CAMBRIDGE, Md. – The nonprofit group in charge of redesigning the Cambridge Harbor has sent its plans for a multimillion-dollar redevelopment of the Cambridge waterfront to the city for planning and zoning review.
Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc., known as CWDI, is redesigning a 36-acre property near Sailwinds Park on the site of the old hospital. The proposed mixed-use development, called "Cambridge Harbor," would include a hotel, restaurants, townhouses, a family fishing pier and a waterfront park, along with other features.
The property mostly sits empty now, though CWDI recently revitalized part of the walkway along the Choptank River. The revitalized promenade opened in July.
CWDI Vice President Tim Crosby, an architect, said the plans are a big step forward.
The submission is three documents: the regulating plan (what can be built where), the master plan (showing what CWDI wants built by the developer) and the design guidelines (what the architecture should look like). These get folded into the city's Unified Development Code. They're guidelines for future developers, not a plan for any one building.
"These are three really important documents that have been generated,” Crosby said. “One is called the regulating plan. And the regulating plan shows the property and shows what uses each portion of the property will be. Because remember, this is a working waterfront. And that's its history."
One of the documents CWDI sent to the city of Cambridge on Friday. (CWDI)
Crosby said the plans were developed after several years of gathering community input, including a desire for public access to the water.
"We heard from the community and some we want to always have unfettered access to the water's edge,” Crosby said. “And so from one end of the harbor to the visitor center, which is existing, it's all going to have this public promenade. And, so that community will never be blocked from the water's edge.”
He said the project is also designed to fit in with the rest of the city.
"It is very well thought out to complement the rest of the city, not detract from it. So that's why we don't have all of this big commercialization. And because we don't want to hurt the downtown, we want to complement it," Crosby said.
Years of work
Crosby said it took years to reach this point because zoning is very complex. The project has also faced setbacks, including a lawsuit the city filed against the planners in 2024. That dispute is now behind them.
When asked if the project is on schedule, Crosby told WBOC the following:
"It's never happening fast enough. Because this is the first time we've done this. You know, and all of us are volunteers. We have some really good professional advice and support. So, no, it's not happening nearly as fast as we'd like, but it's. It is happening as fast as it can," Crosby said.
Alessandro Nardini, president of the Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce, said the project has an important balance.
"It offers something for people here in town, for people here in the county, and also for people who are visiting so that, you know, they can get to see it for themselves," Nardini said.
Cost and next steps
Crosby said the project could cost $50 million, mostly funded by local, state and federal governments.
CWDI said it will share its next steps at an event in Cambridge next Friday.
