Work to transform a New Deal-era public housing complex into a $1B mixed-income community in East Baltimore marked a milestone this week.
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The Housing Authority of Baltimore City, private developers and elected officials celebrated the next round of demolition at the former Perkins Homes site on Wednesday. Razing the buildings, delivered in 1942, clears the way for the construction of 156 rental units split between four-story buildings and townhomes, according to the housing authority.
The transformation of the Perkins Homes — located near the prosperous Fells Point, Harbor East and Harbor Point neighborhoods — is part of a larger redevelopment plan for former public housing and dilapidated retail sites called the Perkins, Somerset and Oldtown Transformation development.
That plan calls for building 2,172 mixed-income homes on more than 244 acres in East Baltimore that aims to improve sections of the city separating thriving waterfront communities from the Johns Hopkins Hospital campus and downtown.
"This groundbreaking event marks an important milestone in our efforts to revitalize the community and create a vibrant, mixed-income neighborhood," Richard Baron, co-founder and chairman of developer McCormack Baron Salazar, said in a statement. "We can't wait to welcome residents back to Perkins Homes in early 2024 and look forward to continuing our work together to create a brighter future for Baltimore."
In addition to McCormack Baron Salazar, private developers working on the project include Mission First, the Henson Co. and Beatty Development Group.
Beatty Development Group is the master developer of the nearby mixed-use Harbor Point project. The firm's founder, Michael Beatty, also steered development of Harbor East with the late bakery magnate John Paterakis.
Roughly 60% of the units planned at the three development sites are designated for low-income affordable housing and are heavily subsidized by federal and state agencies.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development initially awarded the Housing Authority of Baltimore City a $30M grant in 2018 to implement the plan. In April, the federal government doled out an additional $10M for the project via a Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant.
According to Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day, the state has provided $256M in funding for the project. That investment "will significantly upgrade both the volume and quality of affordable rental housing in Baltimore," Day said in a statement.
Along with new residential units, plans for the Perkins, Somerset and Oldtown redevelopment include new commercial and retail spaces, a new building for the neighborhood-centric charter school City Springs Elementary/Middle School and two parks.
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