Governor Hogan Announces $72 Million In State Funding For Revitalization Efforts

BALTIMORE COUNTY - Governor Larry Hogan has announced $72 million in funding for six state revitalization programs administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

The funds were awarded to 224 projects and activities that promote community development and economic growth. Counties and jurisdictions across the state received awards through one or more of the six programs, including several, to support revitalization efforts in the Baltimore area.

Governor Hogan expressed his support for the program, which he believes will spur economic growth.

“The partnerships that drive these projects across our state are crucial to spurring economic growth in Maryland’s diverse and vibrant communities,” said Governor Hogan. “Our state revitalization programs are a shining example of how we can work together to create impactful change and improve the quality of life for residents.”

Strategic Demolition Fund

The Strategic Demolition Fund, a statewide program aimed at catalyzing activities that accelerate economic development and job production in existing Maryland communities, awarded $7.5 million to 22 projects, including:

• Reconstruction of the cabin of Harriet Tubman’s Father, Ben Ross, to support the economic, cultural, and historic trades workforce development in Cambridge (Dorchester County)
• Stabilization and exterior rehabilitation of the 1913 Union Railway Station building on Railroad Avenue to allow for future development, culminating ultimately in the creation of a hub along the Salisbury Rail Trail (Wicomico County)
• Ongoing rehabilitation of a vacant property in Indian Head (Charles County) to continue the Maryland Technology Center.

Project CORE.

Governor Hogan’s signature Project CORE, or Creating Opportunities for Renewal and Enterprise, is an initiative to eliminate blight in Baltimore City and make way for green space, affordable and mixed-use housing, and new business opportunities. The initiative has removed or stabilized more than 5,200 vacant units in Baltimore. Project CORE awarded $21.25 million to 26 projects, including:

• Creation of a mixed-use project at the former auto service center in Remington to become a hub for service and connected urban living and anchored by Wide Angle Youth Media
• Revitalization of the historic Mayfair Theater, including retention and stabilization of the façade, as well as building new units, a parking garage, and retail space
• Improvement to infrastructure related to the Perkins Somerset Oldtown transformation plan

Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative

The Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative (BRNI) is designed to support redevelopment in communities within the Baltimore Beltway. More than $14 million was awarded to 66 projects, including:

• The ongoing redevelopment of the historic Lexington Market
• Stabilization of a 6,000-square-foot building in Upton’s Marble Hill that was featured in the 1953 Green Book as a food hall and coworking space
• Numerous awards to community organizations for neighborhood clean-up and façade improvement activities

National Capital Strategic Economic Development Fund

Similar to BRNI, the National Capital Strategic Economic Development Fund (NED) provided $11.2 million in funding for 29 projects in communities in and around the Capital Beltway, including:

• Rehabilitation of the Town of Brentwood’s fire station into the new town center
• Demolition and pre-development for a new mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented, intergenerational community in Silver Spring that will include affordable housing units
• Demolition and infrastructure improvements for the redevelopment of the former hospital site in Landover to create a mixed-use community that includes quality commercial, retail and residential buildings

The complete list of awards can be viewed online here (PDF).