For generations, residents in West Baltimore, particularly those from the communities nestled between Midtown and North Avenue, have waited for the same opportunities given to other areas of the city. Opportunities defined by the three Rs--renew, redevelop and revitalize.
Read More“The people of Baltimore have waited long enough for the redevelopment of State Center,” Young wrote. “I would also request that you keep your commitment to the citizens of Baltimore by improving the deplorable conditions in the State’s building and keeping the 3,000 State Center jobs in the city.”
Read More“To be able to lift up the people, that redevelopment is on the rise, that the rebirth of a community on the rise, and then not see that happen ... we should not foster in people’s minds that it takes years, and years, and years for progress to happen. ... We need progress in west Baltimore" -Rev. Alvin Hathaway of Union Baptist Church
Read More“Not only should the Mayor be worried about the jobs that are draining out of State Center as we speak,
but there should be a universal outcry for the loss of $1.5 billion in private investment for West Baltimore...”
"It validates some of the extremely grave concerns that I have about what is going on," Costello said. "I genuinely believe that the governor's plan is to move those jobs outside of the city."
Read MoreQ&A with Caroline Moore, CEO of Ekistics a Baltimore-based development firm with deep expertise in urban infill and adaptive re-use projects and the lead developer of the State Center mixed use development project in Baltimore, Maryland - See more at: http://baltimore.citybizlist.com/article/398178/qa-with-caroline-moore-ceo-of-ekisticsa#sthash.wTLqdlCY.dpuf
Read MoreIt happened just a few days before Christmas: Maryland’s governor, comptroller and treasure — the state’s Board of Public Works — voted to cancel the $1.5 billion State Center redevelopment plan on mid-town Baltimore’s west side, a project 10 years in the making.
Read MoreTen years ago, developers were asked by the administration of Gov. Bob Ehrlich to suggest a plan to upgrade and revitalize the state offices in a way that would also revitalize the surrounding West Baltimore neighborhoods. Gov. Ehrlich got the ball rolling and his successor, Gov. Martin O’Malley, kept it spinning, but it’s been rolling very slowly, and it has encountered more than a few bumps.
Twenty-six million dollars later -- after many public hearings and multiple approvals at various stages by various state agencies, the project is shovel-ready. The Hogan Administration, however, is apparently not ready. Why not?
Read MoreCanceling a $1.5 billion economic development project in midtown Baltimore, a city in desperate need of jobs and investment, ought to raise somebody's hackles, or has the city simply run out of defenders in Annapolis?
Read MoreSince entering office, Governor Hogan has stalled and delayed the full-funding of this project, despite the fact it that would bring much needed revitalization and economic opportunity to Baltimore's West Side, and now we know why.
The governor has apparently been working to develop a separate plan for an arena that will provide him immense political capital and benefit his top donors at the expense of Baltimoreans living and working in the State Center area today.
Read MoreThe verdict of Wednesday's Board of Public Works meeting to cancel State Center contracts, which eliminated thousands of jobs meant to build and run the redeveloped complex, is more than just a disappointing outcome. It is an example of political posturing at its worst.
Read MoreThe Governor 's vow that "Our administration is absolutely committed to the redevelopment of the State Center project," rings hollow when it is obvious that the administration did nothing in the past two years to develop a constructive solution or alternative. In that it is just like the Red Line, a huge project gets pulled and the City of Baltimore is left with nothing.
Read MoreThe Board of Public Works is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a proposal to end the state's 7-year-old agreement with the developer of the stalled $1.5 billion State Center in Baltimore.
The further delay of State Center's redevelopment could be the second billion-dollar blow to Baltimore's development prospects since Hogan took office. In 2015, Hogan pulled the plug on the proposed $3 billion Red Line light rail project.
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