CAMBRIDGE — Less than a week after the city and Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc. settled a lawsuit regarding the ability to transfer certain land, members of the CWDI Board of Directors sat in the front row of an Aug. 26 Cambridge City Council meeting.
With them: a hotel developer interested in building a hotel on Cambridge Harbor, the project led by CWDI to develop Cambridge’s waterfront.
The first half of the meeting, the developer, Tauhid Islam, spoke about why he would like to build a hotel on Cambridge Harbor and what he would like that hotel to look like.
No deal has yet been made with Islam to develop on Cambridge Harbor. On Aug. 23, CWDI Board President Angie Hengst told the Star Democrat that CWDI will be working with the city and county to identify the appropriate time to sign a deal after “various details” have been worked through.
Islam, the founder of Eastern-Shore-based Pinnacle Hospitality Group who started his own venture in 2016 after spending two decades with Choice Hotels, has been in talks with CWDI for the past year. Islam said that in the past eight years, his group has built seven hotels, including a Cambria Hotel and a Hampton Inn & Suites, both in Ocean City.
Islam said in an oceanfront hotel room, when you turn off the lights, all you can see from the balcony at night is darkness. By contrast, in a hotel room “on the tip of the bridge,” it’s not just darkness, he said.
“The rumbling of the bridge, the beauty of the dolphins swimming by and the moon actually glistening on the water,” he said. “That’s what attracted me to Cambridge.”
Islam sees this venture as an opportunity to embrace a working waterfront. He said it’s an opportunity for the younger generations to learn about a “forgotten art.”
“Things that our children and their children may not have the opportunity to see first hand,” he said, mentioning boat repair. “I think Cambridge does bring that and it will resonate with people who are just trying to get away from the city. ... I want to create something that will make them stop.”
Islam said his plans include a rooftop restaurant and a conference center. He said he wants to bring in a franchise that doesn’t exist in Cambridge.
During the meeting, Islam and his team unveiled an initial rendering that shows the project concept. The rendering included balconies that overlook the Choptank River and a pool steps away from the river.
Maryland Del. Tom Hutchinson (R-Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, Wicomico), who sat in the front row of the meeting along with two CWDI board members, acknowledged that this hotel would take a few years to build and open if a deal is made.
“But boy, we have a great vision, and I think this is a great restart of Cambridge Harbor,” he said.
Over the past year, tensions between the city and CWDI over the Cambridge Harbor project have received significant attention. With the lawsuit settlement — which includes both parties entering into a memorandum of understanding to address certain issues — representatives from both the city and CWDI Board have expressed hope about their relationship moving forward.
At the meeting, multiple City Council members thanked Islam for the presentation and shared their excitement for his approach to the project.
“There’s an old adage that says a home without a heart is nothing but walls, roof and floor,” Commissioner Laurel Atkiss said. “And its nice to hear you speak of the buildings, that they have heart in them as well. I think that’s something we definitely want to have moving forward in our projects in Cambridge.”
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