Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the City Dock Construction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City Dock construction will convert Dock Street to one‑way and remove parking; city outlines signage and outreach plan
Summary
City staff told the committee that construction fencing for the City Dock project will expand to occupy Dock Street through phase 1 (to 2027), removing roughly 50 parking spaces and converting the street to one‑way; staff outlined signage, QR codes to the project website, wayfinding to the Hillman Garage and ongoing stakeholder communications.
The City Dock construction project will expand its fenced materials laydown area from Craig Street down Dock Street, temporarily taking about 50 parking spaces and converting Dock Street to a one‑way route for the remainder of phase 1, staff said at the Jan. 7 meeting of the Annapolis Economic Matters Committee.
“We were told about this on December 17... The initial date for the expansion was scheduled for January 4. We were able to convince the contractor to extend it another two weeks so we had time to plan as well as to alert the businesses on Dock Street,” said Adam Straut, economic development manager. Straut said the fenced area will be used as a materials laydown area and that the schedule for phase 1 currently runs through 2027.
To mitigate business impacts, Straut outlined an immediate public information and wayfinding campaign scheduled to begin when the fence is installed on Jan. 19. The campaign includes sandwich boards at Dock Street entrances, branded construction‑fence signage with QR codes linking to the City Dock project webpage, and parking wayfinding directing visitors to the Hillman Garage. Straut said the city will pair the branded messaging with restriping so remaining parking is head‑in and clearer for drivers; he estimated about a dozen proximate on‑street spots would remain on Dock Street once the fencing and restriping are complete.
Straut said the city has collected and circulated an extensive list of business questions to the contractor (Whiting‑Turner) and Citi/contract teams and is including Visit Annapolis and other stakeholders in regular communications. He also said businesses were surveyed about short‑term mitigation options and that the chosen signage and wayfinding assets were selected based on that feedback.
Committee members proposed longer‑term ideas, including temporarily pedestrianizing Dock and Craig streets to create outdoor dining and programming that could boost foot traffic. “Why don’t we just close down Dock Street to cars, close down Craig Street to cars, and just pedestrianize the whole thing,” said a committee member, who argued the change could enable outdoor dining and programming; others urged caution, noting the loss of parking was a major concern for many businesses.
Straut said the businesses he surveyed prioritized preserving parking, which informed the current package of signage, wayfinding and restriping that the city can implement unilaterally. He also noted that in later construction phases (phase 2) the fence will likely occupy curb‑to‑curb and fully enclose Dock Street for stretches of the project, making longer‑term discussions appropriate as the project proceeds.
Straut provided a short inventory of businesses on Dock Street that will be affected by the fencing and traffic changes, citing restaurant and retail names and noting many are experiential or food‑service operators. He said the city will continue to meet with businesses and adjust communications cadence as needed.
The committee did not take formal votes on traffic or pedestrianization at the Jan. 7 meeting; Straut invited members to bring specific design or programming proposals to test with businesses and the city manager.
