BALTIMORE, Md. (December 9, 2016) – Governor Larry Hogan today announced awardees for demolition funds through Project C.O.R.E., or Creating Opportunities for Renewal and Enterprise, a multi-year city-state partnership to demolish vacant and derelict buildings in Baltimore and replace them with green space or create the foundation for redevelopment in Baltimore City. The governor was joined by Baltimore City Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Secretary Kenneth C. Holt, as well as Baltimore City officials and community stakeholders at the demolition site in West Baltimore. The demolition site, which is the former Madison Park North apartments, is the first of more than 200 units that will be demolished as part of this project. It will serve as the future site of an Innovation Center in West Baltimore – a hub for the city’s first designated “innovation district.”
Under the terms of Project C.O.R.E, the state will invest $75 million supported by an $18.5 million investment from Baltimore City over the next four years. Today’s awards represent the latest phase of ongoing Project C.O.R.E. activity, which began this summer with the demolition of targeted groups of properties managed by the Maryland Stadium Authority and the city.
The department received applications from 36 different Baltimore City agencies and nonprofit community development organizations for 77 projects. After careful deliberation, the department awarded nearly $16 million to 30 projects. These awards will serve as the catalyst for an additional $285 million investment from public, private, and nonprofit development partners.
After the demolition phase, Project C.O.R.E. will be supported by more than $600 million in financing opportunities through DHCD programs. Guided by the needs of each community, the state’s investment in housing and small businesses will attract families and support economic growth in Baltimore’s neighborhoods.
For more information about Project C.O.R.E., including maps and applicable state programs, visit: http://dhcd.maryland.gov/ProjectCORE.
