Mondawmin is affordable, intriguing (Baltimore, Reisterstown: house, landscaping, neighborhood)

[barante]

Say what?
Up to this point most whites have been talking about Mondawmin as the dregs. Would becoming Security be up or down?

[ginbelt]

Originally Posted by barante

Whatever happened to the city's plans to build condos on those empty lots facing Druid Hill Park Lake. This, of course, is not relevant at this point because of the nation's financial mess. But it worries me that the city first announced plans to redevelop them and then nothing.

What happened? The city effed up bigime, that's what happened. After waiting for years, the endless RFP process, the neighborhood "charettes" where residents voted on the design they liked best, more waiting, etc etc, we came to find out, sometime last year, that Baltimore city had absolutely no right to offer those parcels to developers. When HUD sold the land to the city for $10 years and years ago, there apparently were clauses ensuring long-term "affordability" for any future projects built on the site! And here the city was, wasting residents' time AND developers' time, talking about CONDOS! Plus, if that wasn't bad enough, there was also an "Equity Participation Rider" in there that said that if the city ever sold the land, the profits go to HUD!! Well, it doesn't take a Donald Trump to tell you that that clause pretty much kills ANY incentive that might have existed for owner-occupancy.

Whoooops!!

Gotta love the lack of institutional memory in your modern city bureacracies. You'd think someone could have checked on this though, before wasting everyone's time and getting everyone's hopes up....

Last I heard, the RHIC (Reservoir Hill Improvement Council) is holding more neighborhood "focus groups" with residents to see what we would get behind...I think CIMG is leading them, they apparently still want to go ahead now, but building low-rent apartments instead of condos.

The vanmoms are coming. The rabbi of Beth Am Congregation rehabbed a rowhouse around the corner. Some congregants, looking toward retirement, have said that new conds are an option that they would seriously consider.

Yes, Rabbi Konheim has been living around the corner on Brooks Lane for about 3 or 4 years now. That showed a lot of faith on his part, I think. Where did you hear congregants say this about the lake-front condos, however? Have you spoken personally with some? It makes me sad to hear this, knowing now that this will probably never be built. However, there are still plenty of other opportunities for living in the neighborhood, there is no lack of vacant shells just waiting to be rehabbed. And interest rates are low!

I've been here since early '01.....bring on the vanmoms. I'm waiting for them.

[barante]

I talked to a Mount Washington couple and their friends, all members of Beth Am, who were excited about the prospects of condos coming so close to the synagogue and downtown attractions. They will be downsizing in a few years. My friends' backup plan: Honolulu, where they own property.

[barante]

My wfie and I decided to go and see what's going on with the $70 Mondawmin facelift. Although we were unable to see the new Target, which has not opened yet, and A. J. Wright, which is under construction, the place was intriguing.
The main thing that any visitor who is familiar with the place will notice is the two-level courtyard, with a fountain, next to what once was Chicken George's and now is a Rite Aid. It used to be dark and uninviting, because shops lined the entranceway. All those shops have now been demolished and access to the courtyard is immediately from an parking area between the mall and the Motor Vehicles Administration. Huge windows let in the light.
Also, the entire interior of the existing mall will be redone. New floors, new ceiling tiles, new lighting.
Mondawmin Mall was designed as Baltimore's first shopping mall by James Rouse, the builder of Columbia, Cross Keys and lots of other stuff. But while it was under construction when the Supreme Court desegregated schools, the whole neighborhood changed from white to black. Mondawmin never recovered but came to its own as an inner-city mall, with whatever that entails.
Because of life-style changes as a result of the energy crisis its revamp could not come at a better time. May it succeed.

[krakenten]

Gee, the city was inept?

Just imagine that?

[kinkytoes]

Are they trying to rope middle-classed blacks into living there?!!

For any well-educated, affluent black person, the worst thing you can do is to live in an area that is mostly populated with underclass, uneducated blacks. You will be lumped into the same category as the ex-cons, baby mommas and underpriveleged and treated with disrespect and suspicion by police, store owners (even black ones) et cetera.

I say from bitter urban experience, let someone else be the "pioneer" and get grey hairs living in Mondawmin. Don't take the bait! Your sanity is not worth it. Boy I am getting in big trouble today

About a year ago, a really decent sounding black American man called into the Mark Steiner show (when he was on WYPR) and complained about being harassed by the police in Mondawmin. This was during one of the many stings to get the ubiquitous drug-dealers off of the street in the neighborhood. (Good luck, by the way. These guys have no education, no respect for anyone and no options. Good luck getting them to stop selling drugs.) Anyway this poor man said "I don't sell drugs, and I couldn't believe they were treating ME like that!"

I think he was also a community activist or something. It was sad. This was a great guy and he was harassed because he lived in a drug and crime-ridden neighborhood where the druggies and criminals happened to look just like him.

I really wanted to tell him "Move to Columbia, Man."

The last time I went near Mondawmin it still looked like a heck-hole. If you are considering falling for the bait and living there, I hope you get the house for $1, otherwise you will be paying WAY too much.

Also, take warning Baltimore City also likes to harbor social services in many neighborhoods while they are get ppl with money to buy the houses there and JACK up their property taxes. Would you like to move to Mondawmin to find out you're living next a halfway house, a drug-treatment center or a methadone clinic? This sounds very socialist and wonderful (Ooh, we are helping ppl! How about helping working ppl instead of drug addicts and criminals for a change?) until one of them verbally abuses you, sexually assaults you or breaks into your house. No, you want to stay far far far away from Mondawmin.

[krakenten]

Where's your spirit of adventure?

I'm not spry enough for it,or I'd love to return to those days of werewolf watchdogs, triple deadbolts, Tramp of Doom alarm horns and sawed off shotguns.

Thgose were the days!

[Miss Crabcakes]

I'd love to see the Mondawmin area come up as I've only known it to be a ghetto. I'ms ure those old houses could be beautiful.
I'll have to wait in see. As it stands, I wouldn't even ride through that part of town.

[barante]

I don't know about anyone else, but my own take is that certain city neighborhoods will benefit from the current economic upheaval. Such neighborhoods, in addition to the logical ones from Roland Park to Mount Washington, will include Mondawmin, the whole Uplands corridor along Edmondson Avenue, Ednor Gardens, Northwood and so. Their location is just too compelling and their prices manageable. Add to that proximity to the Metro and/or light-rail in some cases.
Let me also point out that the history of Baltimore, and many another city, is full of ethnic rotation. We have some, but not many, examples of rotation from African American to white, but that, too, is starting to happen in certain instances.
As to Mondawmin being "mostly populated with underclass, uneducated blacks," I'm not sure that is true. But in any cases, educated and employed African Americans are just like anyone else. They have to start to think seriously about whether working in the city and driving to Randallstown or Carroll County makes any sense, or whether it would be smarter to live in Ashburton.

[kinkytoes]

I get the feeling that many of the people who come to this forum are not familiar with the areas. I can't in good conscience tell anyone to buy a house in or live in the Mondawmin area without letting him/her know of the pitfalls. The only ppl who would do this IMO are people in the business of selling houses.

There are lots of nicer, safer and more convenient areas in Baltimore with ALL kinds of demographics. Now may be a good time to look for a new home if you want to buy, but I think buyers should look around and move into the areas where they will feel comfortable AND that are in reasonably good shape, because anyone who buys a house now may be there for several years.

In Baltimore there are good areas and bad areas. This has nothing to do with religion or skin color, because I believe everyone can agree that we want safe, clean places to live and we would prefer nice neighbors. I have unfortunately lived here through the housing boom and I have seen some nice people get suckered into wasting their money on unsalvageable homes in bad areas. So I have to tell my honest opinion to anyone who may be searching city-data looking for advice.

You will have to provide photographic, anecdotal and forensic evidence if you want me to believe Montdawmin fits the description of a good place to live. Baltimore is full of great neighborhoods, but I'm not sure if Mondawmin is one of them. I mean, I could post "Brooklyn: The new place to Be!" but I believe that would be deceptive.

There are some people who would WILLINGLY buy homes in dangerous, under-served and dirty areas, but it's only fair if they know what they're getting first.