A January 6 moment at Baltimore’s City Hall as Mosby recruits a housing firebrand from Boston (Towson: houses)

[BMoreJuice]

https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2022/0...d-from-boston/


No $1 houses y'all

[NJ2MDdude]

Everyone wants something for nothing from the government, and no one wants to be held accountable for their bad decisions.

[Woodlands]

Yeah I have mixed opinions on the $ house program.. It sounds like a good idea, but opponents have brought of some valid arguments on why it may be a challenge. It seems that IF the city were to do this, they should focus on groups of housing concentrated in selected neighborhoods as opposed to a city wide effort so it can be more strategic; can they do some preliminary analysis of these homes so the ones that can be salvaged are offered up and it gives bidders/buyers a snapshot into the potential cost of rehab? Hopefully those same folks would be advised to talk with a realtor who could advise them of market conditions for the proverbial "buyer beware" scenarios that you know what you are getting into.

At the end of the day I thought all of this is/was what Vacants to Values was doing but I guess not.. It also seems that most of the City owned properties are in areas that most people may not want to live in so you wonder if there would be many takers even for a $1. I think once councilperson suggested bundling these properties for small developers to build a few home together.. but again.. unless these properties are near up and coming areas they still may be challenged.

Anytime a politician makes pushes economic development projects in baltimore..one must take a closer look

[BaltimoreBruiser]

I'd be interested in other ideas from both sides of the aisle.

It's been such a problem for so long, way before I was born. Between the white flight phenomenon in the 60's and 70s and then the overall population decline in the 80s, 90s and today, just so many gutted neighborhoods. Over 15k vacant and abandoned homes.

I have no solutions. And I am in the boat that I probably wouldn't be a taker to live in those areas even for $1. I'd need to see better schools, more green spaces, more local business, better law enforcement, and (not least of which) better parking. lol. The problem is all of those things (except maybe parking) requires a larger tax base and increased population, and a large tax base and increased population requires all of those things. A hard cycle to break into.

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by BaltimoreBruiser

The problem is all of those things (except maybe parking) requires a larger tax base and increased population, and a large tax base and increased population requires all of those things. A hard cycle to break into.

ding ding ding ding. Nearly every major US city was able to mitigate (to varying degrees of success) the tax base/population loss of white flight by expanded city limits to encompass the resulting first ring suburbs and/or by consolidated governments with their surrounding county. Baltimore has been unable to do either. It has effectively been sacrificed in a very purposeful and deliberate way for quite a few decades now.

[DXBtoFL]

Originally Posted by bufflove

ding ding ding ding. Nearly every major US city was able to mitigate (to varying degrees of success) the tax base/population loss of white flight by expanded city limits to encompass the resulting first ring suburbs and/or by consolidated governments with their surrounding county. Baltimore has been unable to do either. It has effectively been sacrificed in a very purposeful and deliberate way for quite a few decades now.

If Baltimore had been able to expand to include the first ring suburbs, the suburban flight would have been even worse. As it is, inner ring Baltimore County is already starting to exhibit urban ills once only seen in the city.

Baltimore's problems are entirely due to a very large and problematic demographic that no one can do anything about. And as no one can do anything about it, nothing will change. It's as simple as that. The other cities doing "better" do not have the same extent of this demographic's stranglehold and never did. Cities that do have similar demographics have similar problems.

[BaltimoreBruiser]

Originally Posted by DXBtoFL

If Baltimore had been able to expand to include the first ring suburbs, the suburban flight would have been even worse. As it is, inner ring Baltimore County is already starting to exhibit urban ills once only seen in the city.

Baltimore's problems are entirely due to a very large and problematic demographic that no one can do anything about. And as no one can do anything about it, nothing will change. It's as simple as that. The other cities doing "better" do not have the same extent of this demographic's stranglehold and never did. Cities that do have similar demographics have similar problems.

I agree. They need to start getting rid of all these hipsters, especially in Fells and Canton. Craft beer, craft coffee, craft pizza... IT NEEDS TO END.

[NJ2MDdude]

Originally Posted by BaltimoreBruiser

I agree. They need to start getting rid of all these hipsters, especially in Fells and Canton. Craft beer, craft coffee, craft pizza... IT NEEDS TO END.

They pay taxes and don't use services (social, education, police, etc.).

[BaltimoreBruiser]

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

They pay taxes and don't use services (social, education, police, etc.).

Exactly. Can you believe their audacity?

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by DXBtoFL

If Baltimore had been able to expand to include the first ring suburbs, the suburban flight would have been even worse. As it is, inner ring Baltimore County is already starting to exhibit urban ills once only seen in the city.

Baltimore's problems are entirely due to a very large and problematic demographic that no one can do anything about. And as no one can do anything about it, nothing will change. It's as simple as that. The other cities doing "better" do not have the same extent of this demographic's stranglehold and never did. Cities that do have similar demographics have similar problems.

Hampden and Roland Park and Mt. Washington are nice, but if Baltimore's borders expanded to Towson and Timonium those neighborhoods would turn to crap? That makes very little sense.

And your second paragraph is just repeating the point I made. Baltimore's demographics are crap because it's purposefully been isolated and sacrificed. If its borders were allowed to expand - via annexation or city-county consolidation - like effectively all of its peers, then it'd have similarly recouped the population and resources lost during white flight. That's the entire point.