Urban Revitalization in Hagerstown (North Beach: house, tenants, theater)

[seanlax]

Originally Posted by Dequindre

This map is a bit shocking, especially with the vacancy licenses being issued for homes in newer neighborhoods like Hager's Crossing and Collegiate Acres.

Without a scale, it is hard to draw any conclusions from that map other than where vacancies seems to be more clustered. Vacant ≠ blight.

[adelphi_sky]

You nee a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe's! Then they will come. ANd you need a new name. SoHaTo.

[Dequindre]

Originally Posted by seanlax

Without a scale, it is hard to draw any conclusions from that map other than where vacancies seems to be more clustered. Vacant ≠ blight.

Does Hagerstown require you to pull a vacancy license if you move out of a home before it is sold? That may be throwing off the map a bit (assuming that it's true).

[Dequindre]

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

You nee a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe's! Then they will come. ANd you need a new name. SoHaTo.

Maybe someday, but Hagerstown isn't there yet.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by seanlax

Without a scale, it is hard to draw any conclusions from that map other than where vacancies seems to be more clustered. Vacant ≠ blight.

I'm fighting that right right now with a couple houses. They're vacant, not abandoned (in fact a couple are summer houses so they're empty most of the year anyway) and the mayor wants to have them declared abandoned so a sale can be forced or the house torn down. Not one of them is a candidate for demolition.

[Dequindre]

Things are progressing downtown Hagerstown. Perhaps the most important project is the four-story addition to the front of the Maryland Theatre. The current entrance isn't flush with the street, nor is it particularly attractive.

Officials: Hagerstown's downtown revival progressing | Local News | heraldmailmedia.com

[Dequindre]

Hogan pledges $7M for downtown Hagerstown project

The project — universally supported by all levels of local government, the business community and the Washington County legislative delegation in Annapolis — would include facilities for the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, additional classroom space for the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, an expansion of The Maryland Theatre and other downtown improvements.

A preliminary funding model for the $30 million project included $12 million to $14 million in state aid.

Hogan pledges $7M for downtown Hagerstown project | Local News | heraldmailmedia.com

[htownterp]

Nice to finally have a Governor who acknowledges that "life exists west of South Mountain".

It's still early in the process, but there has NEVER been this much momentum, this many people on the same page, this much concentrated effort in revitalizing downtown Hagerstown with a clear plan and path. This news, plus the Urban Partners plan, work of the Downtown Movement group, and others has put some great things in motion. As a result, we're starting to see some private businesses move into downtown, like Middletown Valley Bank moving white collar jobs there this week, etc.

[Dequindre]

New optimism rises for Hagerstown hotel project



Owners of the former Hamilton Hotel at West Washington and Jonathan streets joined Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II and Hagerstown City Council members for an afternoon tour of the four-story structure.

Although the building owners have cited lender problems as among the challenges they have faced, they now have applied for a $2.5 million Neighborhood BusinessWorks loan through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to make the project a reality, said Ash Azadi, managing partner for ARES Investment Group LLC, the holding company for the project.

New optimism rises for Hagerstown hotel project | Local News | heraldmailmedia.com

[Dequindre]

I'm glad to hear that this project is progressing, but hopefully they're very selective in who they let live there. The last thing the area needs is another HUD-dominated apartment building.