In 2014, the Southeast CDC was invited by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to apply for a new pilot project called the Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative (BRNI). This initiative, established at the behest of Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Mike Busch, provides funding to eligible community development organizations to implement components of their neighborhood revitalization strategies.
BRNI has funded the following projects:
Fiscal Year 2014
- A loan pool for construction lending in the CARE community implemented by The Reinvestment Fund (expanded to other communities in subsequent years)
- Eager Street Vacants to Value housing redevelopment implemented by Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition (HEBCAC) in the Milton Montford community
- Northeast Market improvements implemented by HEBCAC in the Monument Main Street District
- Library Square fence and facade improvement project implemented by Banner Neighborhoods
- Vacant lot restorations implemented by Civic Works in the CARE community
- Streetscaping project implemented by Parks and People Foundation in the CARE community
- After-school programing in football and dance provided by The Door
- Basketball, life coaching and outdoor festival provided by the Center for Grace-full Living
- McElderry Park Star, a free community newspaper published quarterly by the Center for Graceful Living and distributed throughout the neighborhood.
Fiscal Year 2015
- Street trees on Fayette Street implemented by Parks & People Foundation
- Northeast Market improvements implemented by HEBCAC
- Vacant lot transformations implemented by Civic Works
- Community art projects implemented by MICA’s Masters in Community Art program
- Improvements to The Door
- Improvements to Center for Grace-Full Living
- Station East redevelopment project by HEBCAC
- Hopkins Live Near Your Work incentive to employees purchasing in the CARE community
Fiscal Year 2016
- Revitalization of Library Square through infrastructure improvements to a public park, including landscaping, lighting, traffic calming and placemaking; interior and exterior renovations to the Patterson Park Library branch; and the installation of a reading garden
- Partnership with Civic Works to provide exterior repairs for low-income legacy residents in CARE and provide job training in the construction trade to community youth
- Installation of artist-designed transit stops and other Placemaking improvements along Highland Avenue and Fayette Street
- Third phase of Eager St Vacants to Value initiative in partnership with HEBCAC
- Addition of a basketball court and bleachers to the playground at Tench Tilghman Elementary/Middle School
Fiscal Year 2017
- Neighborhood Spruce-Up Grant program that awards community groups $10,000- $20,000 to fund public space improvement projects
- Incentives for low/moderate income home buyers who use a Healthy Neighborhoods purchase/rehab loan or NHS’s alternative credit loan
- Live Near Your Work incentive for Broadway Services employees who purchase a home in the sustainable communities of Southeast Baltimore
- Homeownership incentives for those who purchase a newly renovated, market rate home in Station East
- Capital improvements to HEBCAC’s office to accommodate a new job training program for East Baltimore residents
- Partnership with Civic Works to provide residential façade improvements around Library Square and provide job training in the construction trade to community youth
Fiscal Year 2018
- Capital funds to construct a new welcome center in tandem with improvements to the Friends of Patterson Park headquarters
- Commercial façade improvements, streetscaping, and Placemaking projects along the Lombard Street and Leverton Avenue corridor
- Tenant Fit-Out program that provides $50,000 grants for interior renovations to storefronts for new or expanding businesses
- Redevelopment of 2500 E. Eager Street, a next phase of HEBCAC’s Station East project
- Neighborhood Spruce-Up Program II
Fiscal Year 2019
- Neighborhood Spruce-Up Program III
- Renovation of a historic gas station into a youth bike shop at Gateway Park at the intersection of Pulaski Hwy. and Orleans St.
- Façade improvements for residential properties on blocks adjacent to Station East by HEBCAC
- Revolving loan fund for low/moderate income home buyers in collaboration with Neighborhood Housing Services
- Redevelopment of 3137 Eastern Avenue into the Creative Alliance’s new Community Arts & Education Center