiling down.” Baltimore Sun research librarian Paul McCardell contributed to this article. — Yvonne Wenger