Welcome to the new Middle Branch Initiative website!

The Middle Branch of the Patapsco River is a natural resource of significant unrealized potential. Located one mile south of the Inner Harbor, it is almost three times its size. Through careful planning and development, this water body could become the City’s most extensive shoreline recreation facility and a major component of Baltimore’s community economic revitalization.

Unlike the Inner Harbor, the Middle Branch of the Patapsco is a shallow estuary. It is located on the southern end of the South Baltimore peninsula, close to the City line. Where the Inner Harbor has a hard bulkhead along the water’s edge with active boating and commercial activity, the Middle Branch is Baltimore Harbor’s softer, quiet side. Even after 200 years of activity, the shoreline maintains a more natural edge. Hundreds of shore birds visit its coves during the spring and fall migration despite years of industrial uses.

The lands adjacent to the shores of the Middle Branch have gone through many changes, from farmland and resorts to heavy industry. The Middle Branch is now poised for a major rebirth. The majority of the older industrial uses occupying the shoreline are either vacant or are being relocated. The Middle Branch has not experienced this many opportunities for change since the 1800’s. This document has been prepared to highlight these opportunities, outline the current assets and  iabilities facing the area and make recommendations to capitalize on these opportunities and bring about a new century of success.

The qualities and differences of the Middle Branch allow us to create a new waterfront community that is completely unique from the Inner Harbor, yet equally as vital to the City of Baltimore and the region. The Inner Harbor was one of the first areas to capture and celebrate the industrial waterfront, converting abandoned port facilities into a vibrant community space. Plans for the Middle Branch also embrace the waterfront, but as an ecosystem that is integrated into the larger community.