‘We’ve got to get it right’
City of Annapolis unveils $88 million City Dock revitalization project design
The City of Annapolis revealed its highly anticipated design for a new City Dock Welcome Center Sept. 20, a project aimed at protecting the downtown area from frequent flooding.
The proposed design was presented to the City Dock Action Committee to get feedback on the plans. The Welcome Center — which will cost about $59 million — would replace the current harbormaster’s office with a new two-story building that will consolidate many of the existing properties including the recently acquired Burtis House near the waterfront on Prince George’s Street.
Another $29 million would be spent on a two-phase project for a water pumping station under Compromise Street.
The Compromise Street project would bring the resiliency project’s total cost to $88 million, making it the largest capital project in the city’s history, according to Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley.
“This is going to be City Dock for the next 50 years, if not longer,”
Buckley said at last week’s meeting. “We’ve got to get it right.”
Planning for the ambitious City Dock revitalization project has been in the works for nearly five years. In 2019, the city and Historic Annapolis collaborated to form the City Dock Action Committee.
The committee brought forth a consensus plan that sought to address the ongoing needs of the area pertaining to flooding and parking.
The proposed plan would turn the available pay-to-park area from Craig Street to Susan Campbell Park into another grassy area. The new Noah Hillman Garage holds 165 new parking spaces, including electric car charging stations and increased accessibility.
The area beyond Craig Street would lose about 90 parking spaces to the proposed park, but there would be a net gain of 70 spaces in the city overall, according to Mitchelle Stephenson, spokesperson for the city.
A proposed waterman’s museum would be connected to the Capt. William H. Burtis House.
Annapolis acquired the historic house from the state in 2020 after former Gov. Larry Hogan, former Treasurer Nancy Kopp and former Comptroller Peter Franchot — all members of Maryland Board of Public Works at the time — approved the acquisition.
The property includes 3,500 square feet, the nearby bulkhead and long pier.
Over a five-year period, state Sen. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat who represents the county, has worked with Dels. Dana Jones and Shenkia Henson, and the late Del. Michael Busch — all Democrats — to secure around $15 million in state funding for the project.
“It’s critical to the delegation that there is significant public input,” she said. “I want to make sure that Burtis House, which tells an important story of not just City Dock but of Annapolis, is thoroughly integrated into the plan.”
The welcome center would house the harbormaster’s headquarters and other amenities including a lounge, flexible office space and small watercraft rentals.
The design sets aside space for a watermen’s co-op outdoors.
It’s the mayor’s vision to have local watermen pull up to City Dock, where they can shuck their oysters and other catch to sell to the public, Stephenson said.
In June, the mayor said it’s his goal to make City Dock feel more like the working waterfront that defined its existence for more than three centuries. Alowing people to buy from local watermen “will bring that culture to life,” Stephenson said.
In March, U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Rep. John Sarbanes presented Buckley with a fake check representing the securing of $3.46 million in federal money for the revitalization project.
The city is awaiting approval of a $32 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, bringing the project $6 million to $7 million short of its projected cost.
“We feel that we can close that gap with additional funding sources,” Burr Vogel, director of the city’s Department of Public Works, said last week.
The $3.46 million appropriation marks the third influx of federal cash for City Dock.
In 2021, the same trio of federal lawmakers announced $3 million for flood mitigation, and in 2022, $3.2 million in American Rescue Plan funding was paid out through the Department of Commerce.
The plan will now be reviewed by the Planning Commission for approval. The commission’s next meeting is Oct. 12.
The agenda will be posted the Friday before the meeting.