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Because in addition to the byzantine rules of the sale facilitating highly-sophisticated investors to rip the equity life-savings out of lesser-sophisticated, low-income communities, it also tangles and clouds titles of vacant properties so terribly that it makes them, in many cases, too onerous to acquire and develop.
AND THAT IS HOW YOU GET 15-30,000 VACANT PROPERTIES.
We’re hoping to change that with this case.
Second Look (Updated) Design Image
Second Look (Updated) Design Image
CommunityMap —>
First look (60%) design image
The little green rectangle on the map is Midtown-Edmondson’s only facility of any kind for kids. Amtrak was locating their “muck bin” directly across the street, their truck routes all around it, and their construction staging area just next door. The ECO pressured them about moving the playground, so they’re planning to do so now - without consulting the community or the ECO about where. They’re just doing it. And they’re locating the playground not where the community wants it - at a new pre-K facility, but instead on another spot adjacent to the construction staging area. That’s Justice 40, Environmental Justice. Not.
From the beginning of Amtrak’s presence in West Baltimore, the ECO has sought to reach out to the federal entity and its contracted community consultants, to attempt to forge agreements, understanding, any sort of partnership with the federal entity. But at each turn Amtrak has listened politely, and then promptly ghosted us. Midtown-Edmondson is, and will be, experiencing the vast majority of all disruption from this decade-long project, yet Amtrak has sought no partnership at all with the community. One of our board members even signed a memorandum of understanding requiring Amtrak to seek consultation and input at certain benchmarks in the design process. None of that has happened though.
Work with our development arm, HUB West Baltimore Community Development Corporation and the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development, among others, to…
HELP Get Subsidies in Place for Development Entities
PLAN for Affordable Housing Creation and Preservation
COORDINATE Development Strategies and Locations
THE GOAL:
No developer is left out on an island, and no community member is left behind.
TOGETHER WE’LL PROSPER
US Senators Van Hollen and Cardin are joined at the podium in Midtown-Edmondson by Congressman Mfume, Congressman Ruppersburger, Mayor Scott, Councilman Bullock, MD Transportation Secretary Wiedefeld and others. There was great talk then of how Baltimore is going to use the federal 2021 Infrastructure Bill to make a Highway to Nowhere reimagine a reality. But now, six months later, we’re staring down the prospect of missing the deadline entirely for capital funds. Will any of these leaders lead us to a successful proposal and capital funding in time?
ECO President Joe Richardson with Maryland Senator Van Hollen - whose been a big supporter of community efforts in the Rt 40 West corridor. However, he would know that the window is nearly shut to get any capital funding from the program he specifically designed for the Highway to Nowhere, and got inserted into 2021 Federal Infrastructure Bill.
