by Colleen Wolfe
soboblog @ baltimoreguide.com

It seems perseverance does indeed pay off, and the members of a special Locust Point task force should give themselves a great big pat on the back. For months this task force has been meeting on a weekly basis to hash out a compromise with Struever Brothers Eccles & Rouse on the further redevelopment of the Tide Point property. Now it looks like they have the developer headed down the right path.

The community was caught by surprise back in February when Struever Bros. sent plans to the Task Force showing an exponential expansion of the Tide Point development. The task force had expected to see plans to convert a local warehouse into office space, but it got plans for expansion of the entire Tide Point campus that included a 26-story building and two 12-story buildings. The plan also included more than 1,000 apartments.
Dwelling units increased by more than 50 percent, and the buildings would tower above a neighborhood that till ten years ago consisted mostly of narrow two-story rowhomes. Needless to say, the community voiced its opposition to the plan loud and clear at a special meeting last March.
Since then the task force has kicked into overdrive to work out a solution and make sure the developer and the city knew the community’s concerns.
Bill Struever came to the community last week with a much less ambitious plan. It now includes 135 townhouses instead of 1,000 apartments, and the tallest building will be a six-story parking garage. Community access to the waterfront will be maintained. One of the better parts of the original plan, an immigration museum, also remains, with the addition of a park and walking path from the historic Christ Church on Beason Street down to the museum on the waterfront.
One of the more negative aspects of the plan that raised some eyebrows is a paid city-owned parking garage. Parking has been one of the biggest issues of contention between the neighbors and Struever. When Tide Point was originally developed the city’s parking requirements were not as liberal as they are now. So, while Tide Point’s designers may have allowed the correct number of parking spaces as designated by code, it was woefully inadequate. The overflow has carried over into the neighborhood streets, which are packed already by the residents. Being a peninsula, there’s only so much room for expansion in Locust Point. When those limits are stretched, something’s got to give, and in Locust Point it was the parking.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that if given the choice of a free parking space on the street or paying $300 to $500 a year for parking in a garage, most people will opt for a free space whenever possible, even if it means circling the neighborhood until a free spot can be found. People are just cheap that way. So I don’t see how a paid lot is going to ease the parking issues in the neighborhood. And since the lack of parking is the catalyst that started the community negotiating with the developer in the first place, I can’t call any plan a success that doesn’t adequately address the parking issue.
This plan is far from a done deal. There are still many issues that have to be hashed out. The task force will be able to continue to work with Struever on the details since those neighbors that came to the community meeting last week voted to keep the negotiations going with the developer. And I am confident that the task force will eventually bring back a compromise plan that the community can vote on with confidence.
So what’s the moral of the story? A community should not lose all hope when a developer comes knocking. Surely, people need to understand that someone who owns property has a right to build on that property, and development, although a hard pill to swallow at times, does translate into much needed tax dollars and jobs in the city. By having a dedicated, hardworking and knowledgeable group of volunteers working for your neighborhood, development and neighborhoods can coexist. There can be mutual benefits for all involved.
I firmly believe that creating well-paying jobs and safe neighborhoods will attract and keep people in Baltimore. When you work and live in the same community you are much more willing to get involved. It’s the same principle if you’ve lived on Decatur Street your whole life and are a factory worker at Domino Sugar or if you moved to Hull Street a few years ago to be close to your job at Tide Point. I know many people who have made Locust Point their home because they work at Tide Point, and many of them have become some of the most dedicated volunteers in the neighborhood.
I think Bill Struever learned a few lessons as well. He learned that the Locust Point Master Plan that the community spent months creating with the city isn’t just a piece of paper, but a vision for the neighborhood that means something. And he learned that when you lose touch with the community there can be hell to pay.
I believe that the Task Force has gotten Struever back on track and a good compromise will be reached. Kudos to the talented group of people who have fought so hard to have the neighborhood’s voice heard.

Good for Locust Point!!!!!