Baltimore needs ambitious plan for vacants, not more ‘slog’ | READER COMMENTARY

The Baltimore Sun’s recent editorial on what you call the “insanely ambitious” and “overly complicated” plan to rid the city of its vacant properties fails to focus on the dramatic moment that this historic announcement represents (“Mayor Brandon Scott’s housing plan for Baltimore: Too costly, too complicated, too late.” Dec. 13).

First, the plan was formulated by Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development (BUILD), the largest neighborhood-based citizens’ group in the city; the Greater Baltimore Committee, which represents the major business interests in the region; and Mayor Brandon Scott and his key staff. This neighborhood-business-government coalition is a major breakthrough and should be celebrated. This alone is a big deal.

Second, the plan includes sound and creative approaches to finance the renovations, demolition and neighborhood infrastructure needed to eliminate the blight and make currently unattractive neighborhoods capable of attracting new residents.

Third, thorough analysis by seasoned professionals demonstrates that the cost of the neighborhood improvements will more than pay for themselves through increased property, sales and income taxes to the city and state — this in addition to the boost to the economy via the jobs created to rehab and demolish abandoned structures at scale.

Rather than supporting this dramatic venture, you call for a “continued slog” to renovate these houses. Numerous Baltimore mayors have slogged and failed to overcome the vacant properties problem. Slogging just won’t get the job done. The city still has about 13,000 vacant houses. Properties and neighborhoods will continue to decline, making it even more expensive to transform these vacant houses and neighborhoods. We need to act now and big. It is unfortunate that The Sun’s editorial writers are against dramatic action. I hope they will reconsider for the good of the city.

— Paul Brophy, Baltimore

The writer provided advice to BUILD on the vacant buildings project.

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