Cohen says Baltimore Main Streets need major work to support businesses
Cohen said Baltimore’s main streets are not healthy, citing empty storefronts, ICE disruption and smoke shops near kids. Nine corridors now face pressure for more support.
At a Board of Estimates meeting, Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen said he was “very concerned” about vacant commercial space sitting idle instead of being leased to small business owners. Cohen said the city needs to do more to keep local businesses alive block by block.
Cohen said some corridors have been hit by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, along with instability and a lack of cohesive leadership at the top of the Main Streets program. The city’s Main Streets effort is housed in the Mayor’s Office of Small and Minority Business Advocacy and Development and uplifts local businesses, provides development help and spotlights neighborhoods.
Baltimore currently has nine designated Main Streets districts: Belair-Edison, Fell’s Point, Hamilton-Lauraville, Highlandtown, Historic Federal Hill, Park Heights, Pennsylvania Avenue, Pigtown and Waverly. City leaders are trying to shore up commercial districts with more money and tighter rules on businesses that can crowd out neighborhood retail.
One of those fights has centered on smoke shops. Cohen warned property owners not to rent to businesses selling harmful products to children. Mayor Brandon Scott signed legislation last week banning smoke shops within 750 feet of a park, school or recreation center and phasing out existing shops in those zones. Council member Zac Blanchard, who sponsored the bill, said there is an “incredible amount of room for improvement” in the city’s main streets.
The city and council recently approved an annual Main Streets allocation of $85,000 per organization to support the local groups that help recruit tenants, market corridors and connect merchants to city resources. The fiscal 2026 budget, signed June 23, 2025 after a 13-2 council vote, totaled $3.69 billion in adopted operating spending, up 6.3% from fiscal 2025. The fiscal 2027 budget approved this week also included funding for local businesses and the Main Streets program.
Maryland’s Main Street Maryland program began in 1998 and now supports more than 50 communities across the state.
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