[Baltimore Sun] Bramble’s plan for Harborplace lacks vision | READER COMMENTARY
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I was optimistic when David Bramble said in 2022 that, according to The Baltimore Sun, he wanted an Inner Harbor redevelopment to be “local” and “authentic.” Further, he said he wanted it “to represent the best of Baltimore, and we really want it to be a reflection of the whole city.” I hoped it would not echo other profit-driven developments, but the development plans are disappointing for several reasons (“Dan Rodricks: A sharply perceptive perspective on Harborplace from a Baltimore architect,” Jan. 12).
I agree with Dan Rodricks that the Inner Harbor has continued to change and evolve. We have the Visitor Center, the Maryland Science Center, Rash Field, the National Aquarium, historic ships including the USS Constellation and the World Trade Center. All of these add value and preserve some human scale.
The existing Harborplace development worked for decades and, as Dan says, it could be adapted for the future. In addition, the Baltimore City Council’s plan to remove zoning and height restrictions in the Inner Harbor park areas is a violation of public trust and only benefits developers, not the public. Politicians need to focus on the new downtown city real estate trend. With commercial office space descending in value, surplus offices must be adapted to residential space. This is happening now in New York City. Get developers to commit to this, not a severely flawed and expensive Inner Harbor development.
Bramble’s vision fails in many ways to showcase the “best of Baltimore.” To do so it would need to include most of the following:
A waterfront that is safe and accessible to all people;
Easy, inexpensive or free connectivity to other parts of Baltimore;
A dedicated traffic lane for Arabbers;
A fantastic jazz club featuring local jazz players;
Duckpin lanes (as Baltimore is known as the birthplace of Duckpin bowling);
A fish and seafood market supplied by local watermen at dedicated docks; and
The John W. Brown. It is one of the few remaining Liberty ships, one of the finest accomplishments of a prior generation, an irreplaceable historical monument. As a jewel in the crown of the Inner Harbor, it would benefit the city far more than the investment to accommodate it. Plus, it has facilities to teach useful trades. Many city youth could walk there or take a bus.
It’s short-sighted to spend $400 million in public money to enable developers who lack the vision to celebrate the charms of Charm City.
— Steven Lampredi, Baltimore
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