The Baltimore skyline seen from a spot near the future site of Penn Square. Photo by flickr user urbanfeel.
A few days ago, the federal government did something it’s been doing a lot of lately: it gave away a bundle of our money. But this time they gave some of it to… us! Specifically, the Treasury Department set aside $44 million for affordable housing in Maryland, an end which, in so far as we need it, will restore some momentum to city development at large. And we need it.
The money will go to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, and their minions will, like Santa Claus at the neighborhood party, then distribute funds to various worthy recipients throughout the state. Development projects are expected to receive funding in Kent County, Allegheny County, Annapolis, and right here in that city people mistake for the capitol.
The development is being called Penn Square, and it would be located in West Baltimore near the intersection of Pennsylvania and North Avenues, not far from Mondawmin. Many Baltimoreans have been calling for a redevelopment of the area for reasons both practical and symbolic — in its 1950s heyday, Pennsylvania Avenue was the vibrant center of black life in Baltimore; by the 1990s, it was one of Baltimore’s most notorious drug corners.
The proposal for Penn Square calls for 91 garden apartments with the aim of attracting families. The MDHCD money has to be allocated by 2011, so wheels are expected to begin turning as soon as the Treasury Department pays up.
Posted in: Development News3 Comments
Great that it’s right on top of the Penn-North subway stop — is it being built along TOD principles? Will there be any retail?
Right now information is pretty thin, as the project is still a sort of well-funded twinkle in the eye. As far as I know, its TOD complicity may be coincidental, which, you know, is also great and will suffice. I don’t believe there’ll be any retail. Hopefully more news will come out soon.
[...] originally meant ‘to prevent escape.’ With this catch in mind: a little good news. Our old friends at the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) have gone in with the [...]