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 QUARTERLY UPDATE VOLUME III - Issue 2
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If I could sum it all up for you in one word in this edition, that word would be progress!
You may have seen a recent commentary in the Baltimore SUN touting some of the redevelopment projects taking place in Baltimore. It spoke of how reports that the city is in a moribund state have been exaggerated and noted that “suddenly all kinds of stuff” is happening here. This is so true and, well, that’s what we’ve been saying all along.
In this edition, you’ll learn about how our Trust Fund Dollars are being put to productive use, how we’re supporting seniors and small developers, how visions for whole block outcomes and new affordable housing are coming to fruition, and how new partnerships are bringing much needed services to long-neglected areas.
I remain proud of the effort DHCD is putting forth to help with the revitalization of communities. Through commitment, dedication, and innovative use of limited resources, our progress is evident.
I hope you enjoy this update.
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 Shavell Young in front of her new home with Mayor Brandon M. Scott; her son Jakauri; her real estate agent, Keichel Lawter; and Garrick Good, Executive Director, North East Housing Initiative.
Standing in front of a refurbished home in Belair-Edison with Mayor Brandon M. Scott and her son Jakauri, Shavell Young is ecstatic. She’s now the owner of the renovated East Baltimore home that she purchased through the North East Housing Initiative (NEHI) Land Trust.
City funds are flowing into the marketplace, helping to make stories like these possible. The City has committed more than $4 million in resources from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund through two Notices of Funding Availability (NOFA). DHCD awarded $2.25 million in NOFA funding for Community Land Trust (CLT) for single-family homeownership opportunities and $2,059,500 for New Construction/Preservation of Existing Rental Housing.
The City awarded CLT funds to NEHI, Charm City Land Trust, and the South Baltimore Community Land Trust. Each Land Trust received $750,000 for affordable homeownership developments.
Land trust ownership — a nationally proven means of creating homeownership opportunities for households earning 50 percent or less of the American Median Income — ensures that the home will remain affordable for 99 years. Under this model, a non-profit organization owns the land but then sells it to a qualified buyer at below-market price.
New Construction/Preservation awards went to Druid Heights CDC, CHAI 1, Episcopal Housing, and ReBuild Metro. These funds support new construction of affordable rental housing and/or rehabilitation of existing rental projects for affordable housing.
These efforts support the construction of new, quality, affordable housing across a range of communities helps ensure that the City meets the development needs of all residents.
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Eligible older adults who face challenges with making repairs to their homes will continue to have access to helpful resources through the Housing Upgrades to Benefit Seniors (HUBS) initiative.
DHCD and several non-profit organizations recently announced the commitment of $9.65 million to the HUBS initiative.
Baltimore City's total investment is $3.5 million – $3 million is from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $500,000 is from the City’s capital budget. Additionally, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is providing $4.5 million; the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Foundation is gifting $1.2 million; and Keswick is giving $450,000.
Created in 2015, HUBS provides senior homeowners with resources for home modifications, repairs, and wraparound services so that they can age in place. Through this initiative, the partner organizations network and consolidate efforts to match clients with appropriate services while eliminating redundancies so that a greater number of older adults are served.
Ambrose Housing Aid Center; Banner Neighborhoods; Civic Works; Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc.; Green and Healthy Homes; Keswick Community Health; Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland; Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore; and Rebuilding Together Baltimore are all committed to providing services to the city’s older homeowners through this program.
Homeowners must be at least 65 years old and meet income requirements to qualify.
Learn more.
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At the intersection of East Preston Street and North Central and Harford Avenues, sits a triangular, City-owned site ripe for development. Soon, a new affordable housing complex will replace the vacant lots thanks to City, State, and private investments.
Episcopal Housing Corporation, in partnership with Health Care for the Homeless, recently broke ground on Sojourner Place at Preston, a 70-unit affordable housing apartment building, located at 1202 E. Preston Street in Oliver. The City sold the bundle of land, consisting of nine parcels, to the developer through its Vacants to Value Initiative.
Sojourner Place at Preston, a four-story, 90,000 square-foot apartment complex, will serve low-income families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Half of the units will be permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness and the remainder will be affordable to tenants whose incomes are at 50 percent of the area median income.
This project represents $20.56 million of investment and builds on the development activity happening in the surrounding East Baltimore communities. The City approved a $1.2 million HOME Loan and the State gave a $2-million Rental Housing Program loan to help finance the project.
Moseley Architects is the architect of the project and Southway Builders will serve as the general contractor. Sojourner Place at Preston is expected to open in 2022.
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 People passing by the 1400 block of N. Bethel Street probably can’t help but notice the colorful facades of the refurbished row homes that sit in the shadow of the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus and the Amtrak train tracks.
Previously, the long-blighted block served as a haven for illegal dumping and drug activity. But now, Blank Slate Development, which redeveloped the homes on the East Baltimore side street, is celebrating its contribution to the development activity that is progressing in the surrounding area. The North Bethel Row Project compliments major anchor projects such as the Hoen Lithograph building and the Baltimore Food Hub which is accelerating residential demand nearby and leveraging transformational investment within the City’s East Impact Investment Area.
Back in 2017, while working on a project on North Broadway, Alex Aaron, Founder and CEO, Blank Slate, caught a glimpse of the decaying block. But while most may have only seen an eye sore, Mr. Aaron envisioned what could be.
When Mr. Aaron contacted the City about the properties, preparations were underway to demolish them. Undeterred, he developed a revitalization proposal, which the City eventually accepted, and he worked with DHCD’s Vacants to Value (V2V) Initiative to bring the plan to fruition. V2V sold six properties to Blank Slate, and the developer purchased eight more properties through an auction from One House At A Time.
The block, which originally featured 15 homes, has now been consolidated into nine rowhomes. Blank Slate transformed 12 of the residences into six double-wide rowhomes and refurbished two more into single wide rowhouses.
Although most of the 15 houses were vacant, one was still occupied and privately owned. It was important to Mr. Aaron to complete the renewal project without displacing the owner, so he worked with the City and the owner to make the property a part of the project. DHCD awarded Blank Slate a Façade Improvement Grant, which allowed the developer to update the front and rear exterior of the private owner’s home so that it matches the others on the block.
Blank Slate also applied for and secured 10-year, property-tax credits through the City’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP). The CHAP tax credit will aid the future homeowners on the block by annually subtracting from their property tax bills for 10 years.
Four of the available eight renovated homes are either under contract or sold, and more potential buyers are on a waiting list for the remaining four. View Photos.
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Some exciting news is generating more buzz around the revitalization of PS 103 and the surrounding Historic Upton neighborhood.
The National Park Service (NPS) is moving forward with their assessment of how the former PS 103 school building meets criteria for designation as a unit of the National Park System. Former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall attended the school in the early 1900s.
NPS is evaluating the property and other resources in the neighborhood that relate to Marshall’s life. When considering possible designations of new units for the NPS System, it looks at congressionally established criteria such as national significance, suitability, feasibility, and potential management strategies. The public comment period recently closed and the study is expected to run through 2023.
In February 2020, with strong community support, DHCD awarded development rights of the long-blighted property at 1315 Division Street to Beloved Community Services CDC. Beloved revealed its plans to reestablish a prominent community landmark and activate the civil rights legacy of the site. The development team's plans include utilizing the space for historical memorabilia related to former Justice Thurgood Marshall and a replication of the campaign office of the Honorable Elijah Cummings. It will also house The Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. Center for Education, Justice and Ethics, in addition to office space for the National Park Service.
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The City of Baltimore and a national non-profit organization dedicated to restoring vacant properties to productive use are partnering to support small developers.
DHCD and the Developing Affordable Starter Homes (DASH) Fund created a pilot program to eliminate blight, increase access to affordable housing, and revitalize neighborhoods while building capacity of emerging developers. The City is providing $250,000 as part of a larger initial $3-million funding of DASH. Additionally, the Neighborhood Impact Investment Fund (NIIF), a Community Development Financial Institution launched by the City, is providing DASH with a $2.55-million credit facility. These funds will aid developers — who may not currently qualify for traditional sources of private capital — with their renovation projects.
DASH is sponsored by the National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST), a national non-profit organization whose primary mission is to promote inclusive growth by increasing access to capital for emerging developers, many of whom are part of underrepresented groups.
DHCD is supporting DASH in providing financing for the acquisition, renovation, and stabilization of 1-4-unit, single-family homes to create affordable homeownership opportunities in the City’s Neighborhood Impact Investment Fund’s (NIIF) eligible neighborhoods.
NIIF is specifically targeted to invest in eligible neighborhoods that have been historically overlooked. These communities, which comprise approximately 65 percent of the city, may have assets or “green shoots,” such as public markets, public space, transit corridors or emerging housing and commercial development activity that can provide a central focus for revitalization. Learn more.
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DHCD is utilizing technological advancements to provide the public with a new tool to help hold owners of vacant buildings accountable for the condition of their properties.
The agency is posting vacant building signage that features a QR Code, that when scanned, directs users to DHCD’s Vacant Property Resources and Information Page. This effort is the implementation of City Council Bill 19-0429 — introduced by City Council Member Kristerfer Burnett — which requires posting the signage on vacant buildings throughout the city.
Through the Vacant Property Resources and Information portal, the public can access information to identify the owner or responsible agent’s name, address, phone number, and email contact, if available. Additionally, development plans, active notices, and permits searches are also available through the webpage.
Currently, the city has approximately 15,600 vacant properties, but only 1,350 are City-owned. The City utilizes a combination of tools to address vacant structures, including code enforcement, receivership, acquisition, demolition, an open-bid program, and strategic neighborhood development projects. Learn more.
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