Spring Break
Revitalizing Charles North
Issue date: 11/6/08
Baltimore city recently announced a $1 billion plan to revitalize Charles North, the neighborhood north of Penn Station. The extensive redevelopment plan will introduce 1,900 residential units, half a million square feet in retail space, an "Asia Town," and a Design Zone in the district. We are supportive of this initiative to redevelop the neighborhood and encourage new private entrepreneurship, while maintaining the historic roots of the community.
Philip Loheed, principal for BTA+, the Massachusetts-based architecture firm in charge of the Charles North Vision Plan, stressed youth involvement and sustainability in the redevelopment plans. The commitment to environmental protection is commendable and will likely draw youth participation in the revitalization of Charles North. However, with the country facing a potential protracted recession, economic obstacles may inhibit the plan's viability. The plan proposes the creation of four zones to direct the revitalization effort: the Charles Gateway and Penn Station, Asia Town, the Creative and Design Zone and the Charles and North Corners.
This initiative is unique from previous proposals for revitalizing Charles North because it represents a fundamental change in how planners view the region. In the past, the area has undergone several independent developments including the Metro Gallery, Station North Arts Café Gallery and the expansion of the Charles Theatre. If the new plan successful, the area will once more be seen as it was 100 years ago - as a regional center with art venues and business incubators. Although the vision, according to the plans, will take two decades to complete and the current economic climate will make it difficult to fund large-scale projects immediately, the city has taken the right steps towards building the groundwork for future projects.
We hope that planners will consult Charles North residents throughout the development process to ensure that the changes are beneficial to all. Developers cannot forget that the neighborhood's future depends in large part on the satisfaction of those who have called it home for so long.
Philip Loheed, principal for BTA+, the Massachusetts-based architecture firm in charge of the Charles North Vision Plan, stressed youth involvement and sustainability in the redevelopment plans. The commitment to environmental protection is commendable and will likely draw youth participation in the revitalization of Charles North. However, with the country facing a potential protracted recession, economic obstacles may inhibit the plan's viability. The plan proposes the creation of four zones to direct the revitalization effort: the Charles Gateway and Penn Station, Asia Town, the Creative and Design Zone and the Charles and North Corners.
This initiative is unique from previous proposals for revitalizing Charles North because it represents a fundamental change in how planners view the region. In the past, the area has undergone several independent developments including the Metro Gallery, Station North Arts Café Gallery and the expansion of the Charles Theatre. If the new plan successful, the area will once more be seen as it was 100 years ago - as a regional center with art venues and business incubators. Although the vision, according to the plans, will take two decades to complete and the current economic climate will make it difficult to fund large-scale projects immediately, the city has taken the right steps towards building the groundwork for future projects.
We hope that planners will consult Charles North residents throughout the development process to ensure that the changes are beneficial to all. Developers cannot forget that the neighborhood's future depends in large part on the satisfaction of those who have called it home for so long.
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