Field of Dreams

A billionaire entrepreneur ready to invest his fortune for the betterment of Baltimore? As the city prepared in 2020 to hand over the biggest tax subsidy in history to Under Armour’s Kevin Plank for the Port Covington development, The Brew reviewed hundreds of pages of PIA-ed financial reports to reveal the risky underpinnings of the deal. Also documented: the cash contributions strategically shoveled out to city and state politicians.

Nov 15, 20220

It’s official: Kevin Plank’s Port Covington is rebranded as “Baltimore Peninsula”

The change comes as the development’s first phase of construction nears completion with few leases in place.

May 19, 20220

Ousted as Port Covington’s developer, Marc Weller leaves behind a $650 million “game changer” in search of occupants

Hawked unsuccessfully as “Cyber Town USA,” a life science hub and a new Amazon headquarters, the scaled-back project now falls to others to market. UPDATED.

May 25, 20210

Average citizens tried to tell city leaders: Port Covington was too good to be true

Two activists who were there look back at how Baltimore was bamboozled five years ago and call on City Hall to learn from its mistakes. [OP-ED]

May 13, 20210

Is the community benefits package at Port Covington still enforceable?

The jobs promised at Port Covington have vanished. Is the community benefits package next? The Scott administration needs to do the due diligence that wasn’t done by City Hall in 2016. [OP-ED]

Apr 21, 20210

How a scaled-back Under Armour HQ helps rescue Kevin Plank’s shaky Port Covington project

Documents show that if Under Armour didn’t put its headquarters at Port Covington, Kevin Plank could be forced to sell his holdings.

Jun 17, 20200

Municap and other reports on Port Covington TIF Series 2020 Bonds

Jun 17, 20200

Rewriting history: City says Under Armour “isn’t relevant” to Port Covington project

$148 million in TIF bond sales was approved today by the Board of Estimates, with no more talk about 10,000 new jobs being created by Under Armour.

Jun 17, 20200

Port Covington developer gave over $80,000 to officeholders and political committees

A top contribution went to Mayor Young, who is leading the push to award the unprecedented TIF tax package.

Jun 17, 20200

ACLU letter seeking postponement of Port Covington vote

Text of the June 16 protest submitted to the Baltimore Board of Estimates by ACLU of Maryland, Step Up To Lead, Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, Public Justice Center and Jews United for Justice.

Jun 16, 20200

Postpone Port Covington TIF funding, ACLU and others urge

The protest to the Board of Estimates focuses attention on Baltimore’s lame-duck mayor and its presumptive “open government” mayor.

Jun 15, 20200

Mayor Young commits $148 million in bond funding to jumpstart Port Covington project

BREW EXCLUSIVE: The biggest TIF tax increment funding in city history includes many risks to Baltimore taxpayers, a review of publicly undisclosed material shows.