DONATE to the Inner Harbor Coalition  (***NOTE*** The "Chip In" donations after you sign the petition benefit Change.org, not Inner Harbor Coalition) GO HERE TO DONATE.

The Inner Harbor. More than 50 years ago, the citizens of Baltimore recognized the area’s uniqueness, gifting it as a “public park for uses and benefit for this and future generations.” They made a promise to keep the space open for all "in perpetuity." 

Whether you’re from Baltimore or just one of the millions from around the world who have visited, everyone knows the Inner Harbor as a park: a spacious, lively waterfront where anyone - families, friends, kids, couples - can recreate, celebrate or just enjoy a scenic stroll along the water without spending a nickel. 

(above photo - the Inner Harbor today)

Then the people voted in 1978 to let visionary Jim Rouse build Harborplace, a concept so wildly successful that it launched copycat developments from New York’s South Street Seaport to Sydney, Australia’s Harbourside. In 2009, the Urban Land Institute called it "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world." But with the two pavilions open to all, the Inner Harbor was still a park.

Today, that’s in jeopardy. The grandfather of “festival marketplaces” stands neglected, a victim of real estate company mismanagement. But instead of restoring and celebrating their revolutionary centerpiece, Baltimore City’s politicians have conspired with a developer to tear down Harborplace and replace it with two office buildings and two luxury apartment towers, 25- and 30- stories tall. Sure, there will be stores and restaurants on the bottom, where paying guests will be welcome, but on top will be 900 apartments and water view suites. This is what the developer calls “design and vision…with equity at its core.”

In a park.

Not only will this scheme essentially privatize the northern half of the Inner Harbor—the city’s own solicitor statement says that “neither multifamily dwellings nor off-street parking are recreational uses that are available to the public” - it will irreparably harm the feeling of openness that gives the area its unique character: the gentle step-back from water to promenade to two-story pavilions to taller buildings framing the harbor.

Investors, of course, will profit handsomely. Taxpayers not so much. In fact, to make the project work as proposed, the city’s Department of Finance says the developer will need $400-$500 million from taxpayers. Maryland? U.S.? Who knows! It’s all very hazy.

To pull it off, the mayor needs to jettison the 1970s guardrails put in place to keep the land out of the hands of politicians and developers. The park will go from being the city’s most protected planning area to one with no zoning limits whatsoever. Baltimore residents and visitors alike should be outraged at the way this mayor is railroading this project through.

And if Baltimore’s Crown Jewel—the only city park enshrined in the city charter—isn’t safe from politicians and developers, what park is?

HELP US STOP THIS. HELP US PROTECT THE FUTURE OF BALTIMORE’S INNER HARBOR PARK.

1. Sign our petition to demand that the mayor, city council and state and federal representatives of Baltimore reject this developer-led project and commit to an open, city-led process to determine what’s best for the Inner Harbor Park
2. Contribute to help us pursue legal and political routes.  DONATE  HERE! (***NOTE*** The "Chip In" donations after you sign the petition go to Change.org, not Inner Harbor Coalition)
3. VOTE “NO” on the charter amendment November 5 (and tell your family and friends to vote "no" too).

Perpetuity means perpetuity!