By Megan Sayles
AFRO Business Writer
msayles@afro.com
The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore (DPOB) held its annual meeting on Oct. 10, celebrating local leaders who have been instrumental in the development and growth of the downtown area.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore
Home to the Bromo Arts District and Central Business District, downtown Baltimore has nearly $7 billion in development projects in progress or planned before 2028. The state of Maryland is responsible for $30 million
“I am here today to declare it’s Maryland’s decade, and it’s Baltimore’s time, but it’s downtown’s moment,” said Shelonda Stokes, president of DPOB.
Stokes explained that two years ago, DPOB employed the Urban Land Institute, the oldest and largest network of multidisciplinary real estate and land use experts, to develop a blueprint for the future of Downtown. The top priorities that sprung from the effort were: energizing public spaces and improving the cityscape, enhancing public safety, connecting the city’s assets and harnessing collaborative leadership.
“We took that, and we went to the state,” said Stokes. “Not only did the state commit to helping relocate more than 6,000 employees into the Central Business District—creating an opportunity in the old State Center to do redevelopment in that neighborhood, while infusing lifeblood into downtown— but they also awarded us with $10 million a year for three years to help catalyze development in downtown.”
The funding has supported DPOB’s Downtown Black-Owned and -Operated Storefront Tenancy (BOOST) Program, which provides grants, education, lease assistance and wraparound support to Black entrepreneurs who want to open a brick and mortar in downtown. It will also be used to finance the creation of the Eutaw Streetscape, Liberty Dog Park and the Strategic Operations Center, a central hub for coordinated crime response.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott touted several other accomplishments during the gathering. The CFG Bank Arena, which reopened in 2023 after a $250 million renovation, welcomed over 800,000 visitors in its first year. Violent crime is now down 26 percent, according to the mayor, putting the city on a record-breaking pace. The Baltimore Orioles also found new ownership in billionaire David Rubenstein, and the team has extended its lease at Camden Yards for at least 15 years.
He also recalled that at last year’s meeting he, in partnership with DPOB and Governor Wes Moore, announced the concept for Downtown RISE, a 10-year vision to revamp downtown. Formally released in April 2024, the strategic action plan’s four focus areas are economic and community development; infrastructure development; arts, entertainment and culture; and public safety and cleanliness.
“We are driving toward making downtown the heart of our dynamic city. Yet again, this includes a collaborative and strategic approach to all of our work— public and private partners alike— as we seek to effectively steward the historic investment that has been infused into our city,” said Scott. “Downtown RISE is ambitious, comprehensive, inclusive and seeks to catalyze the economic growth and development of downtown Baltimore in a way that engages all of our city.”
Although downtown Baltimore covers just 3.8 percent of the city’s geographic area, it accounts for 75 percent of the city’s parking tax yield, 25 percent of city businesses, 85 percent of hotel rooms and 35 percent of city jobs.
It is also one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in Baltimore, with more than 41,000 residents within a mile radius of Pratt and Light Streets.
The governor acknowledged that in order for the state of Maryland to thrive in the future, Baltimore must also thrive as the state’s largest city.
“It’s downtown’s moment because we know that in order for this city to be able to excel, it means we cannot pick and choose who wins. It means we create opportunities for everybody to win, for everybody to participate, for everybody to feel belonging and for everybody to feel supported,” said Moore. “The downtown that we are building, the Downtown Partnership that Shelonda is leading, is one where everybody knows they are not just welcomed and accepted, but they are needed, and that’s why it is Baltimore’s time in this moment.”
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