Proposals

Baltimore's economic-development arm said Tuesday that it is requesting proposals from firms for a mixed-use redevelopment of five properties in the Pigtown neighborhood. The properties — at 925, 927, 929, 931 and 937 Washington Blvd. — are a mix of commercial and residential space. The Baltimore Development Corp. said it wants developers to propose plans that will anchor the Pigtown/Washington Village Business District. The quasi-public agency wants to see proposals to rehabilitate the buildings "to the largest extent possible.

Elisa Lane is not much bigger than the pigtails she wears when she gardens at the Whitelock Community Farm in Reservoir Hill. But she has a big impact. She sells the fresh vegetables from the empty corner lot that she just kind of took over at below-market prices to residents of the neighborhood. When her farm stand isn't open, residents can buy from the corner market that she supplies. And she has enough to sell to restaurants like Woodberry Kitchen and at the Waverly Farmers Market to help subsidize her cut-rate prices for the garden's neighbors.

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold's proposals to step up oversight of school board spending are being denounced as "unnecessary" by the county schools chief. At a county House delegation meeting Friday morning, Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell, who has long butted heads with Leopold, spoke out against the legislation and hinted that the proposals are personally motivated. School officials said the legislation would impose rules on Anne Arundel that no other school system is required to adhere to. The proposed legislation, in the form of two separate bills, is being discussed by the county's delegation, though no lawmakers have agreed to sponsor the bills.

The city school board is considering proposals for seven charter schools that include two named for female trailblazers, another attempt at an all-male, college-preparatory program in East Baltimore, and an elementary school for at-risk youths. The new programs were presented to the Baltimore school board Tuesday as part of the district's annual charter application process. The applicants, the majority of which want to open in 2014, had made it through at least one round of interviews with a district charter advisory board.

The Baltimore Development Corp. is seeking proposals for five city-owned properties on the west side of downtown, including the former site of The Peanut Shoppe at Lexington and Liberty streets. The quasi-public development agency has set July 6 as the deadline for "qualified developers" to submit proposals for: 124 N. Liberty St.; and 101, 103, 114 and 116-120 W. Lexington St. BDC President M.J. "Jay" Brodie said some of the buildings are being readvertised, others are being put out for bid for the first time, and all are being offered in "as is" condition.

Now that Health Care for the Homeless has moved to a new headquarters on the east side of downtown Baltimore, the Baltimore Development Corp. is helping the agency sell its former location on the west side. The quasi-public development corporation announced Monday that it has set June 7 as the deadline for proposals from developers interested in redeveloping the former Health Care for the Homeless building at 111 Park Ave. The development agency also is seeking proposals for five city-owned properties on the same block: 142 and 144 W. Fayette St. and 102, 104 and 106 N. Liberty St. It intends to award all six properties to one team as one parcel for a mixed-use development, which could include housing, offices, retail space or a hotel.

On the day that Washington began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a Maryland Senate committee heard a proposal that would bar the state from recognizing such unions. Sen. Norman R. Stone Jr., a Baltimore County Democrat, wants to override an opinion issued last week by Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler saying that the state should extend benefits and rights to same-sex couples lawfully married elsewhere. Same-sex marriages currently are not legal in Maryland, but senators on Wednesday also considered a plan by Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr., a Montgomery County Democrat, to legalize them.

The Baltimore Development Corp. is requesting proposals for the former "balloon site" at 701 E. Baltimore Street after receiving a new, unsolicited plan for the site from The Cordish Cos. -- the Baltimore development firm that until recently held the development rights for the property. Cordish gained the right to build on the site in 2005. But Cordish's exclusive negotiating privilege for the property has expired, said Kim Clark, the BDC's acting president. Because Cordish recently submitted a new plan for the site, the BDC issued on Friday another request for proposals, she said.

An 18-hole miniature golf course on Rash Field, a 28-passenger "trackless train," a tethered balloon, a zip line and a variety of other outdoor-related activities are among nine proposals that aim to enliven Baltimore's Inner Harbor shoreline. The Baltimore Development Corp., which oversees downtown development for the city, received the bids after it issued a request for proposals from groups interested in adding family-oriented attractions to the Inner Harbor in time for the 2012 summer tourist season.

WESTMINSTER - Carroll County's Delegation in the General Assembly will hold its annual public hearing on proposed county legislation on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Carroll County Office Building, room 003, 225 N. Center St, Westminster State senators and delegates who represent the county in Annapolis will discuss proposed legislation for the 2012 General Assembly session, which begins in January. Among the proposals will be an updated map for Carroll County Commissioner districts.

It's not every day a giant pink poodle assists with a marriage proposal. On May 4, Bob Keefer, 38, proposed to his girlfriend of two years, Erin Alexander, 30, at the 15th annual Kinetic Sculpture Race. Unbeknownst to Alexander, Keefer arranged with the American Visionary Art Museum to have Fifi, the museum's famous fluffy poodle, deliver the engagement ring, which was designed with one of Erin's great-grandmother's diamonds. Once Fifi delivered the special package, Keefer took off his shirt to reveal a tuxedo shirt underneath and proposed to Alexander in the middle of the mud pit. "I was completely shocked," says Alexander.

Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman is scheduled to unveil her first-ever county budget on Wednesday in Annapolis. Neuman took over as county executive in February after the resignation of former executive John R. Leopold, following his conviction on misconduct in office charges. On Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Arundel Center, Neuman is scheduled to deliver a message outlining her proposed budget plan. Then, at 1 p.m., the County Council is slated to hold the first of several budget review sessions. The public is invited to attend the budget review session, but public testimony will not be part of that meeting.  The county will host public hearings on the budget on May 8, 7 to 10 p.m., at the Chesapeake Arts.

Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman embraced a message of change in proposing her first county budget Wednesday, describing the $1.3 billion operating budget as an effort to reverse a government that had fallen "way behind in culture, attitude and investment. " Neuman, who was appointed executive by the County Council in February to replace John R. Leopold after he was convicted in January of misconduct in office, told the packed council chamber, "We will not be defined by a past of scandal and mediocrity.

The Anne Arundel County Council voted Wednesday to override County Executive Laura Neuman's veto of fees to pay for stormwater pollution projects, but council members then offered changes that could address some of her concerns. It was not clear whether their new bill, which would cap some fees at a lower rate and phase in the charges, would meet her approval. Her spokeswoman, Tracie Reynolds, said Neuman "is working with the County Council on new legislation. " Budget analysts have not determined how much revenue the council proposal would raise for pollution control projects.

The Baltimore Development Corp., the city's economic development agency, is looking for an outside consultant to provide an analysis of the city's "economic development landscape," according to a request for applications issued Tuesday. The consultant is being asked to assess the city's "existing economic conditions, obstacles, opportunities for expansion, and strengths," as well as identify "priorities and options to move the City's economy forward" and figure out a way "to track the success of new initiatives in terms of job growth, investment, and economic impact," according to the request for proposals.

Anne Arundel County's proposed stormwater fee provided newly appointed County Executive Laura Neuman with her first leadership test, and she failed. Her veto puts the county at risk of sanctions if it does not enact a fee structure by July 1, yet she appears to have no plan for complying with state and federal requirements for reducing the polluted stormwater that is washing into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The County Council should override her reckless decision without delay.

Among the most talked about stories in college lacrosse in 2012, perhaps none was bigger than the recruiting of high school underclassmen. Nearly three years after the first recorded oral commitment by a sophomore, Johns Hopkins made history by accepting the first such commitment from a freshman - attackman Forry Smith of Haverford School in Havertown, Pa. Two more commitments from fellow members of the Class of 2016 soon followed....

A proposal to reshape City Dock in Annapolis is drawing criticism from traditionalists, who say taller buildings and other ideas to spur economic development could spoil the Colonial-era character and Chesapeake Bay views of the historic waterfront. The dock is among the most prized pieces of real estate in Annapolis. But as the city considers the draft master plan for the area, the question of how to blend its past with the present-day desire for economic vitality is sparking controversy.

The proposed $60 million apartment-and-retail development proposed for the Towson Triangle is dredging up an old ambivalence about the character of the Baltimore County seat. Is it a college town? A community for families and children? A commercial downtown? A shopping and entertainment district? A home for empty-nesters? It is, and long has been, all of the above, coexisting in what is at times an uneasy balance that grows more uneasy periodically when any one segment of the community seeks to expand its presence.