Roadway, walkway improvements coming for East Baltimore Development Inc. project

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U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume and Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen on Friday announced $2.3 million in congressionally directed Community Project Funding was awarded to East Baltimore Development Inc. (EBDI) through the 2023 federal appropriations funding process.

The money will be invested in public roadways and walkways surrounding east Baltimore’s Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership School (Henderson-Hopkins K-8 School) and neighboring residential development projects as a part of EBDI’s Phase 2B, shovel-ready public infrastructure project.

Improvements will include repairing and upgrading public roadways, curbs and sidewalks; updating streetscaping, lighting and storm drainage systems; replacing water mains and service lines; and other infrastructure-related repairs and enhancements.

Work will be completed in the southeastern section of the project area on N. Patterson Park Avenue from Ashland Avenue to E. Eager Street; N. Chester Street from Ashland Avenue to E. Eager Street; and N. Washington Street from Ashland Avenue to E. Eager Street and on Ashland Avenue between Patterson Park Avenue and Washington Street.

The Phase 2B project is expected to cost approximately $12 million in total, with each sub-phase costing $6 million each. The $2.3 million in federal funding allows EBDI to proceed with first sub-phase of the project. Other funding secured for the first sub-phase includes $2.2 million in capital funding via legislative action from Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, $750,000 via the Maryland DHCD Seed Community Development Anchor Institution Fund (SEED) from FY 2021, $250,000 via SEED from FY 2022 and $500,000 in Maryland capital funding via legislative action and advocacy of Md. Sen. Cory McCray, D-Baltimore City.

A ground-breaking event for the project will take place this spring.

EBDI anticipates that making these critical improvements will have a multi-dimensional impact on the community by supporting existing retail and residential development sites in the southeastern section of the EBDI project area, attracting new residential and commercial developers, new residents and commercial tenants; new consumers, retailers and small businesses, including a much-needed grocery store; and others who choose to live, work, play and study in the neighborhood and potentially increasing Eager Park’s capacity to install fiber-optics, which is crucial as it develop initiatives to respond to the area’s community’s digital divide.

EBDI is the 501 [c] [3] nonprofit established to lead the revitalization of an 88-acre east Baltimore neighborhood after significant disinvestment disrupted what was once a thriving working-class neighborhood.

It is supported by public and private partners, including the U.S. government, the state of Maryland, the city of Baltimore, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Johns Hopkins Institutions, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies and others.

When completed, the project will include approximately 1,700 units of mixed income homeownership and rental housing units, 1.7 million square feet of life sciences research and office space, a new 7-acre community learning campus with an early childhood center, a public K- 8 elementary school, a hotel, restaurants, banks, a grocery store and other retail amenities, green spaces and a new community linear park.