Sep 11 2008
The New Pratt Street
Plans were unveiled yesterday for the 100 million dollar Pratt Street makeover. Over a year in the making, this project has the opportunity to change the center of Baltimore City in ways that only a few other projects have.
Click HERE to read the article
People have been quick to criticize, citing that the plan “lacks height”, demolishes the skybridges, and eliminates the largest public fountain in Baltimore city. I on the other hand applaud city officials and designers for thinking big and taking the steps necessary to transform Baltimore City into something greater.
The project stands to add over 650,000 square feet of retail. The fact that the proposed buildings “lack height” has absolutely no bearing whatsoever. The slim parcels of land that they would be able to carve out of the existing Pratt St. aren’t large enough to support skyscrapers, nor are skyscrapers necessary for this plan to work. Building huge buildings closer to the waterfront is contrary to the inner harbor master plan anyway, which called for a “tiered” effect from the water. Height of buildings is not what makes other “great streets” successful. Most retail on New York’s 5th Ave, Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, and the Champs Elysees isn’t more than 2 or 3 stories anyway. It’s the proximity to the street that matters, and the creation of a truly urban effect…one that is lost in the current design.
The skybridges were the worst idea anyone ever came up with. They create a second level that robs the street of pedestrian activity and vibrancy. Baltimore will never have street level retail if we remove people from the streets. New Yorkers can manage to cross the streets without sky bridges, and their streets are way more congested than ours.
The fountain will not be a loss. It is a giant blockade at the corner of the most important intersection in the city. It effectively serves as a wall…keeping visitors to the inner harbor at the harbor. With the fountain out of the way, people will be presented with a huge public plaza and will be drawn beyond the harbor and further into the city. This city deserves a great public plaza like this one.
The plan is a bold one, and many Baltimoreans are afraid of change. We need to quit complaining, make positive suggestions to the right people where we can, and get on with it!
jeffcantonite@yahoo.com
4 Comments to “The New Pratt Street”
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I think Pratt/Light st need some change, but I really fear making light street a 2 way street up to Baltimore. The way that traffic flows from 83 to the stadiums/95 requires that light street be wide open to accommodate the constant flow of cars into the light street route onto 95. By eliminating at least a couple lanes on light street, you’re going to end up with extremely slow moving traffic, ending up with gridlock around light/pratt/lombard/calvert.
Light street is barely able to accommodate the normal rush hour traffic right now from the harbor down to 95, I imagine it getting only worse with less lanes on light, and on top of that, legg mason moving to harbor east, adding to the lombard traffic.
how about that tunnel from president to 95? =)
Jeff I agree. The fountain is a waste of space an kinda ugly. The crosswalk area on Light adjacent to Harborplace doesn’t seem well planned. The way those lights are timed cars end up sitting in the middle of the crosswalk, and pedestrians are wondering in and out of them. The biggest problem that Pratt street has is that nobody that lives in Baltimore really goes to that area unless they work over there. Most residents stay within the “communities.”
I also think the plan is thoughtful and well-planned. I like the idea of adding retail space without walling of the harbor. Remember, many people thought that one of the largest mistakes Baltimore made in its redevelopment was in zoning the high rise office too close to the water.
My only quibble is the relatively low profile of public transportation in the plan. Yes there’s a bus path, which is a cheap solution, but I wonder if there was any discussion of extending the Howard street light rail along Pratt.
Am I the only person who likes the fountain? Oh well. I agree attgaboutig the traffic at light and pratt, and also understand were dj is coming from from a public transportation. Hopefully this plan can adjust when public transport comes closer (a east/west subway please!).
For now I think the plan looks pretty good. It would be great to all that shopping space as long as additional parking is added (or public transport) to the area. The shopping better hurry though, as it seems most nicer shops are heading over to Harbor East.