Historic Annapolis, Inc. is the recipient of an emergency Heritage Fund grant to address threats to the historic City Dock area of the Annapolis National Landmark District. The funding will bring a national Technical Assistance Panel from the Urban Land Institute to Annapolis this month to provide strategic, multidisciplinary advice about land use and to offer further details of redevelopment alternatives.
THE THREAT
Proposed this summer, Ordinance 23-18 would lift the height and bulk restrictions around the waterfront, eliminate oversight by the Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission, and discard any requirement for a public process. The rezoning would increase vehicular traffic, create a negative impact on viewsheds, erode the experience of living in and visiting Annapolis’s historic waterfront, and risks damaging the thriving heritage tourism economy.
OUR RESPONSE
Proposed rezoning threatens to undo the character of City Dock. As a result of this threat, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed City Dock as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, and Preservation Maryland name it one of their Six-to-Fix projects.
Through an emergency grant of $5,000 from the Heritage Fund, Preservation Maryland joined the National Trust for Historic Preservation in raising funds to bring in the Urban Land Institute to conduct a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) related to City Dock. The objective of the TAP effort is to provide expert, multi-disciplinary advice on land use and real estate issues. The results of the TAP will include further definition and details of redevelopment alternatives consistent with studies approved by the Annapolis City Council and will allow for a public conversation to increase the community’s understanding of alternatives.
TAKE ACTION
The TAP meeting has been scheduled and organized by Historic Annapolis, Inc. for October 23-24, 2018 and will bring together experts from architecture, planning, preservation, economics, with local experts, property owners, and business owners, including representative from Preservation Maryland.
The public is invited to a Community Investment Session on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 from 5:30pm to 7pm at Annapolis City Hall, 160 Duke of Gloucester St, Annapolis, MD 21401. The public is invited to a Presentation of Recommendations from the Technical Assistance Panel on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 from 6pm to 7pm at Annapolis City Hall, 160 Duke of Gloucester St, Annapolis, MD 21401.
Sign the petition to save City Dock
The Heritage Fund is a cooperative effort of Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust to provide direct assistance for the protection of historical and cultural resources in Maryland. The program funds innovative demonstrative projects that can be successfully replicated to meet the Old Line State’s historic preservation needs.