On which of the following public works projects should Maryland spend $400 million?
A. School construction
B. Hospitals
C. Courthouses and jails
D. Expanding Baltimore’s Convention Center
If you answered “D,” you’re on the booster bandwagon that rolled out of Baltimore last month. The city’s business leaders and politicians are touting an offer by wealthy contractor Willard Hackerman to spend $500 million for a new downtown arena/hotel complex if the state and city will chip in $400 million to double the size of the adjoining 300,000-square-foot Baltimore Convention Center.
To skeptics, the plan seems wacky. The site for the convention center expansion and new hotel is currently occupied by the east wing of the existing convention center and by a Sheraton Hotel that Mr. Hackerman happens to own.
By demolishing the existing buildings, the convention center can be enlarged to 600,000 square feet with a new 500-room hotel and 18,500-seat arena perched next to it. Extravagant? Yes, but not to Baltimore’s business boosters.
3 comments:
C
And the huge economic sucking sound continues from the metroplex region! Isn't it about time rural MD realizes that they have no effective voice in Annapolis?
Isn't it about time rural MD do something about this? Eastern shore, seceed to DE., Western MD, seceed to WV.
Sounds like Salisbury. Spend lots of time and money on fireboats and fire palaces and rehabbing 1 or 2 dead buildings while the daily needs of the city at large go neglected.
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