Governor Larry Hogan Attends Project C.O.R.E. Demolition in Baltimore City

Governor Larry Hogan Attends Project C.O.R.E. Demolition in Baltimore City

Blight Removal on N. Chester Street Sets Stage for New Housing, Businesses and Community Center

BALTIMORE, Md.(February 10, 2017) – Governor Larry Hogan today joined Baltimore City Mayor Catherine E. Pugh; Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young; Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Kenneth C. Holt; Dr. Donte L. Hickman, Sr., Pastor of Southern Baptist Church; and Baltimore City officials and community stakeholders to conduct a demolition marking the latest phase of Project C.O.R.E.’s blight removal on N. Chester Street in Baltimore City. Project C.O.R.E., or Creating Opportunities for Renewal and Enterprise, is a multi-year, city-state partnership to demolish vacant and derelict buildings in Baltimore and replace them with green space or to create the foundation for development.

“Project C.O.R.E. is truly helping us ensure that Baltimore’s future is better and brighter than its present or past,” said Governor Hogan. “I want to thank all the community organizations, neighborhood associations, and other local stakeholders who are working collaboratively with us to support this transformational revitalization. Today, we are taking yet another step forward and proving that our partnerships and our approach are truly working.”

“Thanks to Project C.O.R.E. funding and our partnership with the state, we can eliminate blighted city blocks in Baltimore and clear the way for future development and productive use,” said Mayor Catherine E. Pugh. “The whole block demolition and site assembly on N. Chester Street is part of a community plan that will support the revitalization efforts currently underway in Broadway East.”

The blight on the 1700 block of N. Chester Street sits less than two blocks from Southern Baptist Church and the Mary Harvin Transformation Center, an affordable senior housing and community center project that was rebuilt after the nearly-completed project was destroyed during the Baltimore civil unrest in 2015. That project, which held its ribbon cutting ceremony in April 2016, was supported with tax credits administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

The N. Chester Street blight removal is “just another mark of progress for the community,” said Pastor Hickman.

The demolition is managed by the Maryland Stadium Authority, which has been overseeing Project C.O.R.E. blight removal activities across the city since last year. The Authority has implemented dust suppression and environmental standards that could be used as a national model for urban blight control.

For more information about Project C.O.R.E., including maps and applicable state programs, visit: http://dhcd.maryland.gov/ProjectCORE.

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CONTACT: Sara Luell, Director of Communications, sara.luell@maryland.gov, 301-429-7803