By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore (DPOB) hosted its annual meeting on Nov. 5 at the M&T Bank Exchange, celebrating the momentum of Baltimore’s core and sharing updates on ongoing efforts to attract new businesses, residents, visitors and investment downtown.
The gathering followed the release of the Downtown RISE: Masterplan, a long-term framework developed by Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s administration, Gov. Wes Moore’s administration and DPOB to make downtown more livable, walkable and vibrant. The masterplan builds on the Downtown RISE: Strategic Action Plan, a near- to medium-term strategy unveiled in 2024.
“This is us working together in ways that we have not before. We are aligned. We are positioned for growth—public, private and community,” said Shelonda Stokes, president of DPOB. “Every plan, every project and every partnership is one piece following the next piece, forming that puzzle that we’re making.”
The theme of the meeting was, “Downtown by Design,” a nod to the intentional collaboration that’s taking place to revitalize Downtown Baltimore in a way that benefits all of the city. The Downtown RISE initiative itself was launched in 2023 as a three-phase project.
The second phase, the Downtown RISE: Strategic Action Plan, focuses on advancing economic and infrastructure development, arts and culture and public safety and cleanliness. The Downtown RISE: Masterplan marks the final phase of the project, charting the city core’s course for these priorities over the next 10 years. It includes renovating the Baltimore Convention Center, the restoring of the Red Line light rail project and expanding public green spaces and enhancing the Inner Harbor promenade.
The broader vision of the plans is to better connect downtown’s assets, including its stadiums, restaurants and cultural attractions, making the area more accessible, engaging and vibrant for residents and visitors.
Moore gave special remarks during the meeting, touting the state’s funding commitments to Downtown RISE.
“Together, we’re creating new momentum for Baltimore’s core through strategic coordination with the city and federal partners in Maryland. We’ve helped to secure historic funding to reimagine Downtown—reinvesting in public safety, in infrastructure innovation and in inclusive economic growth,” Moore continued. “Over the past year, we’ve increased our commitment to the strategic operations center so that every investment connects communities and supports both the short-term wins and the long-term vision for Downtown, and the Downtown Rise initiative helps to align those efforts by measuring progress, delivering impact and moving Maryland forward.”
Building on that vision of connected investment, Stokes stressed the importance of ensuring that downtown’s growth benefits the wider city.
“We want to make sure that when things happen downtown, they’re also feeding other parts of the city,” said Stokes. “Quite often, when people think of downtown, it’s separated. But, downtown is a neighborhood. It’s part of the city. It’s the anchor. It’s a place where we want everybody to feel connected to, welcome and benefit from in terms of growth.”
