Boardwalk Yoga Cancellation Raises Questions About Who Gets To Use Public Spaces

NORTH BEACH, Md. — When Heather Hilton posted about the end of her yoga class on the boardwalk in North Beach, she wasn’t expecting such a strong reaction from the community.

“I was just posting to announce it, like I do with classes and everything,” Hilton said in an interview with The BayNet. “Then people were messaging me from all over.”

Hilton has hosted yoga on the boardwalk for the last three years, as the weather permits. It’s an informal, volunteer offering she began so she could continue teaching and sharing her practice without the challenges that came with running her studio, which has since closed.

Hilton hasn’t charged for yoga on the boardwalk since closing her studio, but she has utilized a donation basket. There are no reservations or obligations for the class — she just sets up each week and welcomes anyone to join her who wants to experience the benefits of yoga.

“Sometimes I go and nobody comes, and that’s no big deal. I’m just doing it for anyone who wants to do it,” Hilton said.

Last week, she got a notice from the Town of North Beach informing her that she’d need an event permit to continue offering yoga on the boardwalk. When she asked for the paperwork, she learned that the cost to rent boardwalk space for events is $175 per hour for a maximum of four hours. This would mean that for a one-hour class, Hilton would have to charge a fee for each person and guarantee a minimum number of participants each week to not lose money on the class. For example, she’d need to bring in 12 people at $15 each every time she hosts. That number, she says, is not feasible for such an informal class where she can’t guarantee people will show up.

Besides, she’s no longer technically even an operating business. She’s not earning a profit from this event. Which raised the question for many in North Beach: What’s the difference between a business using town space for a promotional or money-earning event versus a community gathering? And who has the right to the coveted boardwalk space? On Hilton’s post, residents took to the comments to express their agitation that Hilton was being squeezed out of a public space for what they saw as a community offering and a rightful use of the boardwalk.

The town of North Beach has since offered to work with Hilton on continuing her boardwalk yoga class. Hilton admits she was “reactive” when she first received the rental fee paperwork because she didn’t feel like any other option was presented to her at the time.

“The Town remains open to discussions regarding potential options that would allow the program to continue while complying with applicable policies and procedures. We value community programming and are willing to explore solutions. Town staff have reached out to the business owner to discuss potential options,” Town Administrator Linda Vassallo wrote in an email to The BayNet.

Vassallo added that the town aims to make sure the policies governing public spaces are applied consistently, but they can and do evaluate each offering on an individual basis.

“Generally, a public space permit is required when an activity is organized, publicly promoted, conducted on a recurring basis and reserves a specific Town public space. Each situation is evaluated based on its specific circumstances and the Town’s established policies.”

Hilton said she’s willing to work with the town and would be willing to pay something for the event to continue.

“I’m willing to negotiate. I don’t want to cause a problem. I just want to go down and try to exercise and do something that brings a good vibe. We know what yoga does for people.”

For now, the future of boardwalk yoga is uncertain.

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