Senator Barb saved Baltimore from two huge freeway
projects that would have ruined it. First came the I-83 extension into
Fells Point and Canton. I-83 would have roughly run along Boston St in
Canton. Would Canton have made the comeback it did if there were an
elevated freeway obstructing views of the Harbor? I think not! Same goes
for Fells Point. Would Baltimoreans and Baltimorons alike be able to
enjoy the new Gwynns Falls trail with I-70 and all its pollution running
parallel to it? I think not! Did West Baltimore survive the Road to
Nowhere? Absolutely not.
With the exception of the Road to Nowhere,
Baltimore's highways haven't been all that intrusive. I-695 was built at
the same time as the suburbs which made for a situation that both
developers and highway planners had enough land to pursue their
respective projects. I-95 was going to intrude on Otterbein and Federal
Hill but planners rerouted so that those Neighborhoods wouldn't be torn
down unfortunately Otterbein was vacated in preparation for the new
freeway which resulted in Dollar Row House Homesteading program. I-83
respected Ruxton by joining I-695 rather than running contiguously from
the JFX to the Harrisburg expressway. I-83 for the most part respected
the beauty of the Jones Falls Valley except for one part; The Hampden
Woodberry area. That is what this post will be about. Hampden and
Woodberry used to be just one Neighborhood, the Fallsway helped break
the Neighborhood in two while the JFX was the final nail in the coffin
for the once unified Hampden Woodberry.
When I look at Hampden I see an emerging
Neighborhood that was once a Mill Village but has since become a magnet
for young professionals looking to embrace the culture that is
Baltimore. 36th St. or "The Avenue" has become the year round showcase
for Hampden and just two blocks away on 34th St., the whole street comes
to life at Christmas Time. Hampden's once desolate commercial district
has become vibrant with independent Businesses and Row Homes that were
once boarded up have become occupied once again.
When I look at Woodberry I see a Neighborhood that
was devastated by the closure of the Mills that employed the majority of
its Residents as well as those of Hampden. These mills include but
aren't limited to Meadow Mill, Union Mill, Clipper Mill, Poole &
Hunt, and Mount Vernon Mill. Currently there are plans to bring these
diamonds in the rough back to life with mixed use developments some of
which have been completed while others are in the planning and
construction phases.
Today I-83 is a dividing line between Hampden and
Woodberry with each Neighborhood on either side of it. When I look at
the JFX between Hampden and Woodberry I see what could have happened to
other parts of Baltimore had Senator Barb not intervened and put a stop
to the Highway Construction. Hampden and Woodberry's Mills were built in
their locations because of the Jones Falls and its quick access to the
Inner Harbor. This very important water way is the very reason for
Baltimore's existence.
I think it's high time that Hampden and Woodberry be
reconnected by tunneling the JFX between 29th St. and Cold Spring Lane.
This will unify both Neighborhoods and will allow for new development
to occur around the Woodberry Light Rail which will be renamed Hampden
Woodberry. As it stands right now both Hampden, Woodberry, and Medfield
don't have enough long term housing stock as is to fulfill future
growth. I think new development where I-83 now obstructs it is the way
to go. In fact the Avenue can be extended all the way to Woodberry so
the Light Rail Station and the Mill development won't compete with the
Avenue as they will now be one and the same.
Speaking of the Avenue, a new one can now be created
via Clipper Road. In Medifield Roland Heights Avenue. can be extended
to meet it while Clipper Road can be given lighted sidewalks that will
run all the way to an extended 36th St. Clipper Road will then end at
Clipper Mill Road east of where the current expressway is. The Jones
Falls will be front and center and the entire Hampden, Woodberry, and
Medfield Neighborhoods will be waterfront destinations with the removal
of the above ground freeway. The JFX tunnel can also better connect
Hampden to Druid Hill Park, another casualty of the building of the
Falls Way and now the JFX.
One Mill that hasn't received any attention as of
yet is the real Clipper Mill. The new development in Woodberry named
Clipper Mill was actually that of Poole & Hunt a large cotton &
textile mill while the real Clipper Mill is located deep in the depths
of Hampden on Clipper Mill Road between Union Avenue and Falls Road.
It's actually the only major Mill in the area that hasn't seen plans to
restore it to its former glory. I suspect with its new founded front and
center views of the Jones Falls the real Clipper Mill will see as much
investment that its impostor has.
Now I don't condone taking a stretch of the JFX and
burying it underground, that would be foolish so as a result the entire
content of this post is null and void BUT I don't like how the JFX tears
through Hampden and Woodberry and that route never should have been
approved. Given its constraints (The JFX) both Hampden and Woodberry are
doing great despite the hulking elevated freeway in between the two. I
personally would like to see Hampden and Woodberry bridged together and
the Jones Falls front and center by TOD at the Light Rail Station but I
don't see that happening with the JFX in the way.
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