At a recent press conference, Mayor Jared Littmann said the “City Dock Resiliency Project is ahead of schedule…”. That’s good to hear, but for the Dock Street businesses, relief cannot come soon enough. While the City’s budget for the project is almost $100 million, NO funding was ear-marked for helping the most affected businesses. Zero. Zilch!
Despite numerous public and private appeals to the Council, the City’s position has been “it will get better … Just be patient!” It will … just not soon enough for a few businesses that have already closed due to the disruption and the loss of customers who are accustomed to convenient curbside parking, now lost, or who avoid the area altogether, whenever it rains because of flooded streets.
For the past year, Dock Street has been a construction zone with no parking, restrictive fencing and de-watering tanks. Add to that, occasional flooding caused when heavy rain is slow to drain through storm drains, and you see the challenges facing business owners and their customers. The temporary pumps that have been in place take far too long to clear the water. The result has been fewer customers willing to wade through flooded streets. So far, two businesses have closed, and a third is departing by the end of this year.
For the small businesses bearing the brunt of the largest construction project in the City’s history, it still lacked what they – and others – have been seeking: pro-active assistance for the businesses, including financial help to get them through the next 12-18 months.
But this scenario is a very different story compared to another downtown business—the Market House— when it needed help.
During the Buckley Administration, the Market House operator—New Market, LLC, (whose ownership included Mayor Gavin Buckley’s longtime business partner)—received very favorable property-tax benefits, as well as significant rent concessions from the Mayor and Council. No one in the City hesitated … it was presented to the City Council and it passed.
The waiver of Real Estate Taxes was unusual and very beneficial. While that fact has been challenged in public testimony to the Mayor and City Council on numerous occasions as being “inappropriate” … it was ignored. But the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) was paying attention and disagreed with the City’s waiver and billed the City for $124,501.29 in property taxes for FY2026 ($31,217.91) plus delinquent taxes of $93,283.38 for FY2023, 2024 and 2025, (the statute of limitations only allows going back three years or the bill would be over $246,000 from lease inception in March 2018 to present).
On November 21, 2025, ten days before Mayor Buckley left office, the City paid more than $124,000 in previously unpaid property taxes associated with the Market House. On December 10, 2025, Market House, LLC reimbursed the City $15,140.58 … for the State and County portion of the taxes.
The City had no choice but to accept SDAT’s tax bill for the State and County taxes … but they could still waive the City’s portion of the tax … and they did, waiving $64,209.32 of City taxes. In one of the last financial acts of the Buckley Administration, a check was sent to Anne Arundel County (who collects the tax) for $15,140.58 . This represented the State and County tax for FY2026. That left the “delinquent” property tax for FY2023, 2024 and 2025 still unpaid.
How was this unpaid balance handled? Surprisingly, on February 2, 2026, Mayor Littmann agreed to a 30-month repayment plan for back taxes of $45,051.39 paid monthly at $1501.71 with a favorable ZERO interest rate. Apparently, Mayor Littmann thinks the Market House needs continued special treatment.
Two administrations, one consistent result: when it came to the Market House, City Hall found a way to offer help. Why hasn’t it found a way to help Dock Street businesses?
The Dock Street businesses aren’t asking for a permanent subsidy. They’re asking for short-term help surviving a disruption caused by a City project. The City should establish an immediate “Dock Street Relief Program” offering grants, temporary tax relief and/or reductions or waivers of City fees until construction-related disruptions end.
If City Hall could find a way to help the Market House, it can find a way to help Dock Street.
They need help NOW.
