Along Baltimore’s Outer Harbor, COPT’s master plan development in the Canton neighborhood is better known as Canton Crossing, sharing its name with an adjacent shopping center. Initially approached to help them brand their development, the assignment quickly became a more extensive exercise.
The pier was the differentiator. We just needed to convince COPT that it was not only in their best interest to rebuild the pier but also to build it first and make it the main focus of the project.
By doing so, COPT could combine its desire to create sustainable development via harbor clean-up, create a publicly accessible pier in a city devoid of one, and reconnect the neighborhood with the waterfront and Baltimore’s historic industrial roots.
We proposed a pier-first strategy, providing ideas on financing and profit generation via monetization of public space that would allow the project to have a long-lasting, value-creating effect.
To support the pier concept, we crafted a development strategy that would give Baltimore's waterfront back to the people, embrace a clean future, and harness the power of place.
The public pier allowed for restoring the natural marine ecosystem and waterfront habitat while supporting a development that harnessed the city’s history and future potential.
The pier was the differentiator. We just needed to convince COPT that it was not only in their best interest to rebuild the pier but also to build it first and make it the main focus of the project.
By doing so, COPT could combine its desire to create sustainable development via harbor clean-up, create a publicly accessible pier in a city devoid of one, and reconnect the neighborhood with the waterfront and Baltimore’s historic industrial roots.
Along Baltimore’s Outer Harbor, COPT’s master plan development in the Canton neighborhood is better known as Canton Crossing, sharing its name with an adjacent shopping center. Initially approached to help them brand their development, the assignment quickly became a more extensive exercise.
Our early conversations made it very clear that there was a disconnect between COPT’s corporate mission, their desire to give back to the community, the site’s potential, and the financial constraints of the plan. By right, they could redevelop a historic pier that had fallen into the harbor. Everyone in our initial meetings was excited by that potential but resigned to not pursuing it due to its high cost. The perceived cost was primarily driven by how they were structuring the project’s financing and saving the pier reconstruction until the end.
The pier was the differentiator. We just needed to convince COPT that it was not only in their best interest to rebuild the pier but also to build it first and make it the main focus of the project.
By doing so, COPT could combine its desire to create sustainable development via harbor clean-up, create a publicly accessible pier in a city devoid of one, and reconnect the neighborhood with the waterfront and Baltimore’s historic industrial roots.
We proposed a pier-first strategy, providing ideas on financing and profit generation via monetization of public space that would allow the project to have a long-lasting, value-creating effect.
To support the pier concept, we crafted a development strategy that would give Baltimore's waterfront back to the people, embrace a clean future, and harness the power of place.
The public pier allowed for restoring the natural marine ecosystem and waterfront habitat while supporting a development that harnessed the city’s history and future potential.
Baltimore’s deep history and the people who helped to shape it proved inspiring. With a strong anchor, we looked to connect the city’s historic pride with its current-day residents and the future potential of Canton Pier. We worked with the three, combining and constantly referencing each other to generate public support and create enthusiasm for the future master plan.
