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Inner Harbor 2.0: It’s Greener

P. Kenneth Burns / WYPR

More green space and a pedestrian bridge that connects two sides of the Inner Harbor.

Those are among the plans for “Inner Harbor 2.0” announced Wednesday by city officials at the Baltimore Visitors Center. 

Laurie Schwartz, executive director of the Waterfront Partnership, called the plans an upgrade to what the late William Donald Schaefer envisioned.  “The harbor is 40 years old and we’ve got some work to do, and focus on adding amenities,” she said.  Schwartz added that there will be more greenery to create parks and playgrounds to attract more residents and keep visitors returning.

The proposal includes several reconfigurations and new designs of the harbor.  Among them, a sculpture garden, performance stage and underground parking at Rash Field. Street patterns would be reconfigured so McKeldin Plaza would serve a grand entrance to the harbor.

The city, Waterfront Partnership and the Greater Baltimore Committee worked with Ayers Saint Gross on the plan that draws strong inspirations from New York’s Battery Park. “If you go to Battery Park it’s in much better shape than our Inner Harbor is,” said Adam Gross, design principal of Ayers Saint Gross.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said that the Inner Harbor is no longer just a place for business, noting that residential uses are increasing.  “New residents are seeking a certain type of life style for themselves and for their kids and we knew that it was time for a master plan; a re-visioning, a fine tuning of this asset,” she said.

The final plans and costs are being put together.  Schwartz said funding will come from “a whole host of sources.”