[Baltimore Sun] Attorneys for Baltimore, Harborplace developer file briefs ahead of Supreme Court hearing
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Attorneys for Baltimore and Harborplace developer MCB Real Estate have filed memos detailing their opposition to a lower court ruling that would block state officials from counting votes for a ballot question needed to redevelop the Inner Harbor.
The filings come ahead of a hearing on the issue before the Supreme Court of Maryland slated for Oct. 7. Earlier this month an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge sided with a group of city residents who argued the language of the ballot question, which would ask residents if they want to expand the allowable uses for the Inner Harbor area, was too difficult to understand. Judge Cathleen Vitale also found the subject of the ballot question was “not proper charter material” and ordered that the results of the question be nullified.
The Maryland State Board of Elections, which is responsible for printing and distributing ballots, appealed the ruling and was joined by the city and the developer. All three filed briefs with the high court late last week, arguing the question should remain on the ballot and be counted. The lower court decision was an “improper restriction” on the Baltimore City Council’s legislative authority, attorneys for the developer argued. The challenge, which was filed less than two months before the Nov. 5 election, has created “ballot chaos,” they said.
MCB needs approval from voters on the ballot question, known as Question F, to clear the way for an ambitious proposal to replace the aging shopping and dining pavilions on the city’s waterfront with four taller, mixed-use buildings, including a conjoined tower stretching 32 stories. MCB’s plan calls for 900 apartments and office space on the site along with a large new park space, a two-tier promenade and realigned roadways.
Got a news tip? Contact Emily Opilo at eopilo@baltsun.com, (443) 253-0681 and on X as @emilyopilo.
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