The idea to create a special benefits district for Patterson Park appeared shortly after publication of Patterson Park’s 2016 Master Plan. The Master Plan made…

  While our special series of articles focused on Patterson Park, there is little reason that the concept of special benefits districts could not help…

There is substantial evidence that creating a special benefits district to pay for parks will be supported.  For instance, the Trust for Public Land’s LandVote…

It is difficult to create a geographic boundary line that captures those that benefit park users and those that have increased property values due to…

Baltimore does not utilize special benefits taxing districts specifically for parks, but has successfully created special benefits districts for businesses.[1]  For instance, the Downtown Partnership and Waterfront Partnership manage two special business districts in Baltimore’s…

As those who live near Patterson Park benefit from any improvements at Patterson Park, funding of improvements should be aimed at those individuals.  Creation of…

  A study of Baltimore parks by Troy and Grove in 2008 confirms that those that own property in proximity to Patterson Park had higher…

  Creating a special benefits district at Patterson Park to pay for operations and maintenance is an intriguing funding mechanism given the limitations of the…

Patterson Park has numerous permitted activities.  The two most prominent permitted events are festivals that take place in the spring and summer and sports leagues…

  Charitable foundations have played an important role at Patterson Park over the last two decades.  For instance, the Friends of Patterson Park has secured…

  Another option to raise funds to implement the recommendations in Patterson Park’s Master Plan is through charitable corporate giving.  Typically, corporations give charitable donations…

  Considering the Recreation and Parks Department is underfunded to a large degree, alternative funding methods need to be explored to implement the recommendations made…

  We know that Baltimore’s parks system is woefully underfunded compared to other park systems in high density cities, but there isn’t a lot of…

Baltimore’s Recreation and Parks Department’s operations budget is well below the norm of other high-density cities.  In fact, Baltimore’s operations spending per acre was a whopping $17,627 lower than the average spending per acre of other high-density cities.