The City of Baltimore moves forward with revitalization

The City of Baltimore, Maryland, is moving forward with its plans to revitalize a 100-block area north of Johns Hopkins University. A biotechnology district, which could contain up to 4,000 jobs, would be surrounded by 1,000 units of new and renovated housing. Mayor Martin O’Malley announced plans to acquire several hundred abandoned properties in the area to start the redevelopment process. The master plan by Urban Design Associates (UDA) of Pittsburgh calls for the creation of new greens, streetscapes, and housing types designed to meet today’s market but based on vernacular styles. Some blocks will be made larger to accommodate bigger homes, yet the urban pattern will remain entirely pedestrian-scale and interconnected. The market study was conducted by Zimmerman Volk Associates. The biotechnology center could consist of up to two million square feet of office space, yet will be built on a neighborhood scale. The blocks will be similar in size to surrounding residential areas, and the corporate buildings are to be softened by ground floor retail uses. A residential edge would provide a transition to surrounding neighborhoods. The $159 million project will be financed largely by tax increment bonds and land sales. If the plan is built as planned, it will transform a massive area adjacent to downtown, and rank as one of the most significant inner city interventions planned by new urbanists.