Baltimore Street Revitalization Project
Completed in November 2024, the redesign and renovation of Baltimore, North Liberty and North Centre Streets in Cumberland’s Main Street district created a central downtown gathering place – a place of pride and identity for residents and a must-see urban space for visitors.
What began as the need to replace aging infrastructure along the main downtown streets became the transformation of the aged Downtown Pedestrian Mall into a beautiful, thriving hub that is open, welcoming, and safe. Cumberland’s rich history and stunning architecture are now complemented by updated and modern amenities including benches, water fountains, planters and a beautiful waterfall. Baltimore Street is now open with one traffic lane for automobiles and bicycles and includes on street parking.
Infrastructure
The project replaced underground infrastructure that had not been improved since well before the 1978 installation of the pedestrian mall. In addition to water, sewer, and electric, the project also included the introduction of fiber optic cable, thereby completing the downtown fiber loop.
Additionally, the underground construction allowed for the installation of sprinkler infrastructure to buildings along Baltimore Street, promoting upper-story redevelopment for residential purposes and lower-story redevelopment for commercial purposes. Above ground, the finished project capitalizes on shared space, slow traffic, and a “curb-less” design that provides equal priority to automobiles, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
There are 20 parking spaces on Baltimore Street for visitors to take advantage of while enjoying the area.
Streetscape and Living Landscape
Beautiful variations of bricks, differing in color and pattern, create the illusion of a street but eliminate the need for traditional curbs to separate space. Large planters teeming with flowers and greenery contribute to the beauty of the area.
The single-lane street area is flanked by over 20-foot-wide sidewalks allowing for increased pedestrian space and a hearty expanse for the local restaurants to offer outdoor dining.
A tree or a streetlight stands every 20 feet along Baltimore Street – this spacing is optimal for a safe and light-filled street. Most buildings have either a tree or a streetlight in front of them, and any building facade that is wider might have both.
The chosen trees, London Plane, are tall, fast-growing, high-canopy shade trees – selected for their ability to form an open canopy several stories above the street. As they grow, these trees will be limbed up high over the sidewalk, so branches are above the 12′ streetlights, maintaining open visibility to the architecture.