Pros/Cons of New Arena at the Inner Harbor

photo credit, The Baltimore Sun
Recently this past week the GBC proposed a plan to build a new arena on the site of the oldest section of the Convention Center at Pratt and Charles Streets. Now the city is seeking proposals, again, for a new arena to replace 1st Mariner Arena, but prefers this time to use an alternative site. The original proposals in 2008 sought to replace the arena on site, but it would leave Baltimore without a major indoor venue for concerts, sports, and other events for at least two years. By building the new arena at a different spot in the city, this will allow 1st Mariner to remain open during the construction of the new space. This leads to a few pros and cons that I can think of.

Pros:
  • The Inner Harbor site would be closer to Camden Yards and the rest of Harborplace, helping to draw visitors to that area.
  • Will at the same time replace a portion of the convention center with new exhibiting and meeting space, which can encourage more conventions per year.
  • Allow for new development at the 1st Marina site.
Cons:
  • Potentially won't help to break up the 4-block wall that is devoid of retail space or any other life on the south side of Pratt, unless the developers add some type of retail on the Pratt and Charles street front.
  • A long timeline for replacement for the 1st Marina site could leave a block-sized undeveloped plot for who knows how long. When we consider the stalled Superblock site, and the already slow development on the Westside, it could be a very long time.
  • Takes away from encouraging development to the Westside, when the city should be looking at expanding downtown redevelopment instead of concentrating everything around the harbor.

Comments

  1. The Baltimore ChopNovember 15, 2010 at 1:29 PM

    Well, the current arena is dumb. I call it dumb instead of listing 500 things wrong with it. It's dumb.

    Replacing it at the same site has all the cons you mention, plus half the cons of the current space.

    Building it on the convention center site is also dumb. I'm sick of this "if you build it they will come" mentality on drawing convention business. It's a much smaller equivalent to building olympic venues or world cup stadia.

    Personally, I'd like to see an arena on the 25th St site in Remington. As long as it was comparable in size to the current arena, it could be a good fit to the neighborhood, as Du Burns is in Canton. There's plenty of room for a separate parking structure on that site too. It's right off 83, etc.

    At any rate, whatever ends up on Baltimore street will be a huge step up. If you get rid of that and the Mechanic, and replace them smartly Baltimore Street may even begin to rival Pratt Street for 'main street' status downtown.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CBNovember 15, 2010 at 2:02 PM

    Agreed. I don't see why the city insists on putting all its development focus on the Inner Harbor when Baltimore has much more to offer in other parts of the city. Plus, the Westside needs it more.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Club One was the House of Welsh

Image
 House of Welsh in 1943. Note the Guilford Elevated streetcar line. At one time, what was 301 Guilford Avenue (at some point over time the address was switched to 300 E. Saratoga St) was called the House of Welsh a long time Baltimore steakhouse and restaurant. Originally opened in 1900 it occupied the corner buildings for 98 years. A 1998 article in The Baltimore Sun details the history of the House of Welsh on the eve of its closure. With the demolition of these three buildings yesterday marks the end of some of the oldest houses that stood near downtown. The houses were build in the 1830s, some of the only other houses of the same period were on St. Paul Street and were demolished to make way for the new Mercy Medical Center tower. Inside these buildings make have taken place some of the more little known, but nonetheless interesting stories in Baltimore's history. In 1904, at the height of the Great Baltimore Fire, a telegraph line was hooked up inside the building...
Read more

Small Improvements to Light Rail That Could Make a Big Impact

Image
S equence lights on Howard Street so trains can move between stations without having to stop at red lights. This would significantly cut down on the travel time between Mt. Royal/UB and Camden Yards. The technology is there, it just needs to be implemented in a more sensible way.  Improve passenger information at each station. This would include updating the maps to reflect the current light rail operation. The maps at most stations outside of downtown are poorly designed and show the light rail configuration when the extensions to Penn Station and BWI first opened in 1997. Way-finding and neighborhood maps showing immediate transit connections and local attractions are a must. Posted schedules should be updated immediately whenever a new version of the timetable is made. Newer Light Rail map at downtown stations. Update signs at all stations. A few years back the downtown stations had new signs that replaced the originals from 1992. In addition the stations feature a sy...
Read more

Where's the New Charm City Circulator?

Image
(photo credit, http://www.yournameyourride.com/ ) It's the summer now, some may even call this the "late summer". It is around this time that Baltimore is supposed to roll out the brand spanking new Charm City Circulator , but where is this free bus service. The one thing I've learned about Baltimore is that press releases, news updates, and service reminders come few and far between in this town. It's mid-August. We got the new name back in June, but no official route map, no official stops, nor schedule. I haven't seen any signs around the downtown area. I live down here now, I haven't seen anything. How do you expect anyone to use this services if it's not being advertised? There were rumors floating back earlier this summer that dedicated bus lanes were going to be painted on Lombard and Pratt Street for not only this service, but the MTA buses that use the same roads, but it doesn't look like that has happened yet. Seems like this thing will ...
Read more