City revokes State Theater temporary permits; owners and arts community ask council for three-month extension

Havre de Grace’s administration revoked temporary use-and-occupancy approvals for the State Theater after the city concluded required building and fire‑safety work remained incomplete, and the theater’s sprinkler system was not operable. Owners and dozens of supporters urged the city council during public comment on July 7 to grant a three‑month extension so the venue could finish the work and reopen.

The dispute centers on a sprinkler system that the city says cannot operate because the required four‑inch water meter has not been installed; the city reports it has held the meter in its DPW shop since January 2025 and that the theater operator has not requested delivery or hired the contractor to connect it. Christopher Ritchie, Havre de Grace director of administration, read letters to the council dated June 17 and July 2, 2025, saying the business applied for building permits in 2018, that the county and fire marshal required sprinkler protection after a 01/24/2020 inspection, and that, because the outstanding work remains undone, the city will not issue any further temporary use‑and‑occupancy permits for 325 Saint John Street.

The State Theater’s managers said they were blindsided by the meter issue and the additional costs involved and told the council and the audience they were close to finishing. Katie Ngo, who identified herself as representing the State Theater, said the venue and its partners had “hosted over 600 events, brought in tens of thousands of attendees each year,” and asked the council to “reconsider with a 3 month extension tonight.” Co‑owner Jared Noe said, “In 5 days, we raised…we've raised $20,000, guys,” and that organizers had near‑term bookings and community groups that rely on the theater.

Ritchie told the council and the public the city had repeatedly extended temporary approvals since 2020 while the theater worked toward compliance, allowed the business to operate under those temporary permits, and helped the owner apply for a $100,000 reimbursable grant to cover sprinkler work. Ritchie said the grant was structured as a reimbursement but that the city arranged an MOU so the city could disperse funds directly once required fees were paid and permits issued. He said the city released grant funds to pay contractors after the owner paid capital cost recovery fees on 01/05/2024, and that invoices show the city paid contractors in January 2024. Ritchie said the only remaining items blocking a final use‑and‑occupancy permit are (1) an HVAC rough‑in/final inspection record (permit MC‑004‑004172‑2022) and (2) installation/activation of the sprinkler system tied to the four‑inch meter the city is holding. He read to the record that the theater owner had 30 days to appeal the administrative decision to the city’s board of appeals or to complete the outstanding items; failure to comply would lead to municipal citations and possible abatement.

Dozens of residents, entrepreneurs and arts‑community leaders asked the council to act. Speakers ranged from small‑business owners saying the theater brings customers to Washington Street bookstores and restaurants, to performers and nonprofit theatre groups that said productions and fundraisers had already been canceled. Riverstone Theater Company board member Chuck Hamrick described a cast and production team that were mid‑rehearsal and asked the council to “allow not only an extension, but to understand the parameters of our production would have probably less than 200 people in the space.” Resident speakers described the theater as a safe community space for families, seniors and queer residents. Several public commenters told council they had donated to the theater’s GoFundMe; an organizer said the GoFundMe total during the meeting was $20,675.

Mayor Martin and city staff said the question of an extension is an administrative matter tied to code compliance and the city attorney’s advice, not a separate council vote. The mayor asked staff to provide a public timeline and background on how the city and the theater reached the present point and what specific steps, inspections and receipts are needed to reopen. Ritchie said the city would publish that timeline and reiterated that “if you choose to comply with the 2 outstanding items, the city of Havre de Grace will issue a final use and occupancy at that time.”

A clear next step left on the table is procedural: the owner may appeal to the city’s board of appeals within 30 days, or hire contractors, obtain final inspections for the HVAC permit and pick up or request delivery of the four‑inch meter the city has available for installation. No formal council motion or vote to grant a three‑month extension occurred during the July 7 meeting; several speakers urged council members to lobby administratively for an extension, and the mayor asked staff to publish the path to reopening.

City and county permit references cited at the meeting include permit application 2019‑0173 (building/occupancy application filed 11/13/2018), the fire marshal’s inspection dated 01/24/2020 calling for automatic sprinkler protection, and a listed HVAC permit (MC‑004‑004172‑2022). The administration repeatedly emphasized that the inoperable sprinkler system — for which a four‑inch meter is required to connect the building to the city main — creates the public‑safety justification for insisting on completion before issuing a final certificate.

The administration’s letters and the public transcript together show the dispute is procedural and technical rather than a new code change: the city says it has provided repeated temporary allowances while the business worked toward compliance; the proprietor and allies say timeline changes and unexpected meter and contractor costs prolonged completion. No final legal outcome was reached July 7; the owner was told the administrative path and the appeal rights and the city said it would publish a timeline of necessary inspections and steps to get a final permit.

If the theater completes the two outstanding items and passes the required inspections, the city will issue a final use‑and‑occupancy permit; if not, Ritchie warned, municipal citations and abatement measures are the administration’s next options. For now the building remains without a final certificate and without further temporary approvals from the city.

Ending: The theater, its supporters and city administration left the meeting with clearly divergent accounts of the final steps required. Theater operators say funds and community support are in hand to finish the work within months; city officials say the remaining connection work and HVAC approvals are still undone and must be completed or appealed through the board of appeals before the building can be certified for ongoing assembly use.