July 2026 Community Meeting

Type of meeting: 
Community
Meeting date: 
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Status: 
DRAFT

Conflict of Interest Statement  

Members of the Ridgelys Delight Association must be free from inappropriate influences or from situations or relationships that have the potential to bias their actions.  Accordingly,  members are asked to identify, for consideration, any circumstances in which they have a relationship that could impair (or be perceived to impair) their impartiality with a given topic, or when a person’s duty to one group conflicts with their duty or responsibility to another.  This could include having other interests or relationships, like decision-making authority with competing neighborhood organizations, financial interests, or any relationship that could be perceived to impair their judgment when acting on behalf of the Ridgely’s Delight Association. 

-Quorum is 16

-BGE

Questions submitted prior to the meeting:

  • Explain the overall purpose of the project and why it is necessary.  Did the possibility of data centers enter into the equation of the necessity of the project? How does a smaller Baltimore Peninsula project than previously expected impact what is needed?   

  • Explain the current status of the project.   If on hold, the reason why, and expected timeline moving forward.  Explain how input from the community will be used to make decisions about the project going forward.  

  • Why was the Green Street substation chosen for the project?  Were alternative substations (like Westport) considered? 

  •  Given that the proposed path would wind through Ridgely’s Delight—using narrow streets in a historic district and following an out‑of‑the‑way route—and considering that minimizing community impact is a stated priority, please explain the rationale for selecting this path.  

  • What alternative routes were evaluated, and why was a route through Ridgely’s Delight ultimately determined to be the only option? 

  • What would a tunneling project through our streets look like? What impact will it have on residents?    (e.g. About how deep, wide and long will the trenches be (will they span the entire block, cover entire street)?, About how many days will construction take? Noise? Impact on walkways, parking, and entries into houses? Was there consideration that trenching could disrupt the foundations of our historic houses?   Are there plans to compensate residents if the project damages our homes? 

Key Outcomes

BGE has paused the underground transmission cable project that they previously notified neighbors of with a flyer in the mail.  Ownership of the land previously known as Port Covington has transitioned to Bank of the Ozarks and has an uncertain development master plan. No construction or engineering work will proceed until a new developer submits a formal service application. Community engagement is being established now so that resident concerns can be incorporated into future project planning.  BGE will notify the Ridgely’s Delight Association if this project proceeds and before it begins.

BGE Project Technical Context as Presented by BGE

  • Why the project existed: Aging underground cables (installed 1950s– 70s) between Green Street substation → Westport → Baltimore Peninsula (The BGE spokesman clarified that when referring to the “Peninsula” in today’s conversation, he was referring to land that includes the Locust Point and  Riverside neighborhoods) need replacement; increased Peninsula demand required larger transmission cable and a second redundant feed.

  • Redundancy design: New substation at Peninsula would be networked with two feeds — one from Westport, one from Green Street — to avoid a single point of failure ("radial" risk).

  • Regulatory oversight: Transmission-level cable (≥69,000 volts) now requires a CPCN (Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity) under the Utility Relief Act passed this year. 

  • Data centers ruled out: Recent legislation prohibits data centers in TIF- funded zones; BGE has received no data center inquiries for the Peninsula since the ruling.

  • Cable replacement is inevitable: Aging infrastructure must be replaced regardless of Peninsula development; route and cable size will depend on future demand. 

Community Concerns Raised

  • One-way streets & parking: Ridgely's Delight has narrow, one-way roads and very limited parking — major construction constraints.

  • Conway Park investment: A recently completed park project at the south end of the neighborhood was previously in the proposed route path; BGE acknowledged awareness and was already seeking alternatives.

  • Russell Street alternative: Residents questioned why a direct route under Russell Street was not used; BGE claims that underground obstructions made that route infeasible

  • Equity concern: Nicole raised concern that a working-class neighborhood should not bear construction burden to serve a wealthier development zone; BGE stated economics do not drive route selection — available underground space does.

Q&A Highlights

  • Q: Will Green Street substation be involved regardless of new Peninsula development? → A: Yes, Green Street will be involved in some capacity; cable replacement is needed independent of new Peninsula growth.

  • Q: Is Green Street substation itself at redundancy risk? → A: No — it is connected to multiple substations across Baltimore City.

  • Q: What would construction look like for residents? → A: BGE cannot answer specifics (trench width, duration, disruption) until engineering is scoped; committed to returning with details when known.

Pending Confirmation

  • New Peninsula developer identity and formal service application — triggers all next steps for BGE.

  • Future project route confirmation pending engineer test pilots and city permitting.

Action Items

  • Lineta & Naomi (BGE): Maintain ongoing community relationship; return
    with project updates when engineering resumes. 

  • Zach (BGE): Offer direct phone check-ins with Nicole as project
    status evolves. 

  • Nicole: Accept written questions/comments from residents post-
    meeting; keep community informed proactively.

Community Business

Community voted to reimburse Ms. Rosalie $144 ($91 + $53) for Portland Street stoop garden plantings from the $500 beautification fund. In future, similar reimbursement requests should be approved at a community meeting prior to expenditure.

NO RDA Board Meeting this month due to FIFA schedule

Attendees:

Nicole Dungee
Clarissa Howison
Julia Dumont
Deb O’Neill
Kate Leitkowski
Sandy Anderson
Bill Reuter
Sy Saulynas
Linda Fritz-Hanson
Billy Hufnell
Paul Rubenson
Lindsay Chudzin
Alima Samba
Julia Liebherz
Christine Robinson

Guests:

Zach Mitchell, BGE
Lenita Duren, BGE
Naomi Brown, BGE
Tyler McCurdy, Senator Bill Ferguson’s staff
Desiree Jones, Council Rep Phylicia Porter staff