SWP Housing Committee

Southwest Partnership

April 8, 2021

Meeting Minutes

 

Attendees

  1. Heather Kangas – Committee Chair
  2. Laura Dykes
  3. Nancy McCormick
  4. Jeff La Noue – City Planner
  5. Christian Hall – RTB
  6. Jane Buccheri
  7. Cecilia Gonzalez
  8. Marianne Navarro
  9. Paulette Carroll
  10. Nate Tarter
  11. Brian Greenan
  12. Amber Jones
  13. Derrick McCorvey
  14. Edith Gillards
  15. Sharon Park
  16. Lou Packett
  17. April Patterson 
  18. Dotie Page
  19. Leila Kohler-Frueh
  20. Serena Watters
  21. Jon Law
  22. Sonia Eaddy 
  23. Carrie Baniszewski– SWP staff
  24. Haley Wittstadt– SWP staff
  25. Tony Scott – SWP staff

 

Review and approval of March Minutes – Approved Nancy and Derrick second

 

  • Guest Speaker: Jeff La Noue, City Planner, Community Planning and Revitalization to discuss Housing Data and Strategies (Data from 2015)

Powerpoint will be sent in email (linked here)

  • Total population 621,849 – population decreasing overall 
  • # of Households 238,897- gaining in households
  • 35-54 years old: losing population (hard time with families) 
  • Cater housing strategies to reflect population trends
  • SWP is an ideal location due to increased jobs in education/healthcare nearby. 

City Wide Data 

  • 26,353 property sales
  • Averager 69 days on the market 
  • Average closing price is $185,825.02 (taz assessed at 165,025.24)
  • Homestead Tax Credit Application- limits 4%/year from going up 
  • In volume, there is a clear trend line, more homes going into settlement Nearly doubled the number of housing transactions since 2010.

Southwest Specific Data

  • Southwest Housing Live Baltimore 
    • Market segment focus
  • Number of sales 2,124
  • Median sale price $107,000
  • Average 47 days on the market
  • Pigtown is the number 2 neighborhood in terms of number of sales

Mt. Clare

Average of 65 days on the market

112 property sales

Average closing price: $21,996.26 

Made a homeowner zone, seeking stabilization 

Hollins Market 

Average 81 days on market 

130 property sales 

Average closing price: $121,368.60 (stable)

Barre Circle 

Average 54 days on market

25 property sales (3 years: selling ⅞ houses per year). 

Average closing price $211,818

Union Square 

77 property sales 

Average of 79 days on market

Average closing price: $141,175.22 (sale and assessed values are in line) 

Washington Village/Pigtown 

520 property sales (very active)

Average of 71 days on the market

Average closing price:$143,278.35 (Need to do Homestead Credit) 

Poppleton (La Cite throws off numbers)

30 property sales 

Average of 42 days on the market

Average closing price $66,530

Franklin Square 

Average of 62 days on the market 

81 property sales 

Average closing price $41,568.06

 

To find real estate data/information use Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com,Trulia, Homefinder, Apartments.com, Live Baltimore, Baltimore Business Journal, & Baltimore Sun.

 

Education Ratings are VERY important to home buyers; Zillow is doing a great disservice to Baltimore schools and turns away potential home buyers. 

Use this link to contact GreatSchools.com about changing  school ratings. 

 

Live Baltimore School Navigator Event April 15 

Meeting link HERE

 

Advice from the planning department:

  • Get to know realtors in the community 
  • Have a housing committee plan to help sell houses and neighborhoods (coordinated open houses)
  • Marketing and branding efforts (Utilize FREE technology)
  • Adopt curb appeal projects
  • Share homeownership incentives 
  • Tell the press about positive events and stories 
  • Reachout to UMB (largest local employer)

Questions:

How to become a Healthy Neighborhood? (Laura Dykes)

  • Marketing and loan programs 
  • Mark Sissman
    • Office Phone # (410) – 332 – 0387
    • Email: msissman@healthyneighborhoods.org

 

Cost of Rehabbing for potential homeowners? (Cecillia Gonzalez)

There are programs, but in general the city prefers to use developers.

 

What is the planning department’s role on a macro level in planning? They have done projects in East Baltimore with the water front; what is the incentive in SW Balt? (Nate Turner). 

Biopark starts a new building on average every three years; this brings in jobs. 

Focus on leveraging assets 

  • BioPark*
  • B&O museum 
  • Shopping center 
  • UMB 
  • La Cite Grocery Store?

More affordable than the waterfront.

Easier to get onto I-95. Big construction investment at the highways. 

Mixed income community; how do we do it successfully (Heather Kangas)

  • You could buy a house for less than the monthly rent from La Cite.
  • Housing is on average $200k. 
  • New construction rental is going to be expensive; they will never be affordable. Homeownership is affordable, especially with the current low interest rates. 
  • Cannot focus rental concerns on new construction alone. There are older and more affordable rental options. 

 

What do we do about a vacant that is affecting homeowners?

  • Request service through 311 (call or use this link) and get a code enforcement agent to do an inspection. 
  • The city sets aside money. Could do a rush demolition. 

Old Business

  • Poe Homes 
    • Additional Funding
    • Wednesday, 21 April 2021 starting at 6:30pm to hear about the Habitat for Humanity Homeownership Program and how you could become a homeowner. Link to meeting HERE.  

 

  • Brian Greenan 
    • Rebuilding Together Baltimore 
      • Homeowners in the area are the target audience
      • $10k/house 
      • HUD- conceptual approval (final scope of work, final budget, and a few other basic things). 

 

  • Homeownership Zones/NHS Partnership/LEDC
    • NHS should be at the next meeting. 
    • Homeowner incentives (Link)
    • Anchor institutions (UMB)
  • Tax Sale Program
    • SWP is looking to get rid of 2019 tax sale certificates (expire this year).
    • These are vacant properties. City has SWP vet applicants for the tax sale.
    • Carrie Baniszewski is going through 2020 tax sale applications
    • Occupied properties that are going to tax sale (2021) were sent out. It takes the city a little bit to update the data. If you believe you have already paid the amount you can verify by calling the city. 
    • April 18 is the due date for addressing these concerns before going into May tax sale. 
    • If a property is sought after, say adjoining yours, you can bid on it in the May auction. So long as it was not redeemed. 
  • Homeownership Work Group
    • Homebuyers Club
    • NHS Homeownership Pop-ups

 

New Business (Community Updates)

    • BRNI/CORE funding priorities – Applications from last year
      • Flexible funding applications. 
      • Because of COVID, none of these were funded. If these issues are still priorities, SWP can apply again. 
      • State requires SWP to rank the choices.
  • Zoom Poll: VOTE on choices.
    • What is the committee’s top priority? 
  1. Home Buying Incentive program (42%)
  2. Homeowner repair program (25%)
  3. Homes for working families (33%)

Poll Results: Home Buying Incentive Program (42%).

 

Motion to Adjourn Cecillia and Derrick McCorvey second. 9:12PM

 

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