Central West Baltimore Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan
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CENTRAL WEST BALTIMORE TRANSFORMATION PLAN Choice Neighborhoods Acknowledgements PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS PROJECT PARTNERS Association of Black Charities Wanda Best Pamela Johnson Jubilee Baltimore Business Interface, LLC James Blue Verna L. Jones-Rodwell Foresight Affordable Housing of Maryland Jobs Opportunity Task Force Ellis Brown Elizabeth Kennedy Kevin Jordan CITY GOVERNMENT Len Clay Steva Komay Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake PARTNERS Bill Cole Gabriel Kroiz Councilmember William Cole Druid Heights Community Development Corporation Talya Constable Carrie Little Councilmember Nick Mosby Eutaw Place Association Dr. Kevin Daniels Kelly Little Commissioner Paul Graziano, Department of Housing and Community Madison Park Improvement Association Keith Davis Steve Marker Development Historic Marble Hill Association Charlie Duff Richard May Department of Planning Thomas Stosur, Director, Morgan State University Polly Duke Bronwyn Mayden Chief Operating Officer, Baltimore City Public Schools Dr. Andres Alonso, Mt. Royal Improvement Association Jay Erbe Jonathan Midgett Director, City of Baltimore, Mayor’s Office of Employment Karen Sitnick, Pedestal Gardens Residents’ Association Laurie Feinberg Nick Mosby Development Reservoir Hill Improvement Council Mel Freeman Chet Myers Mary Sloat, Assist. Director, City of Baltimore, Mayor’s Office of Employment Development Upton Planning Committee Neal Friedlander Rebecca Nagle Thomasina Hiers, Deputy Chief of Staff, Director- Mayor’s Office of Human Angela Gravely-Smith Morgan Nelson Services PLANNING TEAM Paul Graziano Geri Newton Kylla Williams, Assoc. Deputy Director, Housing Authority of Baltimore City Goody Clancy Carol Green Willis David Nyweide Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. Carlo Van Grieken Cherise Orange STATE GOVERNMENT Adrian Harpol & Associates Richard Gwynallen Joe Palumbo Senator Verna Jones Rodwell, Delegate Health Education Resources and Solutions, LLC Annie Hall Carol Payne Senator Catherine Pugh, Delegate Citizens Planning and Housing Association Adrian Harpool Chartruse Robinson Ann Donner Consulting FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Linda Harrington Debbie Rock Zimmerman Volk Associates Senator Barbara Mikulski Jerry Hazelwood Tanyka Sam W-ZHA Senator Benjamin Cardin Elder CW Harris Barbara Samuels Kittelson and Associates Congressman Elijah Cummings John Henderson Erbe Sandra MJB Consulting Carol Payne, Director, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mary Ann Henderson Michael Scott Baltimore Tina Hike-Hubbard Tom Stosur Mary Ann Henderson, Director, Multi-family HUB, Department of Housing and John Hoffer Todd Vanidestine Urban Development Alexandra Hoffman Tony Watson FOUNDATIONS AND CORPORATIONS Monty Howard Richard White Abell Foundation Goldseker Foundation Foresight Affordable Housing Midtown Development Corporation Purpose Built Communities Enterprise Community Partners Association of Baltimore Grantmakers/Baltimore Funders Workforce Collaborative Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation CENTRAL WEST BALTIMORE CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION PLAN Contents Executive Summary ...............................................................................................................i 1 | Introduction: Transforming Central West Baltimore ...............................1 2 | Central West Baltimore: A Neighborhood Profile ...................................... 7 3 | Market Conditions ...................................................................................................43 4 | A Community-Driven Process ............................................................................49 5 | The Vision for Central West Baltimore .........................................................57 6 | Transformation ..........................................................................................................63 People .......................................................................................................................65 Neighborhood .......................................................................................................87 Housing ................................................................................................................ 100 7 | Implementation of the Transformation Plan ............................................111 Appendices 1 | Resident Needs Assessment 2 | Resident Engagement Summary 3 | Residential Market Study 4 | Education Report 5 | Workforce Development Report 6 | Retail Analysis 7 | Traffic Analysis 8 | Neighborhood and Housing Concepts CENTRAL WEST BALTIMORE CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION PLAN Executive Summary The Central West Baltimore Choice Neighbor- hoods Transformation Plan is an ambitious initiative to revitalize an important part of Baltimore that has experienced decades of dis- investment and a stark pattern of racial segrega- tion. This effort began in 2009 as a grass-roots coalition, convened by Jubilee Baltimore and including residents of Upton, Druid Heights, Marble Hill, Eutaw Place, Bolton Hill, and Reservoir Hill. Meeting every other Saturday morning for three years, this coalition worked to break down physical and social barriers cre- ated and reinforced by 1960s Urban Renewal projects and knit divided neighborhoods back together. Their efforts paid off: in 2010, HUD awarded Jubilee a Choice Neighborhoods grant to develop a comprehensive neighborhood plan. CENTRAL WEST BALTIMORE CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION PLAN | i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ii | CENTRAL WEST BALTIMORE CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Overview Understanding Baltimore and and federal public policy. Further, Baltimore lost The focus of the HUD-funded planning work the Central West Neighborhoods 34% of its middle-income households between is the Pedestal Gardens Apartments, a HUD- BALTIMORE 1990 and 2000, and is currently listed as the assisted housing development owned by Fore- Baltimore is the largest city in the state of Mary- 12th most segregated metropolitan region in the sight Affordable Housing, and the surrounding land, with approximately 620,000 residents, and country. neighborhoods. The planning initiative began with ranks 24th in population among all United States revitalization strategies that improve the lives of cities (Census Bureau, 2011). Baltimore City’s In 2011, Baltimore’s population was classified residents, from improved access to healthcare to population has decreased by one-third since as 63.6% African-American, 31.5% White, and better education to higher-paying jobs. Only then reaching its peak of 950,000 residents in 1950. 4.3% Hispanic; comparative statistics for the were the physical development initiatives required This shift is primarily due to significant macro United States were 13.1% African-American, to support these initiatives fully developed. structural forces over the past several decades, 78.1% White, and 16.7% Hispanic. The median including deindustrialization, suburbanization, household income in the City is $35,000 per year, in comparison to the regional median of $63,000. FIGURE 1 LOCATOR MAP Baltimore contains twenty percent (20%) of all employment institutions within the state, with top employers including The Johns Hopkins Institu- tions, University of Maryland Medical System, Constellation Energy Group, Bank of America, Lifebridge Health, and T. Rowe Price. CENTRAL WEST BALTIMORE THE PLANNING AREA The original boundary line for the Central West Baltimore Choice Neighborhoods planning area specifically targeted Census Tracts 140200 (Madison Park / Druid Heights), 170200 (Upton), 140300 (Druid Heights), and 140100 (several blocks of Bolton Hill). These neighborhoods HUD representatives, steering committee mem- and census tracts originally referenced within bers, and other stakeholders toured the planning the Choice Neighborhoods grant application area in May 2011 as part of the project kick-off. are termed the “HUD area.” Upon receipt of CENTRAL WEST BALTIMORE CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION PLAN | iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FIGURE 2 PLANNING AREA neighborhoods that make up these census tracts, Madison Park, Druid Heights, and Upton, are DRUID HILLS PARK GREATER CHARLES VILLAGE high-poverty, minority-concentrated areas of West Baltimore that include a housing type mix of Sec- tion 8 project-based housing complexes, several LIHTC and Section 202 properties, private rental RESEVOIR HILL housing overwhelmingly catering to Housing Choice Voucher recipients, and a disproportionate W. NORTH AVE amount of public housing units when compared EUTAW PL to other neighborhoods within the city. Pedestal Gardens, the target housing development in the DRUID HEIGHTS McMECHENBOLTON ST HILL study area, consists of 203 low-income rental MADISON AVE units in fifteen buildings on four city blocks. It was DRUID HILL AVE built in 1968 and has a high concentration of pov- DIVISION ST erty with major deficiencies in structure, systems, PENNSYLVANIA AVE MARBLE HILL infrastructure, and design. Madison Park North contains 202 low-income units on approximately UPTON STATE CENTER eight acres of land. It was built in 1974, has been DOLPHIN ST poorly managed and maintained, and is now sub- AREA OF SUPPORT ject to an action by Baltimore for the revocation of HUD APPLICATION AREA its multifamily dwelling license. PEDESTAL GARDENS SITES DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE A community-built Vision the HUD Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant develop redevelopment strategies for the Madison Through a series of public meetings and work- award, the City of Baltimore provided additional Park North