Board approves 20-year lease for police heliport at 1800 S. Clinton amid waterfront objections

The Baltimore City Board of Estimates voted Feb. 4 to approve a 20-year commercial lease for a heliport at 1800 South Clinton Street with Clinton Street Marina LLC for use by the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), at a price listed on the agenda as $17,868,799.20.

Department of Real Estate representative Eric Evans and Deputy Chief of Staff Andy Smulyan presented the lease request and explained the operational rationale. Smulyan said upgraded helicopters and the ability to hot-refuel at the heliport make the site operationally advantageous compared with Martin State. "If they were to go there from the heliport, it would take about 5 or 6 minutes" to reach southern points compared with longer transit from Martin State, Smulyan said, arguing the time savings repeat multiple times daily and reduce fuel burn and wear.

Colonel Ryan Lee, chief of patrol, addressed questions about drone technology and future capability, telling the board that "the advantages of a helicopter" in certain operations remain irreplaceable and that drones are not expected to supplant helicopters within the lease period.

Community opposition was voiced on the record. Laura Coleman, president of North Shore at Canton, said waterfront residents had submitted extensive letters of opposition and asked the board to defer the lease until residents could review the revised standard operating procedures (SOPs). "We would just like to ask respectfully that we're given the opportunity to review that standard operating procedure prior to moving forward on this," Coleman said and requested stronger termination and review language in the lease to protect waterfront communities.

Smulyan told the board the SOP posted as Exhibit D had been amended in response to meetings with the Kent Community Association to tighten language encouraging avoidance of flight paths over waterfront condominiums and to clarify suggested altitudes. He said the SOP is guidance and cannot mandate flight routes (the FAA controls airspace), and that the landlord retains contractual remedies with operators if guidance is repeatedly ignored. BPD and the CAO's office said the city negotiated a termination provision that allows notice at year 10 (effectively providing a one-year exit window after the 10-year mark) to account for tenant improvements and other site investment.

Comptroller Bill Henry said the revised SOP will be posted on the Board of Estimates dashboard after the meeting. The board approved the lease with a motion noting that the marina/marine portion of related negotiations will return to the board for separate consideration.

Next steps: the revised SOP will be posted and the board will revisit the marina portion of the transaction in a later meeting.