Waterfront development plans raise concerns in community

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - For Baltimore waterfront developers and nearby communities, it’s all about the view.

Recent concerns among residents in Federal Hill and Locust Point about the effect proposed construction would have on their connection to water have highlighted the issues developers face when pitching waterfront projects.

Across from Federal Hill, HarborView Properties Development, developer of the current HarborView tower, plans to build a 26-story tower and will consider building a 17-story tower on the site. Federal Hill residents have said one tower is enough.

In Locust Point, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse initially planned about 1,200 new residential units in the neighborhood, in addition to two other large residential projects in the community — Turner Development’s Silo Point and developer Mark Sapperstein’s McHenry Row. Community opposition to the large scale of the project led Struever to revise its plan and propose just 130 residential units in the community.

“The issue is not only water view. There are other issues such as the access to the water, public spaces, parking, traffic — all these things go into the dialogue with the community,” said Bill Struever, president and CEO of Struever Bros. “[Working with the community] is essential, because without community support it is very hard to get approvals from the city.”

There’s no question the waterfront offers tremendous value to developers, as seen with Harbor East’s positioning between Little Italy and the water, Harbor Point’s placement between Fells Point and the water and Canton Crossing’s waterfront development in Canton.

Baltimore City’s planning department expects developers to have an open dialogue with communities when planning a project, said Douglas McCoach, the planning department’s director.

“We see the advantages of new residents and increased tax revenues, but we don’t want to compromise what we have in terms of waterfront neighborhoods,” McCoach said.

“We want it all,” McCoach said. “We want great buildings, new residents and to preserve what’s great about Baltimore.”

Pat Turner, who is developing Westport along the Middle Branch, said original plans for the $1.4 billion residential, retail and office development called for private access to the water. But after residents in nearby Cherry Hill asked for public access to the water, Turner agreed and changed the plan.

“If you get [the community] on your side, nobody is opposing you, and the project is moving very quickly.” Turner said.

Paul Robinson, president of the Federal Hill Neighborhood Association, understands the waterfront is a valuable resource to the city. What worries Robinson and others is too much development and a disconnect between the neighborhood and the waterfront.

“Why would we do something that would exacerbate the situation?” Robinson said. “We all need to have a seat at the table, and issues need to be addressed.”

Ana Sebescen contributed to this article.

acannarsa@baltimoreexaminer.com

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