Competitors pitch for Reservoir Hill houses

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Jun 15, 2004 by Elizabeth Rossi

Despite problems with drugs, robberies, prostitution and burglaries, Baltimore's Reservoir Hill neighborhood near Druid Hill Park is experiencing something of a renaissance.

Crime rates have fallen, and housing prices have surged in recent years, said David Levy, assistant commissioner for land resources in the city's Department of Housing and Community Development. But half of the area's houses remain vacant, and the neighborhood has a long way to go in its process of reversing a half century of decline.

In an attempt to bolster homeownership and to eliminate blight in the core of the neighborhood, the city bundled eight properties on Linden Avenue and 15 on Callow Avenue and issued a request for proposals in March to develop the lots.

Most Popular Articles in Business: Research and Markets : Tesco Plc - SWOT Framework Analysis; Do Us a Flavor - Ben & Jerry's Issues a Call for Euphoric New Flavors; eBay made easy: ready to start an eBay business? These 5 simple steps will ...; Katrina's lawsuit surge: a legal battle to force insurers to pay for flood ...; Wal-Mart's newest distribution center opened last month near the southwest ...; More »

Putting the properties on the market one by one would be less effective than to turn the whole block around at the same time, Levy said.

Tonight and tomorrow, seven groups will present their proposals to the Reservoir Hill community.

No matter who develops the [block] the - bulk of the properties have to be turned over for homeownership, Reservoir Hill Improvement Council Director John Ruffin said.

Because vacant properties often attract homeless people and drug dealers, a big factor in crime reduction is homeownership, said Sgt. Charles Hess, of the police department's Central District.

Though all seven proposals emphasize a plan to accelerate occupation of the properties, only one of the potential developers for the 2200 block of Linden Avenue names homeowners who are immediately prepared to move into the block.

Linden Tree LLC consists of eight homesteaders who met through TechBalt.com, Baltimore native Adam Meister's grassroots online community of people dedicated to restoring Reservoir Hill.

Meister launched the Web site in February 2001. He and three other TechBalt members are currently living on the block. Linden Tree's success would raise the total to 12, signaling the realization of Meister's vision of bringing together a group of young, diverse kids that just want to live here.

This is not a business to us, Meister said.

Some members of TechBalt initially balked at the city's decision to bundle the houses on the block. The city could have released the homes individually, making it easier for TechBalt members to move in, said 27-year-old Remington Stone, who is leading the group of homesteaders. TechBalt, which had been tracking the area's vacant lots, only had about three interested group members.

When it became clear that there was going to be an RFP, which was kind of distressing at the time, we said, 'Let's do this,' Stone said.

So eight TechBalt members banded together and will present their own proposal. We know our neighbors going in. We know how to work together, Stone said, which will make for better relations on the block in the future.

The most important thing of all is that the project be do-able, Levy said. We've got to be real business, real hard-nosed. It's got to work, and it's got to provide homeownership.

Linden Tree has partnered with experienced development group The French Development Co., as well as professional architecture and contracting companies, but corporations such as MSS Properties LLC, Philadelphia-based Pennrose Properties, Savannah Development Corp., Simone Real Estate, Apex Baltimore and HRS Homes boast lengthy track records in the city.

Rehabilitating unstable shells of houses requires a unique set of skills, real estate broker Vito Simone, the owner of Simone Real Estate, said. I've worked with many homeowners who have never renovated a home before, and it's not an easy task to accomplish.

Pennrose Development Officer Patrick Wagner touted the company's current foothold in the community. Given our already extensive involvement in renovating rowhouses in and around those blocks, this was viewed as a way to extend our efforts, he said. He also noted the efficiencies to be gained because we will be doing additional properties.

Some Reservoir Hill community members, however, say the marks these large real estate companies have left on the city make them wary about their further involvement.

Chris Forsberg, resident of 2400 Eutaw Place, cited one investor who purchased a property on his block at auction, only to allow it fall into disrepair until city officials forced him to sell it. By then, the property value had risen significantly because of rising interest in the neighborhood.

In my neighborhood - it's almost looked at as another version of the stock market, said Forsberg, who supports Linden Tree. I'm behind any proposal where we already know that people are going to live there.

A committee that includes representatives from the city, the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council and community residents has been formed by the Department of Housing and Community Development to evaluate the proposals. The committee will make a recommendation to Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano, who will award the properties to a developer by the end of June.

Featured Download

Speak Like a CEO

Competitors pitch for Reservoir Hill houses

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Jun 15, 2004 by Elizabeth Rossi

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Autos

Most Popular Articles in Business

Most Popular Publications in Business