Public investment in Inner Harbor can yield big returns
When it was announced last April that MCB Real Estate had emerged as the developer for Harborplace, the enthusiastic response reverberated throughout the Baltimore community. A local developer who has shown a commitment to investing in all parts of Baltimore, and a Baltimorean for most of his life, David Bramble was widely viewed as the perfect candidate to re-imagine and re-envision how to bring the life back to Harborplace and the public spaces along the waterfront. Today is no different from six months ago, yet your recent article, “How a developer’s re-imagining of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is getting a $67.5 million boost from state taxpayers” (Oct. 6) unfairly and unfortunately questioned the use of public dollars for improving public spaces at the water’s edge.
The waterfront promenade is one of Baltimore’s most heavily used and enjoyed public spaces where Baltimoreans come together as a community, see the majestic visiting tall ships and magic of Light City, immerse ourselves in tens of thousands of books at the Baltimore Book Festival and watch grand firework displays as we ring in the New Year — celebrating all together, at the Inner Harbor, in our shared space. Baltimore stands to benefit from public dollars invested in revitalizing, rebuilding and adding resiliency to the Inner Harbor and its promenade. Prominent attractions such as the National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center and Oriole Park at Camden Yards were only realized thanks to a public investment.
Certainly, there must be accountability for the use of public funds, and there will be transparency as the Inner Harbor promenade is re-imagined and planned for Baltimore residents and generations to come. Transparency and community input are core tenets when developing projects that include public dollars, as evidenced most recently with Rash Field Park. The Waterfront Partnership engaged with residents throughout the city to listen and learn what they would like to see happen in this very public space so that its final iteration met the needs of the community. We know this process works when we see the thousands of people enjoying the park and we have a broad outreach effort currently underway as we prepare for its second phase.
The redevelopment of our Inner Harbor Promenade will be a long process and it is my hope that everyone, including The Baltimore Sun and its reporters, will be on board to celebrate and laud the outcome.
— Laurie Schwartz, Baltimore
The writer is president of the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore.