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For the past oh, million years, Little Havana has had something of a case of creeping death. I remember back in 2004 or so when there were rumors flying around that the owners were in danger of losing their lease on the warehouse property they currently reside in, which prompted outrage on my part and a flurry of photo-taking in an effort to preserve the memory of one of my favorite bar/restaurants in the city. 2004 was also a time during which rampant house flipping and tremendous amounts of development on the waterfront were occurring, so the possibility of the owners of the establishment getting ousted in favor of condos and retail was fairly good. |
Fortunately for everyone, that didn’t happen. Even more fortunately, the owners of Little Havana purchased a property about two blocks away called Egan Marine (1000 E. Key Highway) with the intent of rebuilding a new Little Havana that they actually own, without the danger of suddenly being pushed out of existence entirely when the owner of their warehouse property decides to sell to Big Man Condo. I actually went to the location once upon a time when Little Havana threw their “Bay of Pig” celebration (a pig roast) on the 4th of July, and it looked like it could make for a good space for a restaurant – even if the view of many rust bucket junkers sitting in the water wasn’t entirely appealing.
But, as far as things go, even purchasing their own space can’t seem to save them from the inevitable, it would seem. A little thing called MIZOD (Maritime Industrial Zoning Overlay District) was put in place in 2004, a zoning legality that restricts the use of any such waterfront properties in that area for anything aside from industry. No condos, no retail, no restaurants. Little Havana placed a statement on their website explaining the situation a while ago, and the zoning district was set to expire in 2014, a time at which mixed used development (such as Silo Point, etc) could continue. But after what seems to be a lot of pressure from unions and industrial advocates, the city council took a vote this past Monday to extend MIZOD to 2024, or eventually even permanently putting it in place. And most people think it would pass pretty easily.
So essentially, this means that unless Little Havana can remove their property from the zone, they’re kind of screwed.
It’s kind of a conundrum – on one hand, I agree entirely with the aim of a MIZOD – to ablate the clear cutting of industry in Baltimore, preserving jobs and maintaining at least some of the heritage that Baltimore has as an industrial port city. On the other hand, if catastophes like Silo Point can be built, why can’t a very small restaurant on the outer most outskirts of the industrial zone be built too? There’s no real reason that the city couldn’t allow development on the land portion of the lot, while retaining the rights to use the “deep water” lining the area. Or rather I should say, the palms aren’t greased enough for it to happen.
Furthermore, and as others have noted, the industrial businesses in the maritime zone aren’t exactly expanding. Far from it. And again, I agree that buying up unused industrial zones and propping up condos isn’t a good idea – because once it’s gone, it’s gone – but on a case-by-case basis building a new Little Havana at 1000 E Key Highway would do nothing to endanger the future of the harbor’s industry, nor would it impede on any future use of the waterways surrounding the lot. It should be removed from the MIZOD.
If you care enough to make your opinion known, tell your district councilman and make the case for a new Little Havana. (I will)
UPDATE: The city council will be voting this coming Monday (the 30th) for final passage on the MIZOD extension, and will provide for the ability of property owners to apply for removal of their properties from the District. So, if the measure passes (it will), the owners may have a pretty good shot if they get some work done and try to do so. Fingers crossed!
DOUBLE UPDATE: Statement from facebook group regarding the cause. Definitely worth reading.
So you think it’s fine for the city to tell property owners what they can and can not do with thier property, unless you want some use prohibited by the city? So your favorite bar should get an exemption, but someone who wants to build condos should not, because that’s what you like.
When you give the city (state) the power to determine the use of property, you give up your rights to determine the use for yourself.
Well my reasoning is only slightly more complicated than that:
Obviously the city shouldn’t be able to tell property owners explicitly what to do with what’s theirs, we’ve been through this in the past with eminent domain (the highway to nowhere, etc.) and other strongarm tactics, and it more often than not fails catastrophically. With MIZOD, in my mind, it’s effectively like setting up an “industrial preserve” in which property is set aside – voluntarily by the owners themselves – in order to account for the expanding and contracting of industrial cycles. As industry contracts, the property is protected for a period of time so that if and when business begins to expand again, there is space available to be retaken. That’s essentially why I support it.
The particular portion of the Baltimore harbor in question is unique in that the space available for industry to breath is practically nonexistent, thus the heated debate over such a tiny space. But the truth of the matter, unfortunately, is that aside from Domino Sugar there is very little going industrially between The Museum of Industry and Tide Point. Essentially nothing. In my mind, the industrial uses of that tiny section of Key Higway have come and gone, they’re dead, so it shouldn’t really be a part of the MIZOD.
Getting back to the original point, it’s much harder to get rid of residential units (condos etc.) than it would be to relocate a restaurant, which is part of the reason I think that in the event (by some miracle) that industry is revitalized in the area the property could be bid on, sold, and used for whatever industrial purpose seen fit in a far smoother fashion than if say a highrise condo building were erected. Plus the argument boils down primarily to waterway usage, which in the case of a restaurant is completely moot, I see no reason why any industrial venture couldn’t have a gentleman’s agreement between owners and come up with a fair and decent way to utilize the “deep water” surrounding Egan Marine (it’s not very deep at all). Which again, more than likely could not be pulled off if there are exceedingly wealthy residents of condos balking at the site of rusty boats being serviced right outside of their window.
I guess that’s all for now
Evan, I emailed Reisinger and Bill Cole. It doesn’t look good for Havana’s but they still have the place where they are now. It just sucks when you have a year to year lease, this is why I locked in for 16 more years at No Idea and I still have 13 left at Don’t Know, I got scared of my landlords selling the whole place before I had a chance to make a dollar. If they can’t open the building as a restaurant, are they able to get some sort of payment from the city. I remember Hammerjacks getting compensated when the stadium demolished it. Is the landlord of where Havana’s is now, considering selling the place? Please let me know if there is anything that I can do.
Thanks,
Jason
I think there’s always been a looming fear that the landlord (Obrecht Corp.) would sell based on the fact that they’re constantly feuding with the Harborview developers, perhaps would simply want to wash their hands of it and get out. I’m pretty sure a few offers have been put on the table more than once or twice, especially considering what Harborview wanted to do with the adjacent land (build yet another 17 story condo tower).
At any rate, according to another city council member there’s a rumor that they may be engaging in moving to a third, undisclosed area closer to the inner harbor and outside of the MIZOD. I would hope and assume that if Little Havana were forbidden from developing on land that they’ve already acquired the city or the industrial associations would pay them quite handsomely for the property and not force them to put it on the market, that would be completely ludicrous. I’ll be posting said council member’s comments shortly.
Evan,
A long time ago, there was a rumor about a so-called Crash Cafe that was suppose to be built somewhere on Key Highway, more towards the Harbor. I wonder if that could be it. There was a rumor on Sam’s blog about a location on Fort Avenue, but I don’t think that would work out as well. The sad thing is if the landlord sells the property then the tenant is out of luck with a year to year lease. The landlord gets the money, of course, and the tenant loses the business, depending on the lease, of course. I wish them the best.
PS info on the Heath Street building???
Oh yeah, good call on Heath St., I’ve been meaning to publish that for a while now. Just saw a new sign up on it this past Sunday.
Yeah it looks pretty grim as far as that new location is concerned. Essentially now instead of having a revenue-generating attraction next to a marina, we’ll have yet another all but abandoned piece of property serving as a “buffer” for industry. Pretty stupid.
Jason,
Crash Cafe was an ill-fated Pat Turner project that was going to be built on the site where the Globe Brewing Company is now. The surrounding neighborhood shot that down in ’99 or 2000. I hope, for Havana’s sake, that they will be allowed to use the Egan Marine space – it has such awesome potential and really isn’t doing much good as an empty property now. Too bad they are on a year to year lease, I will keep my fingers crossed for those guys.
LGood,
I am almost positive that the Crash Cafe project had another home besides where the Globe Brewing Company is. I used to work at the Globe back in 1997 and I heard rumors back then about the Crash Cafe.
Evan,
Does the Obrecht Corp. own the whole parcel of land including where the Globe is located? I asked Tim, from Havana’s, about a rumor that I heard about him taking over the Globe and he said that it wasn’t true.
Are there any pictures floating around of the new proposed Little Havana site? I was at Havana’s Sunday, I always forget how much fun that place is.
Such statements are characteristics of the long struggle for
self-determination by people who shared a common ancestry and history
against oppressive regimes, rather than bloodlust nationalists eager to
destroy humanity. … Hence, geographical segmentations like Little
Havana and Little Haiti in Miami or China Town and Little Italy in
New York provides well-defined cultural settings for foreigners to
interact while maintain original values from their homelands