While the plans for redevelopment in downtown Annapolis are new, the argument over how to proceed dredges up old conflicts. Ellen Moyer, who served as Mayor of Annapolis from 2001 to 2009 and who has lived in Annapolis since the 1950s, says the zoning ordinance and City Dock Master Plan that Mayor Josh Cohen is backing, is reminiscent of debates that go back 40 years.
“The zoning ordinance that is in place and the dock plan take us back to the 1960s with the bulk and the height that were the major arguments that went on between commercial developers, preservation and maritime people in 1969 and 1970,” she said. Moyer, a member of the newly-formedCoalition to Save Annapolis, is referring to a provision in the proposed plan that would raise the height and size limitations on certain City Dock buildings.
The group of local business owners, preservationists and some residents also has complained that the zoning ordinance would rezone three properties from maritime use to commercial, allowing shops, offices and residences.
One of those properties is 110 Compromise Street, an 11,000 square foot building that used to house Fawcett’s Boat Supply. It’s been vacant for three years. A developer who signed a purchase agreement on the building backed out of the deal because of opposition from locals.
Cohen said the developer is waiting on the City Council to vote on the ordinance before he gets on board again. No date for that vote is set.
Moyer says rezoning those properties could set a precedent for future development plans and weaken the city’s historic preservation efforts. “All of the sudden we have a zoning change that does make major changes that could negatively impact the maritime community and certainly impact the historic preservation community,” she said.
Colonial charm and tourism
Opponents of the provisions believe that newly-constructed, larger buildings could erode the colonial character of downtown Annapolis, an economic driver for tourism. Pete Chambliss, another member of the Coalition to Save Annapolis, says he knows first-hand the draw that the historic city has on visitors.
“When people come here, especially internationally, [they say] Annapolis is different,” says Chambliss, property manager for Campbell Family Properties and a former employee of the Maryland Tourism Office for 37 years. “They are amazed and appreciate the care and concern that the city has taken in preserving its heritage, its architecture, its charm and its character.”
More than five million tourists visit Annapolis annually, generating about $3 billion a year in revenue.
Eye on business opportunity
While opponents are concerned with what Annapolis could lose, Mayor Cohen says he is focused on what the city needs to gain: business. Economic uplift downtown, he says, is more important that the loss of 100 parking spaces, which is one of the main problems some residents and business owners have raised with his plan. “Parking is absolutely a factor that has to be addressed,” he says. “But what’s more important than parking is energy and investment and new stores and new concepts and new destinations. That is really what I and others are looking to do is breathe some new life into downtown.”
The mayor says he also wants to change the mindset some developers may have about bringing business to the city, saying that “Annapolis has a reputation that it’s gained over many decades of being a tough place to do business. And the City Council and I, and the Annapolis Economic Development Corporation and others have worked diligently to combat that perception by making concrete changes, streamlining processes and making the review process more predictable.”
But Moyer says even with the maritime zoning and the current regulations on building height and size, Annapolis’ economy is in fine shape. “We are an economically vital city at the present time because we’re not like ‘anyplace USA.’ It’s an alive place; it’s not a decrepit place. People love it, and they love to come here, because it is different, needs to be protected.”
A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at Annapolis City Hall.