Next Meeting Wed. Feb. 9, 6:30 PM

The next BaltimoreCAN coalition meeting will be Wednesday, February 9th 6:30 pm, beginning with Pizza and other refreshments. Future meetings will be on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month so please mark your calendars.

Location: Basement of 7 W. Mulberry St., Baltimore
Next Week’s agenda tentatively includes:

• Updates on the stormwater battle and other legal fronts in the War on Walmart
• Review of the Mayor’s newly redrawn council district map
• Discussion of a coalition retreat and a strategic plan for the 2011 and 2015 election cycles.
• Update on the health of coalition member Caroli Mullen
• Visit by Red Line Community Liaisons

The draft of the new council districts will be our primary focus is it will allow us to narrow our focus on which districts and neighborhoods to target with canvassing operations.  Any concerns as well as any suggestions for topics to be added to the agenda should be sent to Jonny Akchin (443-519-9449) at jonny@progressivemaryland.org

Balt. City Council Approves Walmart Plan at Nov. 22 Meeting

Media coverage Nov. 22-23 included:

• Rally Video by Bill Hughes: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_dYEw7kekV8
• Balt. Sun: Remington Walmart plan wins final City Council OK
• WBFF: http://foxbaltimore.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wbff_vid_5933.shtml
• WBAL TV: http://www.wbaltv.com/money/25881839/detail.html
• More coverage will be posted as available.

Balt. Walmart Rally/Vote Postponed till Nov. 22: City Hall for Living Wage

Join Us Mon. Nov. 22, 4 pm, City Hall: Raise Walmart Standards!

Tell City Council, Mandate Family Supporting Wages and Good Environmental Stewardship” on 25th Street Station PUD Proposal

Special Guests: Members of the Walton Family, America’s wealthiest family to thank Baltimore for being the easiest city Walmart has ever tried to come into!

Mon. Nov. 15, 4pm: Balt. City Hall Rally before final Walmart Shopping Center vote; Tell Council Demand Living Wages!

Tell City Council, “Keep Saying ‘NO’ to Walmart until Walmart says
‘YES’ to Family Supporting Wages and Good Environmental
Stewardship” on the 25th Street Station PUD Proposal

Featuring Special Guests: Members of the Walton Family

Mon. 4pm: Balt. City Hall Rally for Living Wages before final Walmart vote

Come Rally to Raise the Standards for a Better Baltimore Mon. Nov. 15, 4 pm at City Hall, Before the Final Vote! Tell City Council, “Keep Saying ‘NO’ to Walmart until Walmart says ‘YES’ to Family Supporting Wages and Good Environmental Stewardship” on the 25th Street Station PUD Proposal Featuring Special Guests: Members of the Walton Family

Final hearing on 25th Street Station Wednesday 9/22 at 5 p.m. City Hall – We need you there!

The final Public Hearing on the 25^th Street Station development is  tomorrow – Wednesday – September 22^nd at 5 p.m., despite pleas from many corners to give Baltimore residents and small business owners more time.

WE NEED YOUR PRESENCE!   WE NEED YOUR TESTIMONY! We need to weigh in loud and clear.

Important facts about tomorrow!

• The Development will get an 80% property tax credit on improvements for 10 years (conservative estimate is this is worth 10 million).
• The city will be spending upwards to a million on infrastructure improvements – traffic, roads, sanitation, police.
• Alternative economic impact studies show no job gain from big box retailers – if you add jobs lost to the equation.
• There is no accountability on local hiring or on construction jobs for Baltimore residents.
• The Developers are skirting the most up-to-date recent storm-water management regulations and refuse to apply for silver LEED certification.
• The Developers are building 80 units of market rate housing – skirting the Baltimore City inclusionary zoning law because there is “no city money” in the deal, ie no PILOT or TIF.

RAISE YOUR VOICE AT THIS IMPORTANT HEARING!

25th Street Station: Provider or Pillager? -New B’More Local Video

From B’More Local.

New ways to take action.

Baltimore CAN needs your help before the September 15th City Council Hearing. If you are concerned about the 25th Street Station development and you want your voice to be heard you need to let the mayor and the city council know.

First you can use this tool to send a letter to your specific city council person, expressing a demand for better community development standards .

You can also download, sign, and,  mail this letter which asks the Council member to do due diligence before voting on the development:

Letters for 25th Street Station Address the letter to your Councilperson, c/o City Hall, 100 N. Holliday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

Check back frequently for more ways to get involved!

City Council Hearing Alert! September 15

City Council Hearing Alert!

Wednesday, September 15

2:00 pm at City Hall

on the 25th Street Station PUD Proposal

Be there and contact your elected representatives
City Council: Call 410-396-4804 or visit www.BaltimoreCityCouncil.com
Mayor@BaltimoreCity.gov or 410-396-3835

Tell them: SAY NO TO WALMART UNLESS
WALMART SAYS YES TO BALTIMORE COMMUNITY STANDARDS!

Join the 40 Community Organizations that are saying

“Baltimore CAN Raise The Standards for Smart Development”

Baltimore Sun Op-Ed Regarding Community Benefits Agreement on 25th Street

Baltimore CAN  members Brendan Coyne & The Rev. Zelda Robinson  wrote an Op-Ed in the August  16, Baltimore Sun. The op-ed A Compromise for Remington is excerpted below.

Recent opinions expressed on the pages of The Baltimore Sun make it seem like the proposed 25th Street Station project in Remington is a done deal — and that the proposal as written is the only choice for Baltimore.

The coalition groups we represent, Bmore Local and Baltimore CAN, disagree, as does a large and varied group of city residents who are committed to raising the standards for development in Baltimore, starting with 25th Street Station. We are concerned about the size and scope of the proposed development and what this type of big-box retail center would really mean for nearby residents and those who would work there.

they continue…

There is a compromise, however, between the development plan as written and blocking the project entirely. The solution is a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA). With projects of the magnitude of 25th Street Station, CBAs are pacts between the developer and the community that set the tone for community self-management and sustainability. Strong business-community partnerships create mutually beneficial opportunities for all.

Coyne & Robinson conclude

This isn’t about opposing retail development at all costs. This is about respect and about what’s right. We must never forget that our communities belong to us. We set the standards. And those standards need to be legally enforceable. Otherwise they aren’t standards, they’re just suggestions.

We’re not saying “no” to new development. We’re saying “no” to dead-end, part-time minimum wages, “no” to big-box retailers who take their profits to other communities and give next to nothing back. Have some respect, Baltimore. We deserve it.