Replacing vacant buildings with affordable housing in downtown Baltimore

Graffiti, boarded up, and broken windows - all features of these rundown, long-vacant buildings on the corner of Fayette and Liberty streets.

"You often see abandoned buildings and think, why can't we just fix this overnight? It takes a lot of resources,” Kevin Lindamood, CEO for Health Care for the Homeless, told WMAR-2 News.

It took a lot of resources and time to get to this point , and it'll take even more before the transformation is complete, but the ball is now officially rolling, with approval to move forward from the Baltimore City Board of Estimates. The Baltimore Development Corporation, Health Care for the Homeless, and the Episcopal Housing Corporation teamed up to redevelop six buildings at this intersection. The $26 million project will combine 111 Park Avenue and five adjacent properties (102-106 N Liberty St, 142-144 W Fayette St).

"That will help not only liven that corridor, but help eliminate some of the social ills that are created because of a lot of vacant properties in an urban area,” Kim Clark, executive vice president of the Baltimore Development Corporation said.

Not only will these buildings no longer go to waste, they'll fill a big need — affordable housing.

“Affordable housing is a huge issue in Baltimore and across the country. Half of all renters are what’s known as housing-burdened, meaning they can’t afford the homes that they live in,” Lindamood said.

Some of the 42 apartment units will be reserved for people that meet certain income thresholds. Others will be for those coming out of homelessness - clients of Health Care for the Homeless. The new residents won't just get a home, but services too.

"You can't just house people and expect them to be ok,” Clark said.

"People will sign leases. They will live independently. And then we have social workers and case managers that are working very closely with the residents of the apartments,” Lindamood said.

The development, called Sojourner Place at Park, will also become home to small businesses.

“BDC oversaw the redevelopment of the CFG Bank Area. When you have anchors like that, and the new Lexington Market on the outskirts, and you can start filling in with necessary in-fill, residential, commercial, small retail, it’s all important to creating a vibrant area in downtown and especially on the West side of downtown,” Clark said.

It's all about revitalizing a long-neglected part of the city, while still preserving historical buildings, one of which used to be a train station.

"We're able to tear down one, and save five historic buildings, the facades of them. The one that we're tearing down, and we got approval from the city to tear down, is the most dilapidated. It just can't be saved,” Lindamood said.

Settlement is expected by next year, with the goal of opening the buildings to residents by the end of 2026.

“This is really quality housing. We’ve assembled an architect and developer that along with us have done quality work before and we’re just extremely excited to bring this to an area of town that I think we all agree is in need of some reinvestment, and to end homeless while we’re doing it,” Lindamood told WMAR-2 News.