"The large pink flamingo outside Cafe Hon in Hampden will return to its home.
City officials and the owner of the restaurant on The Avenue on Tuesday morning announced an agreement that allows the pink bird, made of bedsheets and wire, to return to its spot atop Cafe Hon's fire escape, where it had been for the past seven years. Owner Denise Whiting said she will pay a reduced annual instead of the $800 officials had ordered her to pay for a "minor privilege" permit, most commonly used by businesses whose tables and benches encroach on sidewalks.
In exchange for Whiting agreeing to pay the fee and dropping her public protest, which culminated Tuesday morning with a rally outside City Hall, Mayor Sheila Dixon said the city will put a sign on Interstate 83 alerting travelers to Hampden in order to help the small businesses along 36th Street. The sign will be similar to ones advertising the Maryland Zoo, the Inner Harbor and the city's sports stadiums.
Officials from the Department of General Services will also meet with small business owners to review fees and restrictions, a spokesman for the mayor said.
"It is an icon," Dixon said. "It is a thriving business and part of what Baltimore is made of. I felt like we could have taken a different approach. It's a lesson learned."
Whiting said she and city officials began working on an agreement late last week. Whiting had removed the bird Oct. 20 to avoid paying the fine. Whiting had challenged the tax, saying the bird was a work of art. She said she is unsure how much she will have to pay the city but estimated it would be more than $400 a year.
"I'm thrilled I had the opportunity to work through things with the mayor and to give a voice to the small businesses that are really the backbone to this economically challenging time that we're having," she said.
Whiting said she is unsure when the bird will be put back up. She said it remains at a local business in Hampden."
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