Oh Sheila

Back in 1987, the R&B group Ready for the World released its first album featuring the hit single "Oh Sheila." By 1990, they had faded into oblivion.

Boy, City Council could use that upbeat tune now. They could also stand to fade from the media spotlight, too, since most of what gets reported these days has to do with ethics violations and other poor choices.

Which is why the following 2/10/2006 letter to City Council President Sheila Dixon regarding building heights in Mount Vernon is so timely. Hmmm? Support Baltimore residents, voters, and taxpayers, or a developer who can't cast a vote in local elections because he doesn't live in Baltimore? This City Counciling stuff is real hard work!

"We the undersigned representatives of Baltimore’s premier historic communities are here today because the outcome of the Mount Vernon Urban Renewal Plan will set precedent for how the city deals with its increasingly valuable inventory of historic architecture. We believe the historic architecture and pedestrian scale of our communities are a key factor in the attractiveness and revitalization of Baltimore. We must be careful stewards of this irreplaceable resource and are especially alarmed at the proposal to remove height limits from the proposed legislation. We ask that you recognize the following points made by the Mt. Vernon-Belvedere Association.

1. Legislated height restrictions beyond underlying zoning are common and national standard, especially for historic districts. Techniques include Urban Renewal Plans, Special Zoning Districts, and Conservation Districts.

2. Preservation commission guidelines for new construction do not have the force of law and depend on subjective determination of context and scale on a case-by-case basis. Development uncertainty is created to the extent legislated height allowances exceed that which could reasonably be expected to be allowed by the preservation commission under context and scale guidelines.

While the Commission on Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP's) review of new construction in Mt. Vernon will offer some protection for the historic scale of the neighborhood, limiting building height to appropriate levels through the renewal plan will strengthen, streamline, and bring enhanced predictability to the design review process – Rodney Little, Director, Maryland Historical Trust

3. Those historic communities that do not and will not have CHAP designation would have no protections from the proposed approach of eliminating height limits.

4. Much of the developable property is Mount Vernon and many other CHAP districts is not subject to CHAP. The state of Maryland is exempt from CHAP oversight as demonstrated in the demolition of the Odorite building. More recently, the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks produced a legal opinion that it was not subject to CHAP final approval for a project they are planning. Thanks to Council President Sheila Dixon’s office, this particular instance will return for CHAP approval, but the question of the legal opinion is still untested.

5. The major undeveloped parcels of Mt. Vernon are owned by a single developer with a demonstrated multi-generational investment strategy. Without strict height restrictions, this developer will logically wait until the economy can support 300ft development and hire a team of lawyers and lobbyist to push it past CHAP in a city that is already riddled with CHAP concessions. Mount Vernon leaders are very concerned that he will next acquire the Chambers building (non-contributing structure) at 1010 N. Charles which is adjacent to one of his parking lots. The concern is that he would demolish it for more parking space while waiting for the 300 ft economy. Over the past three years, he has quietly acquired two historic Charles Street buildings, shuttered them and is allowing them to decay. One has began to crumble to the street last year, and CHAP has been ineffective in getting it repaired.

Work on this plan and the process of deciding heights in Mount Vernon is now six years old and has included five public hearings (three CHAP, one Planning Commission and one Urban Affairs Committee). At every turn, those who opposed the developer’s vision for skyscrapers have prevailed, though not without great personal sacrifice and literally thousands of hours of volunteer effort. As one example of community commitment to this one issue, the community purchased and restored the MaGillvary’s building on Charles Street at a cost of over $2.5 million just to keep the developer from consolidating it into his proposed skyscraper at Charles and Read. It is unfair for the city continue to pit the community against the wealth and power of this single absentee owner.

We encourage you to help get this bill out of committee promptly and with appropriate height limits included. We also strongly encourage the inclusion of all other recommended amendments submitted by the Planning Commission and CHAP.

Thank you for your consideration."

That letter was signed by the following:

Jason Curtis, President, Mt. Vernon-Belvedere Association
Steven Strohl, President, Canton Community Association
Keith Losoya, President, Federal Hill Neighborhood Association
Barry Blumberg, Treasurer, Mount Royal Improvement Association
Ellen von Karajan, Executive Director, Preservation Society