CHECKLIST & TABLE OF CONTENTS APPLICANT: City of Baltimore

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES PROGRAM

APPLICATION FOR DESIGNATION RENEWAL

Eligible Applicants:

Local Governments with a Sustainable Communities Designation

Local Government Consortiums with a Sustainable Communities Designation

Application must be submitted on or before the expiration date of Sustainable Communities designation.

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Division of Neighborhood Revitalization 2 N Charles Street, Suite 450 Baltimore, MD 21201 410-209-5800

SGSC Approved - 7.23

WES MOORE

Governor

ARUNA MILLER

Lt. Governor

JACOB R. DAY

Secretary

OWEN McEVOY

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Deputy Secretary

Sustainable Communities Renewal Application CHECKLIST AND TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPLICANT:

City of Baltimore

NAME OF SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY:

Baltimore City Sustainable Community

Please review the checklist of attachments and furnish all of the attachments that are applicable. Contents of the application should be tabbed and organized as follows:

Section A - Sustainable Community Renewal Applicant Information

Applicant Information

Section B ? Sustainable Community Renewal Report (Projects, Strategies and Partners)

Part 1: Qualitative Assessment Part 2: Comprehensive Assessment Competitive Funding

Section C ? Sustainable Community Renewal Action Plan Update (Matrix)

Action Plan

Section D ? Sustainable Communities Workgroup Roster Section E ? Signature Letter (acknowledging Disclosure Authorization and Certification)

Disclosure Authorization

Section F ? Additional Files: The following contents should be included:

If requesting a boundary modification, map in pdf format and a GIS shapefile of the proposed Sustainable Community boundary

Photos (jpeg format) of your aforementioned accomplished projects of the last five years

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Sustainable Communities Renewal Application - Section A

I. SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY RENEWAL APPLICANT INFORMATION

Name of Sustainable Community:

Baltimore City Sustainable Community

Name of Applicant:

City of Baltimore

Applicant's Federal Identification Number:

52-6000769

Applicant's Street Address:

c/o DHCD 417 E. Fayette Street, 14th Floor

City: Baltimore

County: NA

State: MD Zip Code: 21202

Phone Number:

Fax Number: NA

Web Address: Baltimore City

Department of Housing & Community

Development

Sustainable Community Application Local Contact:

Name: Stacy Freed Address:417 E. Fayette Street, 14th Floor Phone Number:

City: Baltimore

Title: Executive Advisor to the Commissioner

State: MD

Zip Code: 21202

Fax Number: NA

E-mail Address:

Sustainable Community Contact for Application Status:

Name: Stacy Freed Address: 417 E. Fayette Street, 14th Floor Phone Number:

City: Baltimore Fax Number:

Title: Executive Advisor to the Commissioner

State: MD

Zip Code: 21202

E-mail Address:

II. SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY ? General Information

A. Sustainable Community Boundary and Description

(1) Are you requesting any changes to your Sustainable Community boundary? Describe why or why not?

The City is not seeking modifications to its Sustainable Community Area for the following reasons: o Organizations seeking State Funding have not requested modifications to their particular catchment area o The SC Area reflects a diverse array of citywide projects and initiatives that support housing, community and economic development, neighborhood, recreational and transportation priorities along with efforts to foster regional connections by government agencies, community development and nonprofit

(2) If yes, Include the following in as an attachment: a. PDF or JPEG of modified Sustainable Communities boundary map, 1

Sustainable Communities Renewal Application - Section A

b. GIS shapefiles of modified Sustainable Community boundary (mapped to the parcel boundary),

(3) Approximate number of acres of entire SC Area:_43,951.18__

(4) Existing federal, state or local designations: Main Street Maple Street National Register Historic District Local Historic District Arts & Entertainment District State Enterprise Zone Special Taxing District BRAC State Designated TOD Other(s): Impact Investment Areas

(5) Describe the SC Area's current demographic trends (with respect to age, race, household size, household income, educational attainment, number of housing units, or other relevant factors). How have demographics changed in the last five years?

Between 2010 and 2020 Baltimore City lost 6 percent of its population dropping from approximately 621,00 to approximately 586,000 residents. The City's Black population experienced the greatest decline at 15% while the White population decreased by approximately 11%. There was significant growth in the City's immigrant population, most notably its Hispanic or Latino population which increased by 77% followed by its Asian population at 46 percent. Examples of City neighborhoods whose population increased by 10% or more include: Hopkins Bayview (77%), Canton Industrial Area, (1260%), Inner Harbor (74%), Bayview (27%), Little Italy (17%), Locust Point (35%), Midtown Belvedere (22%), Middle East (22%), and Sharp Leadenhall (53%). Neighborhoods experiencing significant growth are classified as "regional choice" according to the City's Housing Market Typology experiencing significant development such as the waterfront communities.

Several of the City's long-standing African American middle market neighborhoods lost population, which is being addressed as part of the Administration's citywide growth management strategy. Examples of these communities include: Ashburton (-11%), Central Forest Park (-14%), Howard Park (15%), and West Arlington (-13%). The City's Middle Market and growth management strategies are being implemented to reverse this decline.

The City's median household income increased significantly between 2015-2019 from $44,165 to $54,652 or slightly more than 19%. During this same time period, the percentage of households living at or below the poverty level experienced a slight decrease from 22.7% in 2015 to 20.4% in 2019.

The consequences of the City's high poverty level is evident in a number of indicators. One of the most prominent is food insecurity or lack of access to healthy food. According to Feeding America, as of 2020, approximately 15.5 percent of the City's residents are considered to suffer from food insecurity and subsequent effects.

The City's Housing Market continued its prior years stable and robust trajectory. According to the Live Baltimore 2022 State of the Market, the City's median sales price was $215,000 a 24% increase over the prior three-year period. Financed or mortgage transactions continued to outpace investor transactions. 66% of 2022 transactions were financed with mortgages up nearly 15% from 2018 where 52% of transactions were financed with mortgages. In 2022, homes were sold in 243 of the City's 260 residential neighborhoods.

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Sustainable Communities Renewal Application - Section A

Despite gains in income, the City continues to experience a shortage of affordable rental and homeownership units particularly for households earning 50% or less of the Area Median Income (AMI) as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The State's 2020 Housing Assessment estimated a 20,000 unit shortfall for households earning 30% or less of the AMI over the next five years. By way of example, the maximum household income for a 2-person household earning 30% of the AMI cannot exceed $27,870 and cannot exceed $46,450 for 50% of the AMI.

The City's Affordable Housing Trust Fund was established to increase affordable housing and programmatic support for households earning 50% or less of the AMI. The Trust Fund is funded through a combination of the City's transfer and recordation tax for transactions that are $1,000,000 or greater and an annual contribution by the City. As of December 2022, the Trust Fund has received over $60 million in revenue, and awarded nearly $40 million to support rental and homeownership projects, emergency rental assistance, homeownership repair, and homeless prevention. In February 2023, DHCD released the Trust Fund's largest Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), making $10.75 million available to support new construction and preservation of affordable rental housing. The Trust Fund is also responsible for launching the City's community land trust initiative which provides permanently affordable homeownership.

In addition to the Trust Fund, the City continues to dedicate significant resources to address both the shortage of affordable units and to relieve the city's rent-burdened households. According to the 202025 Consolidated Plan, nearly 100,000 households pay more than the HUD standard of 30% of income for housing costs, and approximately 50,000 households pay more than 50% of their income for housing costs.

Renter Homeowner Total

Households Paying 30% or Greater for

Housing Costs

Total

30% or less of AMI

61,280 28,720 90,000

35,280 13,480 48,760

Households Paying 50% or

Greater for Housing Costs

Total

30% or less of

AMI

34,605

28,635

15,405

10,460

50,010

39,095

Between 2016 and 2023 Year to Date, the number of Vacant Building Notices (VBN) issued have decreased by over 2,300 from 16,645 to 14,339. The majority of vacant buildings continue to be privately owned. In 2016, 1,916 of all vacant buildings were owned by the Mayor and City Council, decreasing to 1,090 in 2023. Project C.O.R.E played a significant role in the City's blight reduction efforts, awarding $59 million that supported 113 awards, demolished 5,000 units of vacant and blighted properties, and created over 1,100 new units of housing and 624,000 square feet of green space. Project C.O.R.E.'s blight elimination focus was further supported by $114.5 million in Neighborhood Revitalization Grants and more than $421 million on housing financing from the State's Community Development Administration.

B. Organizational Structure, Experience and Public Input:

(1) Describe any changes to the Applicant's organizational structure. Specifically, how has membership of the Sustainable Communities Workgroup changed in the last five years? Who are/were the

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Sustainable Communities Renewal Application - Section A

leaders, and how will/did the Workgroup advisor or staff manage implementation of the SC Area Plan?

Baltimore City's Sustainable Community plan continues to be managed by its Department of Housing and Community Development with support from its Department of Planning. Modifications to areas and strategies are requested on an as-needed basis based on requests from community partners who benefit from the State Revitalization Funds and changes in City, State or Federal policies.

(2) What have been the strengths and challenges of the capacity of the Sustainable Communities Workgroup with respect to implementation of the SC Plan?

Baltimore City is a large Sustainable Community area with many distinctive neighborhoods that have different, sometimes opposing needs. The City's plan needs to be broad enough to accommodate all the ongoing and potential revitalization projects in all its neighborhoods, and coordination is deeply complex as a result. The Maryland DHCD and City DHCD are fortunate to have many committed Community Development Corporations (CDCs) as partners working throughout Baltimore's many communities, and these CDCs apply for and manage the majority of grants that the City receives through the Sustainable Communities designation. The SC Plan has also received great support from the City's BRNI CDCs, which have their own approved strategic neighborhood revitalization plans that work from and build on the SC Plan.

(3) How did residents and other stakeholders in the community provide input to the Sustainable Communities Action Plan update? On which existing local plans (comprehensive plans, economic development plans, sector plans, etc.) is the Sustainable Communities Action Plan based?

The content of the SC Plan is based on the plans and public facing materials of Baltimore City's several agencies including but not limited to: Housing and Community Development, Planning, the Office of Equity and Civil Rights, Transportation, the Public Works, and Recreation and Parks. The plans and materials produced by all these agencies undergo a rigorous community engagement process that prioritizes equity in decision making so that race, gender, religion, sexual orientations, and income do not predict one's success, while also improving outcomes for all. The consolidated SC Action Plan was reviewed and approved through coordination between the City's Department of Housing and Community Development and the City's Department of Planning.

(4) Would you like any technical assistance from State agencies to help expand the capacity of your SC Workgroup or implement your SC plan? Please describe with which revitalization strategies you would like assistance.

Because the SC Plan's outcomes are pursued simultaneously by the City's many CDCs, the City and its agencies do not need technical assistance at this time. The CDCs themselves, however, would benefit from increased grants supporting not just capital projects but also operating assistance.

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BALTIMORE CITY SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES ACTION PLAN

Table of Contents

Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 2 Baltimore City Sustainable Community Area Strategies................................................................ 3 Strategy #1: Support Main Streets and commercial areas .............................................................. 5 Strategy #3: Target investment along major transit routes ............................................................. 8 Strategy #4: Target Investment in Arts and Entertainment Districts. ........................................... 10 Strategy #5: Invest in anchor institutions, Impact Investment and Major Redevelopment areas 13 Strategy #6: Increase Open Space and Green Infrastructure in Historically Disinvested Communities and Middle Market Neighborhoods ....................................................................... 15 Strategy #9 Leverage City-Owned Assets to Promote Revitalization and Economic Competitiveness ............................................................................................................................ 19 Strategy #11: Promote diverse housing choices ........................................................................... 22 Strategy 12: Support Opportunity Zones ...................................................................................... 24 Strategy #13: Support the growth of maker spaces, worker cooperatives and women and minority-owned businesses ........................................................................................................... 25 Strategy #14: Encourage an Equity Lens...................................................................................... 27

Attachment 1 Business Assistance and Support for Equity (BASE) Round 1 Grantee List

Attachment 2 Bike Trail & Network Map

Attachment 3 Commuity Catalyst Grant Awardees

Attachment 4 INSPIIRE Plans

Introduction

Baltimore's initial 2012 application for designation as a Sustainable Community included six (6) strategies that reflected the Action Plan's overall goals of:

x Enhancing the City's economic competitiveness, inclusiveness and workforce development

x Building upon existing strengths, assets and amenities x Supporting transportation efficency and access x Promoting access to affordable housing and x Leveraging and coordinating policies and investments.

Since its initial designation, the City has added an additional eight (8) strategies for a total of 14 strategies that guide community development activities within its Sustainable Community area, including the first equity-based strategy, included in an Action Plan: Encouraging an Equity Lens.

These 14 strategies support the Administration's efforts to provide funding, programs and services to historically disinvested community as well as:

x Supporting efforts to increase the City's small minority and women-owned businesses x Encourage toursim and economic development x Provide continued support for blight elimination and creating sustainable neighborhoods

while creating a Standard of Care that ensures physical, social, emotional and economic well-being for all residents, business owners, visitors, customers, and stakeholders.

The following summary provides a brief description of the City's Sustainable Coommunity Action Strategies and a broad overview of achievements, with the exception of two (2) stategies:

x Strategy 7, Support the Health Enterprise Zone in zipcodes 21216, 21217, 21223 and 21229 was approved in 2013 in response to SB234: Maryland Health Improvement & Disparities Reduction Act of 2012 and is not included as part of the discussion as there has been no capital-related activity.

x Strategy 10, Create Regional Connections was approved in 2010 to enable the State to approve funding requests to organizations whose catchment areas included in dual jurisdictions.

Like jurisdictions throughout the State and across the country, Baltimore's efforts have and continue to be focused on the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Baltimore City Sustainability Plan 5-Year Summary of Accomplishments [Page 2]

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