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Council committee advances Westport W‑2 overlay text amendment to expand waterfront view corridors
Summary
Baltimore City Council Land Use and Transportation Committee voted to move forward a text amendment to the W‑2 waterfront overlay covering the 43‑acre Westport site that would add view corridors to improve waterfront connectivity; the bill was approved for form, received favorable agency reports and was advanced to second reader.
The Baltimore City Council Land Use and Transportation Committee on Wednesday voted to advance a text amendment to the W‑2 waterfront overlay for the Westport site that would add multiple view corridors and revise waterfront development standards.
The amendment, sponsored by Councilwoman Felicia Porter, changes the zoning code text for the W‑2 overlay district covering the roughly 43‑acre Westport master‑plan area and is intended to increase connections between new waterfront development and the existing neighborhood across Cloman Street.
Caroline Hecker of Rosenberg Martin Greenberg, representing the applicant, told the committee the amendment was advertised as required and framed it within the Westport master plan. She said the master plan “contemplates townhouses and multifamily dwellings with a combination of homeownership and rental units, some affordable, some market rate,” and argued the proposal is consistent with the city’s broader plans. The city solicitor’s office approved the bill for form and legal sufficiency. Planning, the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks each stood by favorable reports.
The law department characterized the measure as a text amendment — a legislative change to the zoning code rather than a rezoning of a particular parcel — and explained different procedural standards apply to code amendments. Committee members asked whether W‑2 overlay standards would apply elsewhere; the law department said there is currently only one W‑2 overlay district in the city but that the council could create additional W‑2 districts later, at which point the revised standards would apply to those areas as well.
After discussion, the committee voted the bill favorable and directed it to second reader at the next city council meeting.
The measure will return to the full council for further consideration, with the committee vote advancing the text amendment but not yet adopting final legislation.
