Big Step Forward on Market House: City of Annapolis, Gone to Market Strike Lease Deal

Filed under: Administration, Market House, business, downtown, economic development by Phill McGowan | 1 Comment »
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The Annapolis Market House

The target date for reopening the Market House is July 1, according to the lease agreement.

As the adage goes, all good things come in time.

After months of deliberations between the City and Gone to Market LLC over the Market House, Mayor Cohen announced that a deal has been reached with the Baltimore developer on a proposed 30-year lease for the historic market at the foot of City Dock.

The mayor is excited about the prospects of opening a fully renovated and occupied Market House – and what that will mean for downtown businesses that have been struggling to shake off the economic downturn.

“Through this lease with Gone to Market, the Market House stands the best chance of succeeding and renewing its promise as the heart and soul of downtown,” the mayor said in a statement yesterday. “It is important to demonstrate to the business community how committed we are to its success. A strong, vibrant Market House will give the city the strong economic shot in the arm that it needs.”

The target opening date for the new Market House, according to the revised lease, is July 1. To keep the deal on track, the Mayor has established the following legislative timeline:

  • Monday, Jan. 24: The City Council will hold the public hearing on the lease and all legislation on the Market House
  • Wednesday, Jan. 26: The Economic Matters Committee will review business and marketing plans from Gone to Market.
  • Monday, Jan. 31: The City Council will hold a special meeting to consider a final vote on the lease and related legislation

In the meantime today, the Finance Committee will consider the Cohen administration’s budget transfer request of $600,000 of 2009 general government bonds to the City’s Market House renovations. That funding will be used to relocate the utilities to the center of the 5,000-square-foot market, install a new heating and air conditioning system and make other exterior improvements.

The mayor stressed the importance of getting this lease approved by the end of the month so as to preserve the timetable for opening the historic market this summer. The City Council received the current lease yesterday, which fills in sections of the prior draft and revises some of the provisions that were previously agreed to.

Key provisions include:

  • Gone to Market will pay all operating costs of the Market House
  • Gone to Market’s annual rent to the City will be 50 percent the net profits per year during the original term and any extension term.
  • Target opening date of July 1
  • Ensures that the vendors will emphasize local and regional fare and will prohibit national chains or franchises
  • Allows the City to terminate the lease, if in the public interest, after five years
  • The City will renovate the exterior of the building and provide adequate utilities; Gone to Market will renovate the interior.
  • No more than 5 percent of goods for sale shall include any “tourist merchandise,” such as T-shirts, caps, sweatshirts and other merchandise bearing names and symbols such as Annapolis or Chesapeake Bay

“This lease allows the City to achieve the three priorities we had from Day One: the right vision, the right operator and the right protections,” Mayor Cohen said. “In terms of the vision, this lease ensures that the Market House will fulfill its promise as an authentic Annapolis experience, filled with regional vendors offering a variety of quality, locally sourced foods priced to appeal to a variety of customers. In terms of the operator, this lease provides for the Market House to be run by a solid, local team with proven and relevant experience managing similar unique public markets. And in terms of the protections, this lease not only establishes strong performance standards to ensure that it is operated in accordance with our vision; it also enables the City to terminate the lease if it’s in the public’s interest.”

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Mayor on Barnstorming Mission to Meet with Constituents

Filed under: Administration, Uncategorized by Phill McGowan | 3 Comments »
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It has been a long time – much too long, in fact – since we’ve checked in. Oh, there has been plenty to talk about.

New directors. Managing finances. Market House.

Removing trees in the Historic District. City Dock Advisory Committee. More new directors. Overhauling the Annapolis Transit routes. Market House.

Big rainstorm (try 10 inches). Flooding. Preparation for snowstorms. Snowstorms (little ones, thank goodness). Planting trees in the Historic District. Market House.

While we have resolved many issues, there is still much to discuss. That’s why Mayor Cohen has kicked off a series of morning public forums over the next couple of month at coffee shops, eateries and other spots in each of the city’s wards.
With the budget season around the corner, do you have questions about the city’s spending? Want to find out more about City Dock redevelopment? Are you happy with the level of service you get from the city government?
The Mayor is on a barnstorming mission to answer your questions about what matters to you.

Here’s the schedule for the next three events:

  • Jan. 25: Annapolis Book Store, 68 Maryland Ave. (Ward 1)
  • Feb. 9: Annapolis Walk Community Center, 1701 Belle Drive (Ward 4)
  • Feb. 16: Bagels and …, 2019 West St. (Ward 3)

The sessions are scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. and are expected to last 90 minutes. These events are subject to change if schools and other government operations are closed or delayed because of snow.

The mayor kicked off this series last month at b.b. bistro in West Annapolis (Ward 2).
For more information about these events, contact Hilary Raftovich at 410-263-7030 or at hrraftovich@annapolis.gov.
We’ll try to check in again real soon.

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Big Thursday: Debate on raising debt ceiling, modifying bus service

Filed under: Administration, Transportation, budget and taxes by Phill McGowan | 1 Comment »
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Two important events will be held Thursday at City Hall:

1)    The City Council will hold a special meeting, beginning at 4:30 p.m., to hear public testimony on a charter amendment to double the City’s debt limit to $20 million. A vote is expected to be held.

2)    The City Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing, beginning at 6 p.m., on several transit proposals, including fare increases, elimination of the C-40 line and other reductions in service.

The mayor encourages your participation at both events. For more information on both, I’ve pulled out a portion of the City’s weekly column in The Capital that ran today. Even more details, including links the specific transit proposals and legislation, are online at www.annapolis.gov.

If you cannot attend Thursday’s events, both events will be aired live on City TV (Verizon Channel 34 and Comcast Channel 99/100).

As always, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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City Hall: Key meeting on borrowing capacity set for tomorrow


Tomorrow will mark an important day of meetings at City Hall.

Mayor Josh Cohen has called a special meeting of the City Council for 4:30 p.m. to hear public testimony and vote on a proposed charter amendment that would raise the city’s borrowing capacity to $20 million.

The administration seeks to double the borrowing capacity as a precaution amid its “cash-flow crisis,” according to the mayor. The administration plans to present the City Council an update on the city’s cash reserves and cash-flow projections into next year.

In presenting the charter amendment, the mayor made clear that the cash-flow crisis is caused by lack of cash on hand in the cash reserves.

Despite this temporary cash flow problem, the city’s annual fiscal 2011 operating budget remains balanced.

The city projects to end the fiscal year in June with a $2 million surplus, which it will use to begin replenishing the cash reserves.

The meeting is scheduled until 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 160 Duke of Gloucester St.

With recent financial projections indicating a dramatic drop in available cash going into the fall, the mayor is acting now – through the introduction of the charter amendment – to give the city another option to get through this period. (A charter amendment becomes law after 50 days.) If the City Council were to pass the charter amendment, the administration could then introduce a resolution to authorize borrowing funds up to the new limit. The meeting will be televised live on City TV (Verizon Channel 34 and Comcast Channel 99/100).

Another public meeting set for tomorrow is the city Transportation Department’s public hearing on proposed transit cuts, fare increases and other service changes, including the elimination of the C-40 line that connects Edgewater and Arnold.

The public hearing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The public is also invited to attend a joint meeting of the City Council Transportation Committee, chaired by Alderman Ian Pfeiffer, and the citizen-run Transportation Board, chaired by former mayor Dean Johnson, from 8 to 9 p.m.

It will further weigh the proposed transit cuts, fare increases and other service changes. For city residents who cannot attend, the public hearing and the joint meeting will air live on City TV.

The purpose of this public hearing is to receive feedback on the following city proposals:

  • Elimination of C-40 route between Edgewater and Anne Arundel County Community College
  • Changing the start time of the bus service from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.
  • Elimination of transit services on all holidays that city administrative offices are closed
  • Increasing the base transit fare from $1 to $2
  • Charging $1 for the Navy Blue Shuttle service and eliminating the free fare zone
  • Consolidating or modifying the citywide route structure
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Mayor: ‘The City must regain the public’s trust’

Filed under: Uncategorized by Phill McGowan | 1 Comment »

Since learning of the theft of more than $153,000 in checks and cash last week from the Finance Department, the mayor has moved quickly to notify the public of the situation and the surrounding criminal investigation (click to see the press release and a video of a news conference). Yesterday, he began taking steps, as he said, to “regain the public’s trust in its ability to responsibly safeguard taxpayers’ money.”

From a news release distributed Friday:

Mayor Taps Anne Arundel Co. Auditor to Review Finance Dept. Operations

Annapolis, MD (06-18-10) – Mayor Joshua J. Cohen announces that he’s tapping Anne Arundel County Auditor Teresa Sutherland to conduct an immediate review of how cash and checks are accounted for and secured in the City’s Finance Department.

The City’s outside independent auditor, SB and Company LLC, is already in the midst of its annual audit, but the mayor requested Ms. Sutherland’s additional review in the aftermath of the theft of the $153,000 in cash and checks stolen last week in the Finance Department.

Mayor Cohen has given Ms. Sutherland broad authority to review Finance Department operations. Her primary focus will be on the cash receipt process to determine the proper internal controls for preventing a theft. The Mayor expects a report within 30 days. This review will not interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation.

Mr. Cohen worked with Ms. Sutherland when he served as a member of the County Council. The County Council has authorized her to conduct this review at no cost, as a courtesy to the City.

“The City must regain the public’s trust in its ability to responsibly safeguard taxpayers’ money,” Mayor Cohen said. “Teresa’s expertise will be valuable to help us identify any flaws in our systems and implement appropriate fixes. I am grateful to her, as well as to Council Chair Ed Middlebrooks and my former colleagues on the County Council, for assisting the City with this important issue.”

Ms. Sutherland is a certified public accountant and a certified fraud examiner. She has been an auditor for 27 years, and before becoming the county auditor, she worked as an IRS agent.

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The mayor also discussed the theft in his latest weekly address (posted Thursday):

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