§ 8-1. Findings.

(a) Importance of Inner Harbor and Waterfront.

(1) The Inner Harbor of the Patapsco River is the civic, financial, and symbolic heart of Baltimore City.

(2) The area fronting on the Inner Harbor (the "Waterfront") is home to many of Baltimore's largest employers.

(3) The Inner Harbor is the center of tourism for the City and State, attracting over 12 million visitors a year. It was the development of the Inner Harbor that first spawned the creation of a tourism industry in Baltimore, now considered to be the Baltimore area's seventh largest employer.

(4) The Waterfront is an important part of the City's tax base; the Inner Harbor alone contributed over $60 million in tax revenues to the City in 2005.

(5) The Waterfront is the site of some of the region's largest real estate investments and, as a result of the location and quality of development, many office tenants and residents are relocating here from outside the City.

(6) The Waterfront is a critical link to the long term health of the City and region.

(b) Opportunities facing City.

(1) The Waterfront is undeniably a tremendous asset to the region. Still, to remain competitive as a destination, the Waterfront must be on a par with first-class destinations around the world.

(2) A study conducted by the Greater Baltimore Committee in 2005 concluded that "the Inner Harbor suffered from a complete lack of focus and attention to the quality of its facilities, supervision of responsibilities, and maintenance of the integrity of the harbor and its activities".

(3) More specifically, the study focused on two key deficiencies: (i) the lack of a single person, government, or quasi-governmental entity that is charged with the specific oversight of the management and operation of the Harbor; and (ii) the lack of money or the influence to secure the needed manpower and equipment resources necessary to maintain the care and upkeep of the Inner Harbor properly.

(4) In 2006, a Task Force recommended that a business improvement or special benefits district be created that would advocate for, participate in, and financially support City and private sector efforts to create and maintain a world-class system of public and private parks, promenades, and open spaces in the Inner Harbor.

(5) In order to establish the Waterfront as a world-class destination, additional steps must be taken to create a consistently clean, attractive, easy to navigate, and appealing experience for residents, workers, and visitors along Baltimore's waterfront area.

(1) A special benefit district is a mechanism by which property owners within a defined area can agree to impose additional taxes and charges on themselves in order to provide enhanced and supplemental public services.

(2) Critical to the success of a benefit district is the creation of a partnership between the public and private sector, with the public sector committing to maintain services at specified levels and the private sector agreeing to accept new taxes and charges for the purpose of supplementing public services.

(3) This kind of a district in Baltimore cannot be successful without the full cooperation of the City, the State of Maryland, and the various private property owners within the district.

(d) Council considerations.

(1) The City Council has considered the materials presented that reflect the compelling reasons for creation of a special benefits district.

(2) The Council has considered the comments and suggestions of property owners, retail merchants, hotel operators and owners, office property tenants, service providers, and neighborhood organizations that represent interests along the Waterfront area.

(3) The Council has considered the fact that, while the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, Inc., has operated successfully along the waterfront for approximately 18 months and has provided noticeable improvements to the attractiveness of the Waterfront and the overall experience for visitors to the Waterfront, the ability to provide a consistent set of services and to maintain a high quality standard requires a consistent and reliable funding stream. The assessment system for a benefit district provides an uncomplicated, direct and fair funding process.

(4) The Council has given consideration to and made the findings required by City Charter Article II, § 63.