FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Rodini, Communications Associate, Community Law Center: laura@communitylaw.org
BALTIMORE, March 14, 2016 – A consortium of twelve West Baltimore organizations is gathering adjacent to the site of the proposed State Center redevelopment project on Monday, March 21 at 9 am to sign a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with project developer State Center, LLC. The Agreement governs the community process for this extensive redevelopment project. The project was originally put into motion 10 years ago by former Governor Robert Ehrlich.
Members of the media are invited to attend the signing, which will be held outdoors outside the Kappa Alpha Psi building at 1207 Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21217. RSVP by emailing Community Law Center’s Communications Associate Laura Rodini at laura@communitylaw.org.
This Community Benefits Agreement is between State Center, LLC, and the State Center Neighborhood Alliance, Inc., composed of the organizations representing the West Baltimore communities most affected by the site and several adjacent anchor institutions. This represents an historic occasion, as this Community Benefits Agreement is the first in Baltimore for a project of this scale.
Under this agreement, the developer must:
“We are proud to have participated in drafting and negotiating this Community Benefits Agreement on behalf of the State Center Neighborhood Alliance,” said Kristine Dunkerton, Executive Director of Community Law Center. “It is surely a national model of a binding contract between grassroots organizations and a developer. It demonstrates the benefits of a developer taking the time to listen, include the needs, and address the concerns of well-organized area residents with a long term commitment of working together.”
“This agreement ensures the adjacent communities are at the center of the opportunity this project will bring to West Baltimore,” said John E. Kyle, President of the State Center Neighborhood Alliance. “In order to fulfill the promise of this project, SCNA members and area residents have collaborated over the past 10 years in advocating for this once in a generation opportunity for our neighborhoods. We sign this agreement today to add one more building block to moving ahead with this shovel-ready project. Positive investment in Baltimore, like this project’s creation of jobs, can be truly achieved when the affected communities have a voice.”
“This Community Benefits Agreement documents hours of collaboration with the community, and is based on the fundamental belief that we are better together than we can ever be alone,” stated Caroline Moore, co- managing partner of State Center, LLC, the developer of State Center. “The CBA will be the roadmap, it will be the bedrock on which we can build State Center, and it will be the metric by which every small achievement is captured to realize the ultimate vision. We hope to see the project implemented after ten years of hard work by the community, the development team and various State and City officials.”
“It is our fervent desire,” said Kyle and Moore jointly, “that the current state administration will move the project forward so that the community can reap the rewards of this historic agreement and so that the neighborhoods, the City, and the State can benefit from this project.”
To obtain a copy of the Community Benefits Agreement, contact us.
About the State Center Development Project
One of the largest projects currently envisioned for Baltimore City is the proposed re-development of the 28-acre State Center complex. Now home to state offices, the site will be transformed into 2,000 residential units, 1.5 million square feet of state and private office space, and retail-including a grocery store and parking garage. The project is expected to have a significant economic impact on West Baltimore, including the creation of 8,000 jobs over the life of the project by the State and by private entities.
Although the Baltimore City Board of Estimates authorized a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for the state occupied space in 2015 and the State of Maryland Board of Public Works has approved various agreements and leases, the decision on whether the State will move forward with its part of the deal is now in the hands of Governor Larry Hogan.
About The State Center Neighborhood Alliance, Inc.
The membership of the State Center Neighborhood Alliance, Inc. (SCNA), listed below, comprises over 25,000 city residents. It also counts among its non-voting members, major cultural institutions including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the University of Baltimore, and the University of Maryland Medical System – Midtown Campus. The SCNA President is John E. Kyle (410-812-5788).
The SCNA Vice-President is James Hamlin (443-280-2702). Members of SCNA: Druid Heights Community Development Corporation – represented by Roscoe Johnson
Heritage Crossing Residents Association – represented by Janet Allen The purposes of SCNA are to:
About State Center, LLC
State Center, LLC’s purpose is to own, develop and manage this transit oriented development in Baltimore. It is 66% owned by Maryland investors and 33% minority owned. The partnership has expertise in sustainable mixed-use redevelopment and is committed to partnering with the communities where it is working.
State Center, LLC’s co-managing partner is Caroline Moore (443-453-5102).
About Community Law Center
Community Law Center, Inc. is a Baltimore-based nonprofit law firm that provides legal services to community and nonprofit organizations throughout Maryland to promote stronger nonprofits and more vibrant neighborhoods.
If your community association wants to negotiate a community benefits agreement or other legal legal assistance, contact Community Law Center.
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