Six months after Governor Wes Moore launched the Reinvest Baltimore initiative, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day addressed the members of the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Council, a group of key community, corporate, philanthropic, and government leaders charged with moving Baltimore’s vacant properties into homeownership or other positive outcomes over the next five years. The next day, Secretary Day would join Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott for a press conference to announce a new, accelerated application process for the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative (BVRI). The goal? Award program funds for the demolition or stabilization of vacant properties by July 1, 2025 – approximately 90 days. But before announcing it publicly, he wanted to discuss the plan with the council.
As Council Chair, Secretary Day called the meeting to order, noting the six-month milestone. “It’s an opportunity to reflect. I look in the mirror and ask myself what are we doing to accelerate this work? How do we move properties now? What can we control? What can we influence? For the state, that’s a pool of resources,” citing the $50 million available through the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative. He continued, “I think we can do a better job deploying those to elicit the type of activity that we want to see. Our current process, it’s risk-averse. It is defensible. It is thorough. What it isn’t… is fast, and I’m of the opinion that we’ve got to change how we do business.”
To quickly deploy BVRI funds in this application round, Secretary Day proposed a strategy that supports capable partner Community Development Organizations to acquire and redevelop vacant properties in close proximity to rebuild neighborhood housing markets and stimulate additional investment. “Let’s empower them. Let’s create an army. And that army, I think, is ready, but not resourced.”
The highest priority properties are those with vacant building notices already owned by partner Community Development Organizations that need funding to redevelop them . Second, properties owned by private developers that the Community Development Organization believes it can engage and create a partnership with. Finally, vacant properties identified by the Community Development Organization where the owner is known and reachable to discuss a potential sale.
While discussing the various property categories, Secretary Day acknowledged potential drawbacks to a negotiated acquisition strategy, particularly the potential cost increases, but stressed that moving quickly should be the ultimate goal. “The primary trade-off is we might spend more on a property through negotiated acquisition than we would through in rem acquisition or eminent domain, but the benefit is speed. The benefit is acknowledging that we’re in a crisis. What do you do when you’re in a crisis? You get out. We have to have a sense of urgency.”
Additionally, Secretary Day announced that BVRI grant agreements between the State of Maryland and program awardees will now be structured differently. As opposed to the traditional approach, where the agreement is centered around the specific dollar amount of an award, funding agreements will now focus on property and project goals. “Our agreements with community development organizations and community partners isn’t only going to be a dollar amount. It’s going to be a project list – by property, by activity. Here’s what we intend to acquire. Here’s what we intend to demolish. Here’s what we intend to stabilize. Here’s what we intend to rehab.” Shifting to this new grant agreement framework also ensures that progress is being appropriately tracked and performance is recognized. “We should reward those that are able to meet and exceed their objectives, meaning acquire, demolish, stabilize, etc., more on their list than they said they intended to meet their goals, by entrusting them with additional resources.”
As he finished outlining the immediate goals he hoped would be achieved by the shift in focus and the accelerated application round, Secretary Day reminded the Council that these measures will continue to be supported by more long-term, ongoing activities for vacant property acquisition. However, he continued to stress the need for urgency. “What I don’t want is to be looking at ourselves six months from now and saying we’re on the same course we were on six months ago or another six months after that or six months after that, asking why in the world are we accepting the status quo and things haven’t moved expeditiously? Unacceptable. Can’t happen.”
Secretary Day concluded his presentation, and a lively, positive discussion followed among the councilmembers about the ambitious but achievable proposal to accelerate the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative application process and award selections. Throughout the conversation, members stressed the importance of strong partnerships and collaboration moving forward.
Collaboration and partnership were on full display 24 hours later when Secretary Day and Mayor Scott took to the podium in the Druid Heights neighborhood. Council members joined community stakeholders in the audience as the two leaders shared the new proposal to significantly speed up the removal of vacant properties and spur Baltimore’s revitalization.
