We, the undersigned strongly and wholly oppose the demolition of Baltimore’s Harboplace Complex.

The proposed demolition’s impact on health, employment, tourism, traffic, and city pride have not been properly evaluated; the proposed replacement development lacks funding, adequate parking, road closure impact study, and legal clarity defining liability on city-owned park land; the awarding of a non-compete bid appears to have violated the required Board of Estimates evaluation process; the City of Baltimore appears to have applied PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) program tax deferment to the proposed development without a legally required application being submitted or reviewed; the use of a ballot initiative with confusing language has resulted in many voters no longer supporting the proposal; Scott, Cohen, BOE Board, and Bramble have offered no realistic plan for the potential thousands of jobs and billions of dollars lost from convention center, hotel, tourism and sports attendance decline and/or collapse due to major road closures for a minimum five year period.

We additionally oppose the destruction of historic buildings whose value goes beyond financial, it attacks the heart of a critical period in Baltimore’s history which set off a chain reaction of economic recovery we believe is replicable and desirable through restoration of the existing complex.