[CPEO-BIF] The East Baltimore [MD] Revitalization Story: A Resident's View

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

[To download a formatted, four-page, 1.4 MB PDF file of Rosa Hart 
Burenstine's resident's view of the East Baltimore Redevelopment 
Project, go to http://www.cpeo.org/pubs/RosasStory.pdf.]

THE EAST BALTIMORE REVITALIZATION STORY:
A Resident's View
by Rosa Hart Burenstine
July, 2007

My story, about the revitalization of my neighborhood, produces 
tremendously mixed, complex emotions. However, in the end-after working 
my way through these feelings-I feel grand and exceedingly joyous. This 
joy I am feeling is enhanced further by the fact that my neck of the 
woods, so to speak, will soon be as it was when my family and I arrived 
here in 1937. Back in 1937, my neighborhood was exceptionally clean and 
green. There were a multitude of services, such as grocery stores on 
almost every corner to purchase healthy foods, owned by folk who looked 
like me-that is, African-American-whose children were sometimes my 
classmates, etc. Chick Webb Recreation Center was two blocks from my 
house; we had two Enoch Pratt Free libraries in walking distance; our 
school, Dunbar Elementary/Junior/High/School (one campus) was right 
across the street from my home. Every neighbor was watchful, helpful, 
sincere; jazz clubs were everywhere; the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra 
played fine music three evenings a week during summer break right across 
the street on Dunbar's. In other words, we had a grand neighborhood.

But, somehow, we allowed it to go to pot, just as most American cities 
today have gone to pot.
Baltimore Development Incorporated Headquarters

Now, however, I watch attentively and patiently every day, as Baltimore- 
especially my part of the City-methodically goes through her rebirth. I 
don't cry as often as I did when I returned home in 2001. I only cry 
occasionally now, when part of my history is demolished. Within the 
88-acre footprint of the East Baltimore Revitalization Project (EBRP), 
grand old red brick row houses, with marble steps and corner stores, the 
little quaint jazz houses, are there no more. Mostly now, at least four 
years into her rebirth, I joy out at the unfolding of my new 
neighborhood. I am happy to miss the uncaring behavior of far too many 
neighbors and the horrendously dirty streets and gutters. I can easily 
visualize the complete success of our efforts to make East Baltimore 
beautiful again. Beautiful, again, for the children who will enjoy 
living here as I did years ago.

The Revitalization Project is an effort that I believe has never been 
attempted before in the history of urban renewal. The unique, bold, 
massive, $1.5 billion dollar undertaking is designed to benefit the 
residents of my neighborhood, as well as the city as a whole. The 
three-phase project will be completed over 15 to 20 years. The developer 
of the first phase, the Forest City-New East Baltimore Partnership, is a 
joint venture of an international development corporation and several 
local minority-owned businesses.

In the 30-acre Phase One, nearly 396 families have been relocated. Most 
of the relocatees are pleased with their new homes in other areas around 
the city. Those who have relocated elsewhere have "first dibs" to move 
back when new housing is built. Not only are there tax incentives to 
homeowners, but renters are being given the opportunity to purchase a 
home. There is training in how to correct one's bad credit. On and on it 
goes.

Each day, I watch the first two new housing complexes grow. A 74-unit 
building for seasoned citizens is scheduled to open in August. On top of 
that, 74 units of affordable (workforce) housing-designed for 
firefighters, police officers, teachers, etc.-should be ready for 
occupancy in late '07 or early '08. Both buildings have one, two, and 
three-bedroom units.

The project is anchored by new biotechnology research buildings. The 
Forest City-New East Baltimore Partnership recently celebrated the 
"topping out" of the first biotechnology facility; five more facilities 
are planned. Potential merchants (an environmentally safe cleaner, a 
minority bank, restaurateurs, etc.) are being interviewed for space in 
our first biotech facility, 855 N. Wolfe Street, as of this writing.

Because of my extraordinary determination to record this incredulous 
project, from a resident's point of view, I have access to each 
specialist and partner involved in this massive endeavor: the planners, 
contractors, developers, politicians, architects, demolition experts, 
funders, et al., giving me a most unique vantage point to learn/know all 
of the details, hang-ups, agreements, disagreements, and financial 
aspects of the project. The partners include, to name a few: Annie E. 
Casey Foundation (AECF), Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (JHMI), East 
Baltimore Development Incorporated (EBDI, the supervising partner), 
Baltimore City (BC), State of Maryland (SMD), Maryland Department of the 
Environment (MDE), the Enterprise Foundation (EF), the U.S. Department 
of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD), and community-based 
organizations such as my organization, Baltimore Community for 
Environmental Justice (BCEJ). I am President/Executive Director, funded 
by the Environmental Protection Agency to train residents in the 
demolition process.

Which brings me to the most important aspect of the undertaking: 
partnering. In my opinion, partnering is the reason for the success of 
the project despite some of our powerful disagreements. We have worked 
together, collaboratively, harmoniously, every step of the way, every 
phase of the plan, every piece of the legislation. We put this into 
action from the outset, focusing on the most controversial aspect of our 
project: demolition. Seventeen of us joined together and wrote the 
Demolition Protocols.  These protocols will be utilized in the next two 
phases of the project; they will be utilized throughout the City of 
Baltimore and the State of Maryland. Hopefully, they will be utilized 
throughout the Country, and perhaps beyond. Our problems with lead dust 
and other demolition hazards, regardless of where we are on Planet 
Earth, are the same, I believe.

I have won the right to speak these words regarding our Demolition 
Protocols: They are fantastic! They are the only steps to take when 
demolition is involved. These protocols, incidentally, have been tested, 
analyzed, and approved by five of the most qualified lead dust experts 
in America: Janet Phoenix, Vernice Miller-Travis, David Jacob, our own 
Reggie Harris at EPA Region 3, and Patrick Rafferty at the University of 
Pennsylvania.

The construction of single-family homes, including fair market-rate 
homes, is scheduled to begin early 2008. Employers across the city are 
offering jobs to unemployed folk from the community, from our area as 
well as other communities in the city. The elementary school will be 
restored in Phase Two; a Pre-K-8 Community School is in the planning stage.

Throughout the years, I have not only witnessed urban renewal. I have 
read accounts of it in New York, the Bronx, East Oakland, Fillmore-San 
Francisco, Chicago, and elsewhere, by many authors; but, never have I 
understood why the experience had not been chronicled by a resident 
living in the area being revitalized. Consequently, I felt I needed to 
tell the story from my point of view, as a resident of the EBRP. So, 
this is indeed another joy and an absolute honor, which I announced at 
the groundbreaking ceremony of our 855 N. Wolfe Street biotech 
facility-where I shared the podium with former Governor Ehrlich, Mayor 
Martin O'Malley (now Governor), Senator Mikulski, and a host of other 
dignitaries. As I continue to feel the mixed, complex feelings of 
watching, being a part of, and extending/sharing my input in our project 
along with many, many other residents, funders, partners, politicians, 
contractors, and developers, et al., I feel exceedingly confident that 
the project will be a complete success, a model for others around the 
city, the state, and the nation.


--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


_______________________________________________
Brownfields mailing list
Brownfields@list.cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org/mailman/listinfo/brownfields