The rebuilding of the Hillman Garage is an opportunity for our local leaders to start righting the wrongs committed building the Whitmore Garage at Washington and Clay Streets.

Developed in the 1960s, the Whitmore Garage was made possible because 33 properties on the block, many of which were well-established businesses owned by Black and Jewish residents, were seized by local government. In doing this, local government changed the trajectory of this neighborhood. Community leader and local historian Janice Hayes-Williams wrote in a 2018 column for the Capital Gazette that the Whitmore Garage “(c)ompleted the decimation of the old Fourth Ward during Urban Renewal.”

The Whitmore Garage serves two purposes today: County Employee parking and paid public parking. With the Hillman Garage going offline in January, it is reasonable to expect the Whitmore Garage sees an increase in paid public parking use especially during the General Assembly session.

This creates a unique opportunity to transition the Whitmore Garage from something that serves cars and walls off the Clay Street community into something that builds up the Clay Street community. County employees could park at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium and shuttle in (similar to most State employees) to maximize the spaces available for paid public parking. Then, we could invest the revenue generated into the Stanton Center and surrounding community to increase youth programming and workforce development efforts.

In the long run and once the larger Hillman Garage is built, the city and county should partner to replace the Whitmore Garage with a building that better serves the community. Imagine if that land supported workforce development trainings and satellite classrooms for the community college. Imagine if it contained a one-stop shop for community resources. Then we would have something that uplifts the neighborhood and connects it to more people in Annapolis.