Mayor’s housing rehab plan won’t work as city shrinks | READER COMMENTARY

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s plan to reduce vacant properties demonstrates that the city is chasing its tail (“Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott unveils $3B plan for vacant houses including new TIF,” Dec. 11). Or playing whack-a-mole. Choose your favorite description.

As long as Baltimore continues to lose its population, which is now down to 570,000, it will continue to have more vacant homes. In order to reverse this trend, the city needs to attract more jobs and residents which means it needs policies to do that. As Baltimore Sun reporters Emily Opilo and Lorraine Mirabella noted in their article, this includes a dramatic decrease in the real estate tax rate over several years, like the one proposed by Renew Baltimore in its current ballot petition drive.

Until then, throwing money at fixing up vacant homes — whether it be $1 million or $3 billion — will be nothing more than pouring money down a black hole. One rehabilitated home will only be replaced with another vacant home.

— David F. Tufaro, Baltimore

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