CWDI - Community Names New Street at Cambridge Harbor

On August 8, 2023, citizens and elected officials came together and named a new street being built at Cambridge Harbor. The new street will be named Watermen Way.


Angie Hengst, one of the CWDI Board Members who attended the event commented that “CWDI is extremely pleased with the new street’s name and its much-deserved nod to the hardworking people who have helped define and shape this community.”

“It was a fun event that produced a great outcome.” says Matt Leonard, CWDI’s Executive Director. “Including suggestions from those who voted for the new name that watermen are best honored using Watermen with an “e” instead of an “a” as presented. We have done that.”

The Street Naming event included ice cream for the public served by Scottish Highland Creamery, Cambridge Harbor ballcap giveaways, and most importantly the opportunity for the community to make the final naming decision and know the results immediately. People cast votes for three options, which were: Waterman Way, Sailwinds Plaza, and Harbor Way. Waterman Way was the clear winner.

Along with Cambridge citizens, the event was attended by local and state leaders, including State Senator Johnny Mautz, State Delegate Tom Hutchinson, County Council President Lenny Pfeffer, County Council Vice President Mike Detmer, City Council Ward 5 Commissioner Brian Roche, City Council Ward 1 Commissioner Laurel Atkiss, Interim County Manager Jeff Powell, and School Board Member Chris Wheedleton.

Mr. Leonard welcomed the crowd, introduced the local officials, pointed out the various concept development plans for Cambridge Harbor, described the prominent location of the new street, and thanked Dorchester Chamber of Commerce for helping organize and promote the event. He then turned the program over to Mr. Bob Northfield, Principal with BCT Design Group.

BCT Design Group developed the three final name choices based on the Maritime Heritage theme selected by the community through an online survey open through the month of June. Mr. Northfield, and David Petr, BCT Communications Manager, explained the multi-step process to the attendees that led up to the August 8th real-time naming event. They presented the three options to the crowd using story boards for each to explain the relevancy of each option.

“Community Informed Decisions are at the heart of the Cambridge Harbor design process.” Says Mr. Northfield. “The community speaks, and BCT and CWDI leadership listen as we deliver Master Planning and Branding for the project.”

Cambridge Harbor is being planned as a highly activated waterfront district to include public spaces, amenities, and events focused on promoting the City of Cambridge and Dorchester County’s multi-faceted history, heritage, and culture while creating a unique destination for tourism.

CWDI is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit development corporation formed through a joint Agreement of the City of Cambridge, Maryland; Dorchester County, Maryland; and the State of Maryland. CWDI’s mission is to develop Cambridge Harbor in partnership with the community, to the benefit of the community, and to sustainably operate and maintain Cambridge Harbor as an inviting, accessible, active, and enjoyable place to live, work, play, and visit.

For more information about CWDI or Cambridge Harbor, please visit the website at  www.cambridgeharbor.org, by scanning the QR code to the right, or contact Matt Leonard at matt.leonard@cambridgeharbor.org; (434) 579-0374.