The Planning Commission Strikes Again (or, Overlooked on Pratt Street Too!)

http://bit.ly/131QltH

At home, and at work now too!

At the tiniest wisp of a thought that a developer might be scared off, the Planning Commission disregards all other concerns and gives the green light to a renovation project of the 400 E. Pratt St. building, despite the objections of the architecture review panel (UDARP).

In my neighborhood, 30 homes had already been built under one plan, and when the "developer" appeared to become concerned that he might not able to sell the remaining seven houses under that plan, he came up with the brilliant idea to build them bigger, taller, and more closely packed together.

Then he started to build without permits.

Then there was a Planning Commission review required once he was caught.  (Well, not so much caught, as the City was pestered into actually looking at what he was building compared with plans that were filed with the permits. And with the PUD site plan approved over five years ago for the development.)

The builder need not have worried. Even though 25 residents strenuously objected to the changes, all but one commission member voted to rubber-stamp the "minor amendment" to the original plan. They deliberated for several minutes before doing so.  

[They were in a hurry because the meeting was running long due to earlier efforts to make sure no future developers' rights would be trampled by approving city landmark designation of the Florence Crittenton home.  Even though the current developer had no objections to the designation. But, just in case...

And members of the media were filtering into the meeting to witness the historic passing of the "Transform Baltimore" new Zoning Code.  Which is going to make it an easier, smoother process for new development in the City!]
  
God forbid that the developer might not put up those final seven homes if he were forced to comply with the thoughtfully designed, original plans, which were the subject of rigorous scrutiny and oversight throughout the initial Planned Unit Development process, including plan approval by the City Council, the Maryland Historical Trust and the National Parks Service.

And so the Planning Commission says to the current homeowners, who have already invested well over $15million in the neighborhood, that their objections don't matter and they can go hang. Great work, Baltimore. Way to recruit new residents to your fair city. "Please move here to our revitalized city, then give us your tax money... and then shut up."