Less Parking, More Parks In Baltimore Zoning Plan

By Cathy Duchamp

Baltimore is getting a makeover.

The city is changing its zoning laws for the first time since Richard Nixon was President. In downtown Baltimore that means more parks, and fewer parking lots.

In this parking lot in downtown Baltimore, there are about three dozen parking spaces. You’d think downtown business would like this kind of lot because of its convenience. But Kirby Fowler, who heads the Downtown Business Partnership here in Baltimore, says the time for surface parking lots has passed.

"There’s a lot of great historic buildings in downtown Baltimore, it adds to the charm, and we probably don’t need to tear any more buildings down to make way for parking lots. If we have to tear buildings down to plan for future development lets turn them into temporary green spaces at the very least."

The idea for more park space downtown is part of the new a comprehensive re-write of Baltimore’s zoning code. The code dictates what can be built, and where. The city is holding public meetings on the changes this month.