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Why Downtown Baltimore?

The story of the new century is the story of the City, and Downtown Baltimore is leading the way. In Downtown Baltimore you’ll find the biggest business center developing in tandem with the fastest-growing residential area in the region.

With over 119,600 employees and nearly 43,000 residents, Downtown Baltimore is the 11th-largest downtown in the United States, and supports more employment than the geographically larger business districts in nearby Columbia and Towson, combined. And, with major residential units added to the market in 2018, we’re working hard to keep up with the demand of professionals working and living Downtown.

Downtown Baltimore is the most significant economic asset within Baltimore City and the region:
• 35% of all Baltimore jobs are in Downtown
• Downtown neighborhoods are the fastest-growing residential areas with 42,913 residents
• $1.119 billion retail dollars were spent last year in Downtown
• Downtown has 30.1 million sq feet of office space
• 410 hotels rooms were under construction in 2018, with 965 more coming in the next five years, helping to accommodate our 26 million annual visitors.

OPPORTUNITY ZONES

Economic development in Downtown Baltimore is getting a boost from the Opportunity Zone legislation and the tax benefits that come along with it. Much of central Downtown is considered an opportunity zone, allowing investment options that are unparalleled. Take advantage of this 10-year tax incentive program to invest in the core of Downtown, where as the number above state, is the economic engine of the City.

The opportunity zone boundaries are Paca to President Street, and Pratt Street to Franklin Street. Contact Tom Kurek for development and investment opportunities.

INVESTMENT INCENTIVES

Here's a short list of incentives to do business in Baltimore.

Penn Station Redevelopment

An important investment coming to Penn Station will transform the area around Baltimore’s historic station, creating a transit-oriented hub of apartments, shops, offices and a hotel.

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State of Downtown Report

Downtown Partnership's premiere economic report provides benchmark data behind Baltimore's most important economic sectors, including employment statistics, residential analysis, and hotel occupancy rates. See the newly released report here.

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State of Food & Beverage Indsutry

Downtown’s F&B industry is going strong. Despite media attention to restaurant closures, restaurant performance in our data area is on-par with national averages. Check out our deeper look into the F&B industry and it's economic impact on Downtown Baltimore.

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Union Bros. Leasing in Federal Hill

Aiming to harmonize with the history of Baltimore, Union Bros. newly redeveloped complex is looking to lease two restaurants in South Baltimore. Expected to open in 2019, this location has 75 parking spots, 23,000 square feet of office space; and 10,500 square feet of restaurant space.

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Downtown Baltimore Development

Check out our comprehensive catalog of projects within a one-mile radius of Pratt and Light Streets, including planned, under construction, and recently completed projects.More than half of a billion dollars in projects were delivered in 2016, a figure larger than 2014 and 2015, combined.

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED

Kayak to work. Shop during lunch. Jog through Downtown’s historic districts around the harbor. Enjoy live music at night, galleries on the weekend, and dinner with friends whenever you feel like it. Downtown Baltimore has waterfront views, green parks and plazas, historic buildings, afternoon Orioles games, and the best restaurants in the region. It’s got parking, transit, and walkability- all in an affordable, accessible urban center.

BUSINESS ACUMEN

Good things happen when creative people from different industries, backgrounds, and skill sets are in proximity to each other. That’s what drives innovation and it’s why businesses like T. Rowe Price, Under Armour, Legg Mason, PNC, Pandora, and R2i have made Downtown Baltimore their home.

In an isolated business park, it’s hard to find new clients or entertain existing ones. In Downtown, however, all you need to do is walk out your door and there’s a good chance you’ll run into your next big client. And when your out-of-town clients come here for a meeting, they have their pick of world-class hotels, attractions, and restaurants. What better way to show that your business is a player in the regional, national, and international economy?

Talent

Your business is only as good as its people. Technology makes it possible to operate anywhere in the world. But, in a competitive global economy, more regional executives choose Downtown Baltimore because this is where their best and brightest employees want to be.

Incredible institutions like Johns Hopkins, Peabody, and University of Maryland; serious buzz in the tech start-up world, and access to public transit, housing, restaurants, and night life are luring young talent to Baltimore everyday. More and more, college grads choose where they want to live before they choose where they want to work- a trend we’re benefitting from here in Baltimore.