The Downtown Sailing Center in Baltimore has negotiated a new lease that will enable it to operate near Baltimore's Inner Harbor for another 25 years.
Baltimore's Board of Estimates, the city's spending panel, on Wednesday approved a lease that allows the nonprofit sailing center to use the "riparian rights and submerged lands" off 1407 Key Highway, adjacent to the city's Fire Maintenance shop, through April 2036 for $1 a year. The site is next to the sailing center's larger marina location and has been used by the sailing center since 2000.
With more than 60 boats, the sailing center offers sailing programs, day camps and racing for groups and individuals, including people with disabilities and limited incomes. It funds its operation with public and private grants and gifts.
According to the Baltimore Development Corp., which executed the contract, the sailing center wants to replace some older docks and piers off Key Highway and needed a long-term lease to raise funds for that project.