Governor Moore Announces Historic $129.5 Million in Support for Statewide Community Revitalization and Economic Development

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Wes Moore today announced $129.5 million in Fiscal Year 2025 awards to support seven state revitalization programs administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. The historic level of investment in county and municipal governments, community development organizations, and other community institutions and partners will fund 304 projects and activities that directly support local revitalization goals in Maryland’s disinvested communities.

“For Maryland to win the decade, we must transcend the status quo and continue our work to improve communities across the state,” said Gov. Moore. “From creation of affordable housing and community space to improvements to streetscapes and infrastructure, vibrant, revitalized communities not only make Maryland a desirable home for all; they are the cornerstone for a better Maryland.”

Awards through the seven programs will help support revitalization and redevelopment projects and activities, including: business expansion and retention; façade and streetscape improvements; homeownership and home rehabilitation incentives; commercial improvement programs; community facilities; mixed-use development, and demolition activities. 

The Strategic Demolition Fund, a statewide program aimed at catalyzing activities that accelerate economic development and job production in existing Maryland communities, awarded $10.7 million to 33 projects, including:

• Acquisition of a dilapidated Days Inn Hotel to be demolished and redeveloped into a 122-unit multi-family community (Baltimore County);
• Revitalization of the vacant building at 4145 Indian Head Highway to bring a new grocery store into the community (Charles County);
• Acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, demolition and capital equipping of the Cheverly Hospital, to make way for a vibrant mixed-use community (Prince George’s County);
• And completion of structural and exterior improvements to preserve the Henry Hotel, a local African American heritage site (Worcester County).

The Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative will help eliminate vacant and deteriorating properties in Baltimore City and make way for green space, affordable and mixed-use housing, and new opportunities for businesses. The Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative awarded $20 million to 37 projects, including:

• Revitalization of Reisterstown Road Plaza by transforming it into an inviting “Town Center” where community can shop, work, play and gather;
• Tenant improvements to tailor space for a new grocery store at Edmondson Village Shopping Center to enhance food security and provide residents with high-quality, affordable groceries;  
• Stabilization and repairs to infrastructure to renovate and restore historic 210 Charles Street into 231 apartment units for individuals and families and 30,000 square feet of commercial space;
• Predevelopment to su?pport Baltimore City's first Net Zero homeownership community consisting of for-sale units that will expand homeownership opportunities and provide a best practice for revitalizing historically disinvested communities.

The Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative is designed to support redevelopment in communities within the Baltimore Beltway. More than $23.6 million was awarded to 91 projects, including:

• Home rehabilitation for legacy homeowners in Coldstream Homestead Montebello, Darley Park and South Clifton Park for repairs and safety modifications that allow them to continue aging in place in their communities (Baltimore City);
• Home repairs and upgrades for seniors and legacy homeowners to provide safety improvements and address deferred maintenance in order to increase home value and build wealth in the Liberty Corridor (Baltimore City);
• Rehabilitation for older and long-time homeowners so they can age in place, maintain value in their home, and continue to be a vital part of the Central Baltimore community (Baltimore City);
• And upgrades to plumbing, the pool, and redesign locker rooms to improve accessibility at the Druid Hill Y, a vital community hub with nearly 2,200 members (Baltimore City).

 Like the Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative, the National Capital Strategic Economic Development Fund provided $20.8 million in funding for 31 projects in communities in and around the Capital Beltway, including:

• Construction of streetscaping and multi-modal improvements along a 1.3 mile segment of Russell Avenue, between East Diamond Avenue and Montgomery Village Avenue, converting an auto-centric road to shared-use (Montgomery County);
• Rehabilitate Parkview Towers in Takoma Park, MD, updating an aging 125-unit property to support restoration of structural integrity of the envelope of the building (Montgomery County);
• Acquisition of an underutilized parking lot that will be transformed into units of new, high quality affordable housing for seniors near downtown Wheaton (Prince George’s County);
• And design and predevelopment of affordable multifamily rental units, part of the first phase of the redevelopment of the Hyattsville Justice Center (Prince George’s County).

Community Legacy awarded more than $8 million to 45 projects in designated Sustainable Communities throughout Maryland. Some of these projects include:

• Continuation of the renovating and building 12 affordable for-sale condos in historic downtown Frederick to be sold to Habitat-qualified first-time homebuyers (Frederick County); 
• Adaptive reuse of the historic Howard County Courthouse in Ellicott City, MD, as a Center for Arts, Culture and History (Howard County); 
• Rehabilitation of Building 521 for the purpose of converting the former Fort Ritchie building into a Nature Center (Washington County);
• And support infrastructure work in the development of the SBY Market Center, a mixed use building (Wicomico County).

Additionally, $10.4 million in grants and loans were provided to higher education institutions and hospitals by the Seed Community Development Anchor Institution Fund for community development projects in disinvested areas of the state. The funds supported 25 projects, including:

• Renovation and stabilization at the University of Maryland Baltimore County to transform a long-vacant property floor into an academic space for students and provide a community space for the residents of Arbutus (Baltimore County);
• Restoration of the exterior of The Hippodrome Foundation's France-Merrick Performing Arts Center building located at the corner of Eutaw and Fayette Streets adjacent to the Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore City);
• Support the development of "The Perch," an education-based business incubator at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Somerset County);
• And demolition of the former Wicomico County Library and construction of a new Performing Arts Center (Wicomico County).

The Maryland Façade Improvement Program awarded $5 million to 36 communities. Funds will be used to enhance the character and attractiveness of local business districts by improving the exterior façades of buildings and facilities.

“This year’s investment of more than $129 million is more than double our Fiscal Year 2024 awards, thanks to Governor Wes Moore and our partners in the General Assembly. These revitalization awards infuse critical and needed dollars directly into communities, all to serve the Marylanders who live, work, and play there,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “Working with our partners to bring these projects to life stimulates other public, private and nonprofit investment to revitalize communities, a chain reaction that leads directly to community improvement.”

For a full list of awards, visit FY25 State Revitalization Program Awards.

For more information about the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and its revitalization programs, please visit its website.