City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake had a vision a few years ago for creating a more vibrant, walkable downtown, by linking west-side sports and entertainment venues such as Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 1st Mariner Arena and the Hippodrome Theatre to form one district with a strong "sense of place."
As with many other proposals for improving Baltimore's urban landscape, that one has been slow to become reality.
Now, as Rawlings-Blake prepares to take office as Baltimore's next mayor, she is looking to dust off some of her ideas for the growth and development of the city where she grew up. While she has newfound political muscle to bring her ideas to fruition, she will have to do so as the city fights to come out of the worst economic downturn since the 1930s.
The mayor-to-be said she plans to become more heavily involved in economic development projects throughout the city, building on her experience as council president and head of Baltimore's Board of Estimates, a panel that plays a key role in shaping building and land use. She and her aides say that jump-starting projects, large and small, would create jobs and help fuel an economic recovery.
"I truly believe we have a lot of strengths that we can build upon," Rawlings-Blake said. "It's not looking for the next humongous project. It's looking at the assets we already have to see how we can grow from our strengths."
When Mayor Sheila Dixon steps down next month, she will leave behind a long list of unfinished developments throughout the city, from the stalled slots parlor on Russell Street to stillborn plans for a new downtown arena to vacant blocks that were supposed to become hotels and office towers.
In the days since Dixon disclosed her plans to resign as part of a settlement after her embezzlement conviction, Rawlings-Blake has taken steps to reassure the business community. Her recently announced transition team includes a committee that will focus on jobs and economic development.
"I am asking a very smart group of people to take a fresh look at the city," she said. "I know that jobs will create a way out of this Great Recession, and I depend on the business community to stay committed to Baltimore."
Rawlings-Blake said her top economic development priorities include getting Baltimore's slots parlor project back on track after a state panel rejected the first development team, strengthening downtown's west side, and ensuring that the city is making the most of federal stimulus money to help boost projects stalled amid the downturn.
She said she has started a dialogue with federal officials about opportunities for moving more federal employees to Baltimore locations, such as the Social Security Administration's Metro West complex, which will be vacated when that agency moves to city land near the Reisterstown Road Metro station in several years. Her transition team also plans to explore the role of the Baltimore Development Corp., a quasi-public agency.
Business leaders and developers say they expect Rawlings-Blake, who will be 39 when she takes office, to take a youthful approach to revitalizing downtrodden or neglected areas. They point out that she already has taken an interest in city night life and helped craft legislation aimed at increasing live entertainment in bars and restaurants.
J. Kirby Fowler, executive director of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, said he expects the mayor will have an interest in creating "energy in the heart of downtown."
Mark Wasserman, who coordinated development for former Mayor William Donald Schaefer in the 1980s, said Rawlings-Blake "has a real knack for planning and development" and "brings a perspective that is generational."
"She is younger. She wants to do things that will bring young people to the city," said Wasserman, now senior vice president of external affairs for the University of Maryland Medical System. "Part of her agenda is looking at what it takes to make people her age and younger want to be downtown - living downtown, working downtown, dining downtown."
Developer David Tufaro, who is converting a historic mill in the Jones Falls Valley to apartments, said he'd like to see the mayor set a tone that makes people want to live and work in the city: "You have to make people want to love to be here," he said. "It's an important message."
Dixon, whose cozy relationship with developers figured prominently in her recent trial, won't be able to finish many of her development initiatives. Her administration is still working on land-sale negotiations with developers selected to build a $150 million project called Lexington Square to anchor the west side "Superblock." It also has not yet named a developer to take control of the Senator Theatre, acquired by the city after the previous owner defaulted on a loan.
Other projects remain in the planning phase. The Dixon administration launched studies for razing a mile-long stretch of the Jones Falls Expressway to open up development opportunities near Jonestown, and for rejuvenating the Franklin-Mulberry corridor by dismantling the infamous "highway to nowhere," an unfinished stretch of expressway that disrupted neighborhoods in West Baltimore and that previous City Hall administrations have failed to rectify.
Dixon also unveiled ambitious long-range visions for enlivening Pratt Street and the arts district north of Penn Station. She launched numerous "clean and green" initiatives as well, and suggested that a city Fire Department repair shop on Key Highway be replaced by public parkland.
Dixon's departure essentially leaves Rawlings-Blake with two big challenges on the development front: finding ways to pick up the pieces and continue the progress of the past decade, while also putting her own stamp on the city.
If she wants, Rawlings-Blake will have a chance to second-guess decisions made by Dixon, such as the choice to build a new arena where the 1st Mariner building stands as opposed to using another site.
Rawlings-Blake also could rethink Dixon's decision to sell the city-owned Sphinx Club property on Pennsylvania Avenue to create a museum honoring Negro League baseball players, instead of steering that project closer to sports-themed Camden Yards, as some have suggested.
And she will have the authority to replace members of boards and commissions that approve development projects, including the planning and preservation commissions.
Several business leaders say they are optimistic about Rawlings-Blake because they have known her since she was growing up in Northwest Baltimore, the daughter of longtime state Del. Howard P. "Pete" Rawlings, and feel she has a firm grasp of Baltimore's business climate and challenges. They say she is similar to her late father in some ways - methodical and thorough in her deliberations.
Rawlings-Blake "is not a new person, either to the city or the political arena or the business community," said M. Jay Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp. "I'm confident that she will continue to support the city's economic development. ... I think there is going to be a smooth transition."
In a recent letter to Brodie, Rawlings-Blake and other council members said Baltimore could become "the home of the premier gaming and entertainment destination in the mid-Atlantic region" and that "a successful facility should be a top priority."
She also has called for a "broader vision" for the west side of downtown, including a look at transit, open space and how surrounding neighborhoods connect to the sports, entertainment and arts destinations that she considers "powerful economic engines." Her focus on strengthening the west side would be somewhat of a departure from the Dixon years, which saw the Harbor East renewal take off and draw corporate tenants such as Legg Mason from the city's traditional downtown.
Tyler Gearhart, executive director of Preservation Maryland, said he's encouraged by her vision.
"We've been very disappointed with the lack of progress on the Superblock and hope that the new mayor will make the west side her top priority," Gearhart said. "With Camden Yards, the Hippodrome Theatre, Lexington Market and a wealth of historic buildings, the west side has the potential to become one of America's great downtown neighborhoods and destinations."