West Covington URP Meeting

[Donnie Fair]

The Baltimore Development Corporation has created an Urban Renewal Plan for
the West Covington area.  The West Covington land area is defined as the
area south of i95 and west of Hanover Street (State Route 2).  The URP as
proposed intends to use eminent domain rights to acquire through
condemnation most of the properties in the defined area.  These properties
are currently the home of several active businesses and private homeowners,
as well as Swann Park.  The proposal of this URP is very bold and has some
very concerning implications.   

 

As part of the hearing process for this URP - which is not yet been
finalized, but has thus far been an a very fast track - the BDC is required
to solicit the opinion and feedback of the community at-large about the URP.
To this end, the BDC has announced that it will host a community forum at
6pm tomorrow evening at the Rowing Club boathouse (3301 Waterview Avenue).
This forum may be the only chance you have to express your opinion or
position about not only the URP, but also the means with how this urban
renewal is achieved.  

 

That being said, this will likely be a pivotal meeting with how the BDC
moves forward with the URP.  Therefore, I urge you to make time to attend
this meeting, and to further invite your friends and neighbors in the
community who have an interest in not only our assets like Swann Park, but
also in how the city handles the management of neighborhoods and communities
as it claims to move the city - and the tax base - forward.  

 

Attached to this email are the agenda for tomorrow's meeting, the URP
itself, and the letter previously sent to the Planning Commission stating
SBIC concerns at the hearing that was held earlier in January.  

 

Finally, for your information, the below links are to articles published in
the Baltimore Sun, the Baltimore Examiner and the Baltimore Business Journal
about the URP, the Planning Commission hearing and some of the other
background information of both, including the impetus behind the URP.  

 

http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/02/04/story6.html?b=
1202101200%5e1584251
<http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/02/04/story6.html?b
=1202101200%5e1584251&surround=etf> &surround=etf

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.armour26jan26,0,5375112.story

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/realestate/bal-bz.covington18jan18,0,76
45059.story

http://www.examiner.com/a-1203706~Purchase_of_Sun_plant_could_pave_way_for_r
edevelopment.html

http://www.examiner.com/a-1165696~Planning_Commission_hears_opposition_to_We
st_Covington_redevelopment_plan.html

 

Please email me with questions or if you would like for me to give you a
call.  I hope to see you at tomorrow's forum.  

 

Donnie Fair

President, South Baltimore Improvement Committee

 

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