The National Sailing Hall of Fame is expected to proceed with delicate plans to renovate a historic property at City Dock when it meets with the Historic Preservation Board tonight.
Representatives from the sailing hall will hammer out how to satisfy historic preservation requirements to build the museum at the site of the Burtis House on 69 Prince George St. in Annapolis.
Lee Tawney, Executive Director of the Sailing Hall of Fame, said the pre-application meeting with the board tonight is just a consultation meeting before it begins submitting plans. The group has yet to put together any drawings or renderings for the board to review or even hired an architect, Mr. Tawney said.
"At this point we have nothing to show (the board)," Mr. Tawney said. "We just want to get a sense of what they're thinking."
The Sailing Hall of Fame had been sparring with descendants and neighborhood activists about building the museum of maritime history at the ancestral home of the Burtis family.
Downtown residents have questioned the size, scope, and location of the Sailing Hall of Fame's early plans.
"Right now it's kind of a big question mark what's going to happen. The business plan is iffy and sketchy," said Bryan J. Miller, a member of the Friends of William H. Burtis Foundation who has spoken out against the Sailing Hall of Fame. "What happens if the museum fails and it's in private hands who can do what they want with (the property)? It could be an albatross."
Built in 1875, the property is considered one of the last remnants of the Hell Point neighborhood, a working-class watermen's community. Purchased by the state in the 1971, Natural Resources Police currently use the property as their Anne Arundel County base.
Sailing Hall of Fame and city officials said that state aid is contingent on the group working with the Historic Preservation Board and the city Planning and Zoning Department.
Tonight's meeting is a start of that process, planning and zoning officials said.
Officials from the Sailing Hall of Fame have said they will incorporate the history of the Burtis House into the new facility.
Mayor Ellen O. Moyer said the city still supports the City Dock site. The City Council passed a resolution in April supporting the Sailing Hall of Fame's plans.
"The state has a record of working with the city on state property," said Ms. Moyer who pointed Bloomsbury Square and Bladen garage. "I don't expect there to be one iota difference working here."
