Stimulating growth and attracting new companies and jobs to Baltimore's commercial core is important to the overall health of the city. As our country comes out of the recession, it is important to effectively market Downtown Baltimore as a great place to locate and grow a business in the new economy. That is why this week I released a Task Force report outlining new strategies to reduce office vacancies and attract new businesses and jobs to Downtown Baltimore. In December, I appointed the Task Force of professionals and stakeholders, including office brokers, architects, civic leaders, and key policy-makers from federal, state, and city agencies, to study the existing Downtown office market and make recommendations.

What happens in Downtown matters to everyone in this city. The downtown core is just 4% of Baltimore in size, but it provides 27% of all the jobs in the City. Downtown businesses generate $17 billion in economic output-nearly 30% of the City's total. These numbers mean that the investments made here in Downtown ultimately benefit our school system, our Police Department, and services for our neighborhoods.

The Mayor's Downtown Task Force's key recommendations include a coordinated marketing effort, organized by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, with participation and cooperation from the Baltimore Development Corporation and the private sector to promote Downtown's office market and attract new businesses from outside the city.

The recommendations also include the establishment of a standing committee of federal, state, and city government representatives to strategically plan for future government office space in Downtown.

Interestingly, the Baltimore Sun joined local community and business leaders in endorsing the planned State Center redevelopment in midtown-saying the proposed project would not negatively affect the Downtown office market. In my view, the simple truth is that a revitalized State Center with millions in new private investment will help generate property tax revenue, create jobs, and provide new amenities for surrounding neighborhoods. I was pleased to see that the Baltimore Sun did its own careful, independent analysis of pros and cons of the project and reached the same conclusion.

The recommendations of the Mayor's Task Force have been incorporated into the Downtown Partnership's Downtown Strategic Plan, which was the result of nearly two years of analysis and input from Downtown stakeholders and several key city agencies.