Why Exelon chose Harbor Point over downtown

 As former project manager for the Planned Unit Development Plan for the area that in 1992 was stilled called the Allied Signal site (for the Chromium Plant that used to sit there) I was hugely interested to learn that this old brownfield had been selected by the energy concern Exelon for its new Baltimore offices.

The 27 acre industrial site on a prime spot in the Baltimore Harbor overlooking downtown has been successfully cleaned up and capped for quite some time waiting for development to spill over from Harbor East once that site was filled up. That time has come now.

There is much hand-wringing going on in town about the fact, that once again, it was not the old downtown that scored the new project. My take:

It is a mistake to discuss urban development as a “zero sum game” as if we were always just distributing a static resource. The "Baltimore pot" can grow through strategic investments towards a bigger “win-win”. Any vibrant city needs areas to expand and do new things while preserving others. In spite of my earlier urban design misgivings about some partial aspects of Harbor East, there is no question that the area has moved Baltimore into a whole new league, especially concerning restaurants and retail. I am looking forward to seeing Harbor Point develop and bring this paradigm shift to its complete fruition. See also Baltimore SUN columnist Dan Rodricks in today's paper. 

Allied Site / HarborPoint overall plan with Exelon building at bottom next to open space (Harbor East Companies graphic)

The best media article on the whole topic I found is in Baltimore Brew. See link below:

Why Exelon chose Harbor Point over downtown – more like suburbia | Baltimore Brew