Members of Baltimoreans United in Leadership (BUILD) gathered at Macedonia Baptist Church Sunday to celebrate progress in the city’s fight against vacant housing. The group will now focus on advocating for the inclusion of neighborhoods such as Westport, Coppin Heights and Franklin Square in Governor Wes Moore's plan to redevelop 5,000 vacant houses over the next five years. The plan is part of a recent executive order establishing the Reinvest Baltimore program.
“Which neighborhoods are we going to start in? The city has its own ideas, we have ours too,” asked Rev. Andrew Connors, of BUILD. “We have money committed. How are we going to decide where to start?”
At the church service, faith leaders pressed State Secretary of Housing Jake Day, Mayor Brandon Scott, and Greater Baltimore Committee CEO Mark Anthony Thomas to reaffirm their commitment to the work ahead. Those commitments include development that does not displace legacy residents, creating mixed-income communities, and revitalizing entire blocks.
The group also invited elected officials to join local residents for neighborhood walks, set to take place later this month, in those areas. Organizers said other communities interested in advocating for their neighborhoods can email [email protected]
Tracy Malone, who leads the Sandtown-Winchester Community Collective, urged leaders to consider more than just renovating abandoned houses. She stressed the need for community development projects that can help neighborhoods thrive. In her area, she said, the Lilian Jackson Recreation Center has been closed for three years, leaving youth without access to a vital social hub.
According to Codemap, the city’s vacant housing tracker, most of the 13,000-plus vacant properties are concentrated in east and west Baltimore, as well as Park Heights. City officials say they are committed to redeveloping vacant housing across blighted areas equitably.
Before work begins, Rev. Brent Brown with BUILD called for the city to ramp up its acquisition efforts. He expressed optimism that Reinvest Baltimore will exceed the target of 5,000 redeveloped houses. Currently, the city uses a process called in-rem foreclosure to acquire vacant property. In rem foreclosure is a legal process where the government seizes a property due to unpaid taxes or other reasons, and then takes ownership without the owner’s direct involvement in the process.
Speaking last week, Secretary Day told reporters that residents can expect to see “coordination, synchronization and deconfliction of efforts through the Reinvestment Council.”
WYPR Reporter Rachel Baye contributed to this report.
