The 20-year legal battle over a stalled redevelopment project in West Baltimore came to a close on Wednesday with a $58.5 million settlement between Maryland and the developer originally tasked with completing the project.
The sizable State Center plan settlement comes as Maryland faces a serious budget crisis that has state leaders grappling with potential budget cuts and tax increases to close a projected gap in revenue of $5.8 billion by 2030.
State officials said the settlement, though large, would ultimately avoid further financial risk for Maryland taxpayers should the state ultimately lose its legal fight with the State Center developer, Ekistics, also known as State Center LLC.
“A settlement will avoid more prolonged, costly litigation and risk on behalf of taxpayers, which would have continued for years,” Gov. Wes Moore (D) said in a statement after a unanimous vote by the state’s Board of Public Works to approve the agreement.
Click here to read the rest 0f the article written by Katie Shepherd over at The Washington Post
