As part of the Reinvest Baltimore initiative, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has begun a new blog series to highlight updates from monthly Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Council meetings. For more information on the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Council, visit our website.
The work of the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Council to reduce vacant properties in Baltimore City is empowered by four working groups. Chaired by various councilmembers, each working group includes additional partners and community stakeholders beyond the core council, appointed to the group based on recommendations, outreach, and public interest. After hosting their first meetings during April, the May meeting of the full Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Council (BVRC) provided an opportunity to hear the first updates from the council’s four working groups.
Data Working Group
Chair: Beth Blauer, Associate Vice Provost for Public Sector Innovation & Associate Professor of Practice, Carey Business School
The BVRC Data Working Group is the technical backbone for the Reinvest Baltimore Initiative, helping BVRC and its other working groups access and analyze necessary information to drive strategy, draft policy recommendations, measure progress, and adjust actions and processes. Key goals include:
- Cataloging all current, relevant, and available data;
- Identifying gaps in data and determining how to collect unavailable data;
- Reviewing any data requests from BVRC to determine the type and timeline of response;
- Recommending effective data tools that support BVRC’s desired near-term and long-term outcomes.
Financing Working Group
Chairs: Mark Anthony Thomas, President & CEO, Greater Baltimore Committee & Leslie McMillan, Co-Chair, BUILD
The Financing Working Group seeks potential public, private, and philanthropic funding opportunities, augmenting the state and city’s budgeted resources to generate $3 billion in total investment for Baltimore’s redevelopment. Key goals include:
- Assessing existing funding sources, barriers and gaps;
- Developing a “Sources and Uses” budget in support of Baltimore City’s 15-year vacancy elimination plan;
- Recommending new financial products.
- Providing guidance to properly blend, layer and sequence varied funding streams.
- Developing fundraising plans to secure additional resources.
Economic Opportunity Working Group
Chair: Otis Rolley, Baltimore City Resident
The Economic Opportunity Working Group seeks to ensure that all Reinvest Baltimore activity has a defined focus to create jobs and economic growth in the city’s communities while providing residents opportunities for housing, jobs, and wealth-building. Key goals include:
- Ensuring equity and opportunity in all sectors related to the vacant property development and neighborhood reinvestment;
- Increasing the participation of minority- and women-owned businesses in redevelopment activities at all levels;
- Connecting small- to mid-sized developers with capacity building programs and capital;
- Connecting residents with job training, apprenticeships, and careers;
- Providing access to affordable housing for residents;
- Reducing barriers to homeownership for renters/residents to stabilize neighborhoods and create household wealth.
Delivery Chain Working Group
Chair: Matt Gallagher, President & CEO, Goldseker Foundation
The Delivery Chain Working Group seeks to both streamline processes and speed progress in all phases of vacant redevelopment – acquisition, permitting, demolition, etc. – and evaluate and prioritize the most impactful and highest yield opportunities. Key goals include:
- Reviewing current delivery chains, including the current and “best possible” timelines for each phase;
- Exploring the process improvements ongoing or already implemented by the state and city;
- Identifying and facilitating cross-agency coordination, legislative action, or new policies to achieve faster outcomes for vacant reduction;
- Monitor and report on delivery chain performance.
For more details on the working groups, meeting videos, minutes, and presentation slides, visit the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Council webpage.
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