This article appeared on WBAL.com on Thursday, March 1.
By Tyler Waldman
The Baltimore City Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution urging state lawmakers to spur the redevelopment of State Center under criteria backed by surrounding residents for more than a decade.
The bill was introduced by Councilman Eric T. Costello and co-sponsored by the entire body. It asks the General Assembly to pass and the governor to sign a bill to ensure the State Center Neighborhood Alliance will have a role in the participation and planning process of any future effort on the 28-acre site.
“Baltimore has waited too long for State Center redevelopment,” Young said in a statement. “This project is too important to the livelihood of this community. We cannot allow more than a decade of community planning and input to be lost.”
There have been multiple attempts to redevelop the state office complex. The most recent ended in 2016, when the Board of Public Works voted 3-0 to terminate leases with the developer, with Gov. Larry Hogan citing the plan's debt and calling it "totally unworkable." The state then sued the developer in Baltimore City Circuit Court. A trial date in that case has not yet been set.
The bill to fulfill the city's request is now in the House of Delegates, introduced by Del. Cheryl Glenn with 19 co-sponsors, including Del. Antonio Hayes, whose district includes State Center. Hayes said the bill would ensure the community benefits from training, jobs and long-term careers. A companion bill was introduced in the state Senate by Sen. Barbara Robinson.