Connections
News. Events. Ideas. People.
Harnessing an Anchor to Revitalize East Baltimore
(avg: 3.33 of 5)
Objective: The purpose of this case study is to showcase how an anchor institution – Johns Hopkins – worked with local governmental institutions and private foundations to create East Baltimore Development, Inc., which would then go on to revitalize the struggling East Baltimore neighborhood.
Main Topic: Anchor Institution
Sub Topic: Real Estate Development
Sub-Sub Topic: Neighborhood revitalization
Geography: Baltimore, MD
Major Participants: U.S. Government, State of Maryland, City of Baltimore, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Johns Hopkins Institutions, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies
Background: Since the late 1960s, the area to the north of Johns Hopkins’ main campus (referred to as “Middle East”), a once thriving working-class neighborhood, had descended in to poverty, drugs, and crime, with vacancy rates reaching 70%.
The challenge: The Johns Hopkins University and Hospital sought to transform the adjacent neighborhood in to a mixed-income residential community with economic opportunity for both long-time and new residents.
How it happened: Johns Hopkins partnered with state and local governments and the Annie E. Casey Foundation to create East Baltimore Development, Inc., which in 2003 launched an ambitious $1.8 billion plan to redevelop 88 acres of land in the neighborhood. Part of the revitalization strategy was the acquisition of underutilized properties. Hopkins also deeded the more than 100 properties it owned in East Baltimore to EBDI. The EBDI master plan calls for the construction of 2,200 mixed-income housing units, 1.1 million square feet of life science and biotech labs and offices, retail space, a new cultural center, playing fields and other open spaces. The hospital will serve as a magnet to attract new biotech companies to the area. Upwards of 6,000 jobs will be created.
Results for East Baltimore Economy: Acquisition of properties took place in two phases: from 2004-2006, 916 properties were acquired, followed by another 922 from 2007-present. Since 2003, EBDI has relocated 584 families to healthier neighborhoods and cleared 31 acres of land. In the spring of 2008, the first building in the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins opened for biotechnology tenants. Graduate student housing is also being constructed. By the summer of 2009, 220 new residential units were available for leasing and homeownership. Also that summer, EBDI opened a new public elementary school that will serve the neighborhood children.
As part of the revitalization efforts, EBDI developed a comprehensive Economic Opportunity Initiative that seeks to involve local minority- and women-owned businesses (MWBEs) and train and employ local residents. As of September 2010, $56 million in construction contracts (39.2%) have been awarded to MWBEs; and 57.7% of all employment hours have involved minorities and/or females.
Johns Hopkins has created shared value with the neighborhood by strategically including community impact in its business strategy. This creates demand for their products and services, more success in hiring, and the ability to leverage private development money.
Remaining Challenges: Despite its early successes, the Middle East redevelopment effort still faces challenges, including dealing with the lingering effects of the recession, financing middle-income housings, attracting market-rate buyers and renters, building a retail base, and fully leveraging nearby anchor institutions.
Interested in learning more about the East Baltimore case study? Join former Deputy Mayor and current Advisor to the Hopkins' President on Economic Development - Andy Frank - on 3/1 at 2pm EST for the "What Works" webinar on how city officials can leverage anchors to promote economic development, using Baltimore as the case study. Registration is free and filling up fast!
what a great accomplishment that you are dislocating people, without adequate compensation for their new homes, and without providing opportunity for the dislocated residents to sustain their new lives. The EBDI-Hopkins_Baltimore City complex manipulates the city's wealth distribution, creates and maintains the gap between neighborhoods, by setting quota on the relocation benefits packages, restricting relocation to certain (ghetto) parts of the city, thereby keeping the rich neighborhoods rich and poor neighborhoods poor, and stepping on the poor over and over till they give up fighting for their rights and access to equality and justice. GOOD JOB EBDI, you are such a not-for-profit--YOU REALLY DO NOT BRING PROFITS TO THE NEEDY. Good job, Johns Hopkins, for setting up EBDI as a dummy target that covers your abuse and manipulation of your influence and power. AND good job, Baltimore City, for being in the same league with Hopkins, and satisfy private interest in the name of Eminent Domain for the "public good", however that is defined.
By The People on 02/16/2012
This summary smacks of revisionist history. Yes, there are positives to take away from the EBDI story to date. There are also failures, oversights, and continuing conflicts that should be included in any retelling of the project's narrative from its inception to the present day. As recently as 2004-5, Hopkins, EBDI, and city officials were distancing the university from this effort -- repeatedly and emphatically stating, "this is *not* a Hopkins project." And this is only the tip of the iceberg. The summary ignores the continuing work of past and present area residents to assure a fair deal, the drastic revisions to the project's master plan, and the failure of the project to create the sorts of jobs originally promised -- among other issues. I sincerely hope that Mr. Frank's presentation will cover these issues. To do otherwise would be disingenuous.
By Joshua Garoon on 02/16/2012
Thank you both for your comments. Your concerns are indeed valid. In terms of dislocating residents--this is one thing we hope to address during the Webinar on 3/1 with the former Deputy Mayor. Joshua, as for other stakeholders trying to distance Hopkins from EBDI - this is something we had not heard of in the past. Howeever, we don't know everything! We would be happy to have you join us and ask some of these questions during the webinar. The benefit of having Andy Frank for the webinar is that he has been on both the city and anchor side - so ideally he can speak to any tensions that have occured over the past several years.
By Amanda Maher on 02/21/2012
Amanda, thanks for your response. I'm registered for the Webinar, and looking forward to participating. I'm not surprised that you were unaware that in earlier times, EBDI stakeholders sought to minimize Hopkins' role in the project. Over the last five years or so, there've been significant changes of leadership/administration within EBDI (e.g., Jack Shannon), Hopkins (Bill Brody, among others), and the city (not least, Martin O'Malley) -- not to mention changes of stance and orientation among some who've been more constant presences. Current project stakeholders have not always been keen to address the ramifications of these shifts. This is all certainly worth discussion.
By Joshua Garoon on 02/24/2012
Last Updated on February 13th, 2012
TAGS: baltimore | economic development | cities | anchors | shared value | housing | casey foundation | mbes | urban revitalization | real estate