GOVERNOR O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC DEMOLITION AND SMART GROWTH IMPACT FUND AWARDS

Thirteen projects in Sustainable Communities to receive $5 million for revitalization

BALTIMORE, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley announced the projects that will benefit from the State’s Strategic Demolition and Smart Growth Impact Fund. Joined by Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Deputy Secretary Clarence J. Snuggs, local officials, and representatives of community development organizations around Maryland, Governor O’Malley announced the awards at the site of the former Old Town Mall in Baltimore, one of the projects receiving Impact Fund assistance for demolition and redevelopment.

“Over the last seven years, we’ve made the better choice to use strategic tools like the Impact Fund and the Sustainable Communities Act to reinvest in Maryland’s towns and cities to revitalize neighborhoods, spur economic growth, and improve the quality of life for more residents.” said Governor O’Malley. “We do better when we’re all doing better, and this funding builds on wide variety efforts to strengthen communities and support smart, sustainable projects like the redevelopment of Old Town Mall right here in Baltimore City and across our great State.”
Located just blocks away from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the Old Town Mall commercial district dates back to the early settlement of the city. Recently, the Baltimore Development Corporation and the Housing Authority of Baltimore City jointly issued a Request For Proposals for redevelopment of the 17-acre site to create a mixed-use, mixed-income commercial development. The $300,000 grant through the Impact Fund will allow the demolition of the 14 vacant buildings in the 400 block of the mall.

“The revitalization of Old Town Mall and the former Somerset Public Housing site provides a tremendous development opportunity to include retail and housing,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “The joint RFP issued by BDC and Baltimore Housing represents a coordinated approach between City agencies to maximize the opportunity for the Old Town community. The proximity to Johns Hopkins Hospital, downtown, and key arts and cultural destinations make this a desirable location.”

In addition to Old Town Mall, 13 projects throughout the state will receive $5 million in assistance from the Impact Fund. These funds are projected to leverage an additional $292 million in public and private investments to support revitalization activities. For this fiscal year, the Department received approximately $13.5 million in funding requests for 30 projects.

Established in 2012 and administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the Strategic Demolition and Smart Growth Impact Fund program is part of the state’s PlanMaryland strategy to accelerate economic revitalization of designated Sustainable Communities through coordinated investment and alignment of public resources to leverage private investment. The program provides grants and loans to local governments and nonprofit community development organizations working in conjunction with private entities to fund capital costs for redevelopment opportunities in Sustainable Communities. Sustainable Communities are areas identified by local governments as being in need of revitalization and where the state and its local partners have agreed to concentrate growth and development and leverage scarce state revitalization resources.

“Before redevelopment, there is often pre-development, and the Strategic Demolition and Smart Growth Impact Fund is a valuable tool for pre-development demolition and land assembly,” said Deputy Secretary Snuggs. “These awards provide a critical push to get the ball rolling in order to attract the necessary public and private investment for revitalization projects that improve Maryland’s communities.”

Projects receiving Impact Fund assistance will meet multiple economic development and smart growth goals in keeping with Maryland’s Smart, Green & Growing initiative, including:
Development at State-designated Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) sites;
Stronger local economies in existing communities;
Increased local jobs and services;
Compact growth and mixed-use development;
Expanded housing choices for people of all economic backgrounds; and
Development practices that protect the environment and conserve air, water and energy resources, encourage walkability and recreational opportunities, and where available, create better access to transit.