On Tuesday, January 14, 2020, the City Dock Action Committee submitted their consensus plan to the Annapolis City Council. The report, "Transforming City Dock," was compiled with the help of 92 resident stakeholders.
The City Dock Action Committee submitted their consensus plan to the Annapolis City Council and Mayor on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. The report, "Transforming City Dock," was compiled with the help of 92 resident stakeholders who spent nearly a year interviewing residents and businesses, conducting public hearings and working together on a long-term strategy to create a resilient public space at Annapolis City Dock.
The committee was assembled and guided in its work through a collaborative effort between the City of Annapolis, Historic Annapolis Foundation, Preservation Maryland, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Maryland Historical Trust and the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office.
A CALL TO ACTION
Historic City Dock in downtown Annapolis finds itself at a crisis point. At no time in the more than 300-year history of the City has the waterfront presented equal parts peril and opportunity. Floodwaters are both more frequent and higher. The disruption of the daily lives of residents and the viability of downtown businesses are threatened. At this critical juncture, we are all aware that immediate action is needed.
In order to be successful where others have failed it was determined early on that community consensus is the only way to move the City toward action. The most passionate stakeholders came together to outline a workable plan because the end product needed the loudest champions with divergent voices.
92 community leaders convened and spent seven months creating a clear vision and blueprint for the future of City Dock. These volunteers dove into the work, tackling the most difficult issues, including parking, water access, placemaking, preserving history and more. The City Dock Action Committee partnered with federal, state and local authorities including the National Park Service, Anne Arundel County, municipal leaders and experts in city government as well as resiliency, civic and community organizations, resident activists and business leaders. The charge was to ensure that Annapolis can thrive into the 21st Century, maintain Annapolis’ perch as the Gateway to the Chesapeake Bay, create a ‘proud public space’ and celebrate our rich history.
The Committee volunteers took a bottom up approach to helping City leadership solve what has been an intractable problem mitigating flooding, providing a mechanism for resiliency and figuring out a way to pay for the expansive project. On the following pages are the results of that effort.
As the City Dock Action Committee hands the project off to elected City leadership, the pieces are in place to make implementation of the recommendations feasible, while the momentum, passion and urgency of this effort will ensure action. There is a strong working partnership between the City, Historic Annapolis, County, and State that will ensure the future of City Dock is as rich and bountiful as its past.
City Dock Action Committee Consensus Plan