* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Ramos
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Informational Hearing - Mayor’s Recommendations - 30-Day Review of Strategies to Eliminate Vacant and Abandoned Properties
For the purpose of inviting the City Administrator, the Deputy Mayor for Community and Economic Development, the City Solicitor, the Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Director of Finance, and the Director of the Department of Public Works to appear before the Baltimore City Council to present the findings and recommendations of the Mayor’s 30 Day review for eliminating privately and publicly owned vacant and abandoned properties.
body
Recitals
On January 24th, 2022, three brave firefighters died when entering a vacant and abandoned building to save lives in a dramatic fire. In addition, throughout the last few decades, several Baltimore neighborhoods have continued to decline, causing more vacant and abandoned buildings and increasing trauma and violence in our city. Several racist policies and practices lead to this decline, and in some ways, still exist today.
There are roughly 15,000 vacant and abandoned properties that have Vacant Building Notices (“VBN”) on them - which is our official count of vacant and abandoned properties. Many more are vacant but do not have the VBN. These vacant and abandoned properties are concentrated in a few communities - the communities that have been traditionally ignored.
These factors lead to the Administration’s 30 day review of agency and stakeholder recommendations for eliminating vacant and abandoned properties by rehabilitation or demolition. On March 11, 2022, the Administration announced the results of that 30-day review along with the allocation of $100 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to projects across the City, and $39 million of that for eliminating blight.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the Baltimore City Council invites the City Administrator, the Deputy Mayor for Community and Economic Development, the City Solicitor, the Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Director of Finance, and the Director of the Department of Public Works to appear before the Baltimore City Council to present the findings and recommendations of the Mayor’s 30 Day review for eliminating privately and publicly owned vacant and abandoned properties.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the City Administrator, the Deputy Mayor for Community and Economic Development, the City Solicitor, the Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Director of the Department of Finance, the Director of the Department of Public Works, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the Baltimore City Council.