Historic Resources DRAFT Chapter

Can there be a lien forgiveness for city-owned historic vacants conditional on being preserved?

Create a few positions for city reps who can advocate for small business developers to guide the way through regulatory and permit processes.

Evaluate the regulatory reviews for smaller projects to move forward and get completed.

For historically disadvantaged/disenfranchised youth.

Earlybaltimore.org

Need to include DOT with regard to trees. They manage the right-of-ways. I'm still waiting for my row permit.

Depending on equity implications.

Take in community voice when available regarding the history. Many residents have lived through and have context of historical events and neighborhood conditions. Offer gift cards for sharing.

Work with seniors/elders in the community and neighborhood associations so they can tell their more historic stories.

Only if ensuring that it will be not be undergatekeeping or available as a "Live Baltimore" option.

Will the applicants of the historic site be shared the plan + will communication be shared in the nearby areas?

Does peer to peer indicate that it is the responsibility of the residents? Or could you explain what examples of peer to peer would include?

I don't understand why we overpay to support "historic" resources if the only purpose is nostalgia and pride? I want people housed and fed, end of story.

Ugh, abolish design review.

Get rid of these. Switch to landmarks.

If you're going to do historic preservation, it should not come at the cost of maximizing residences/new homes, especially in high-demand and affluent areas, where as many people should live as possible. Take a highly targeted approach, only preserve the most landmark, signature buildings, and recognize that maximizing residential + economic opportunities is more important.

The greenest trees are the ones already grown. They are historic too and should be protected from demolition just as buildings and neighborhoods should be.

Preserve historic qualities of neighborhoods by maintaining the existing spatial relationships. Do not add high density into low density areas. Preserve the existing green spaces as well as architectural buildings.

Partner with Habitat for Humanity

Bring it back to Harborplace!

I would add that Harborplace falls in this category and should not be given to private development.

Also, please include contact names, phone numbers, and email for the officials and offices that would aid in application.

It would be helpful to include a clear description of the process of applying for designation, including forms, documents required, who can apply, etc.

Does this include workforce development, fellowships and grants for archivists, oral historians and conservators? I am part of the Valerie J Maynard Foundation working to preserve the artists estate at 104 W North Ave. Maynard was a prolific Black, q/ueer artist, activist and educator who contributed to the historic Black Arts Movement in Harlem and beyond. She lived in Baltimore for some thirty years, and lived in the house on North Ave for more than ten years before her passing in 2022. The need to preserve not only the structure of her home, but it’s contents - her life’s work - has called an intergenerational group of Black and POC professionals to build and seek skills in preservation. These training and education opportunities are difficult to access for Black and POC communities, even those actively working on preservation projects here in Baltimore. Despite supportive partnerships with arts institutions like the Baltimore Museum of Art, and community workshops on Doing Oral History in Baltimore with Baltimore Speaks, I find it challenging to work in preservation full time unlike my white peers who can afford to save up for expensive art history masters programs. Conservation training isn’t widely available in the United States, much less Maryland, and nonexistent in Baltimore City. How are we to preserve Black legacies inside these historic structures? What of our artwork, our letters, our books and photos? These require a specific preservation process and resources to support that process. Yes our legacies need safe homes, but they also need skilled care givers. I believe Black legacies in Baltimore deserve that care - how will this plan help address these obstacles to education and professional development for Black preservation and archive workers? We, Black memory workers, must be included in this plan to develop historic preservation resources in Baltimore City. That may look like workforce development to train cohorts of archive professionals, or significant preservation grants to foundations and individuals working to share skills in archiving and legacy preservation. It also could take form as fellowships with community organizations/historic sites in Baltimore which hire early career archivists and conservators to help preserve these pieces of Baltimores rich legacy. Fellows can build their experience toward full time employment with a governmental body of preservation professionals doing this work across the city. I would be excited to see Baltimore City fully invest in historic preservation by making it a part of its governmental function and training more Black and POC archivists and conservators to lead and support these initiatives locally. Based on the current proposals support for neighborhood associations and universities, there is definitely an opportunity to create these pathways of support for Black-led cultural institutions and memory workers doing historic preservation in Baltimore and I hope to see them reflected in the final draft of this plan. Thank you for making this a priority.