Not So Fast!! The Cavalry Arrives. And Grandfather is with them.

Option A or Option B. Which it is gonna be? Those were choices the Inner Harbor Task Force was asked to consider last night on a host of issues. The City is now in hurry up mode. Let's just get this thing done!  

"Not so fast," said some Task Force members.  We're glossing over a lot of important details. Not surprisingly many of them wanted a "C" instead of endorsing either of the two propsals from the consultants.

When it came to Docktown, early balloting had 7 members reporting they could at least live with Plan A, which called for moving the houseboat community to Ferrari Pond. But then Jeff Birdwell spoke eloquently about the importance of Docktown's unique footprint, and Gail Raabe made the point that there is no existing Marina at Ferrari and may never be, which would leave Docktown residents with no place to go. 

No one voted for Plan B, which had houseboats pushing the rowing club aside on Steinberger Slough.  At which point the group was open to a new option "from Orlene" (our Docktown Representative who is in in Indonesia this week). Via a slide presentation she had proposed to leave pockets of houseboats along the creek, opening up space between to counter arguments that our presence blocks public access. Also supported by the landowners attorney Mike Brown, this option went on to receive 7 votes as well.

Which makes it likely that consultants and staff will have to punt the decision to the city council. That would, of course, mean, having to reach an agreement with State Lands and the legislature to grandfather Docktown, which did not please the State Lands reps in attendance, who would concede only that they would support a transition period during which Docktown would remain where it is until there is someplace else to move.

Given the policies laid out in their Bay Plan, BCDC would have already just grandfathered us if were we under their jurisdiction, and State Lands should follow the same policy here. The City Council should adopt a policy of working with State Lands and the legislature to make that happen.

We support public access to the creek, and aesthetic improvemen to the Marina, pointing out that it was the City's keeping the prior landlord on a month to month basis over the years kept him impervious to residents' many requests for improvements.