With an array of new funding sources and a Department of Housing and Community Development that’s now independent of the Housing Authority, the city plans to work with communities to fulfill their visions for short-term growth.
Mayor Catherine Pugh and Housing Commissioner Michael Braverman announced their planned “new era of neighborhood investment” at her weekly press conference Feb. 27. One of the key points of the “new vision” is designated impact investment areas in four areas of the city.
Each one is generally low-income, has a strong culture and local history, existing for-profit and nonprofit organizations to help push for redevelopment, borders an area with “strong markets/and or anchor institutions and have strong assets such as high-quality architecture,” according to the newly published plan. All of the areas also have, or are working on a consensus for, a long-term vision, and are places where DHCD has amassed or can assemble “a critical mass of vacant properties.”
The Park Heights zone is the only one specific to a single neighborhood. The East Baltimore zone includes Johnston Square, Broadway East, East Baltimore Midway and Coldstream Homestead Montebello. The West Baltimore zone includes Penn North, Druid Heights and Upton, all of which run along Pennsylvania Avenue. And the Southwest Baltimore zone includes Franklin Square, Poppleton, Union Square, Hollins Market, Mount Clare, Washington Village and Pigtown.
Read the complete story at Baltimore Fishbowl: City unveils plan to promote investment in four zones, including Park Heights and East, West and Southwest Baltimore
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