My colleague Dan Rodricks has made a persuasive case for replacing 1st Mariner Arena with a world-class facility - built to the highest "green" standards and capable of drawing professional sports teams and top-flight entertainment events.
He's talking about a civic jewel - the type of facility that would create a buzz about Baltimore all over the world. It's a great plan, but here comes an intriguing idea that might make it even better.
A group of local transit advocates has sent a letter to Mayor Sheila Dixon urging her to integrate a new arena with a second purpose that would keep it hopping 365 days a year.
A bus terminal.
Wait a minute. Hold the snickering. There's something to this.
What these folks are proposing is a Central Maryland Bus Station below the arena itself that would bring together regional commuter buses and Maryland Transit Administration bus routes at one central transit hub - with well-lit underground waiting areas protected from the elements.
The advocates behind this plan include Richard Chambers, executive director of One Less Car; Christopher T. Field, president of the Transit Riders Action Council; and Klaus Philipsen, who co-chairs the American Institute of Architects' Urban Design Committee.
It's a thoughtful proposal that deserves the attention of the Baltimore Development Corp. and city leaders. And there's nothing in their proposal that conflicts with the concept of a green arena.
"You can design anything green these days, and having transit is green in itself," said Philipsen.
The site of the current arena is already a transit hub of sorts - only not a very comfortable or convenient one. It's a place where many MTA bus routes now converge, but with outdoor stops that aren't terribly inviting.
The advocates note that the site is also adjacent to the light rail line and the Charles Center Metro station. And the building lies right along the route of the proposed Red Line.
A world-class arena could indeed bring scads of people downtown and contribute to a sense of urban vibrancy. But what downtown does not need is those people's cars. It's got enough, thank you.
Embedding a transit hub in the complex would encourage people to leave their vehicles at park-and-ride lots in the suburbs and attend evening events by bus or rail. The bays that commuter buses use by day could be leased to charter services by night and on weekends. Think coach trips to Ocean City, taking your car and others off the Bay Bridge.
