Robust Public Engagement Process Will Inform Plan for Data-Driven, Long-Term Vision for Affordable Housing in Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD (Wednesday, July 17, 2024) – Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced that the City of Baltimore is working to craft the City’s first-ever Comprehensive Housing Plan, an effort led by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The Comprehensive Housing Plan will seek to outline a long-term vision for Baltimore’s approach to housing policy and provide an overarching road map to ensure the multitude of programs and policy plans from various agencies – like the $3 billion vacant housing vision introduced by Mayor Scott, BUILD, and GBC – are cohesively executed together.

The first priority of the effort will be to conduct a robust public engagement process that allows a variety of interests and residents from across the City to have the opportunity to provide their input on the future of affordable housing development for all neighborhoods. Over the next several months, in partnership with the selected consultant, Guidehouse, the City will host four town halls, distribute an electronic and paper survey, invite key stakeholders to ten topic-based focus group style feedback sessions, convene an advisory committee, and interview experts in the field. The input collected through stakeholder engagement will directly inform the final recommendations in the comprehensive housing plan. The City anticipates releasing a draft for public comment in late Fall.

“Housing is one of the most critically important policy challenges facing the City of Baltimore – and it will continue to be a core focus of my administration,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Throughout much of our city’s history and as the birthplace of redlining, the housing policy decisions made in Baltimore City Hall and other halls of power nationally have left a horrible legacy of disinvestment and discrimination that we still see the scars of today. We’ve put forward numerous policy proposals and plans – like our vacant housing reduction strategy – that will help us finally overcome that dark legacy. Now is the time to bring all of the incredible work being done across the city together into one cohesive plan. Baltimore’s first-ever Comprehensive Housing Plan will provide a roadmap for the future of housing in Baltimore City that is both reflective of the voices of and seeks to serve all Baltimoreans.”

The new, comprehensive housing plan will build on the many successes and lessons learned from DHCD’s 2019 Community Development Framework and will focus on a transition from theory to implementation. 

“Since I became Commissioner in 2021, I have wanted to create a truly community-centered, community-driven comprehensive housing plan. This will complement the Planning Department’s Citywide Comprehensive Plan, by including specific, actionable goals for DHCD to ensure that all Baltimoreans have access to safe and affordable housing,” said Commissioner Alice Kennedy.

Mayor Scott is committed to development without displacement, and committed to providing safe and vibrant housing options for all Baltimoreans in all neighborhoods. The comprehensive housing plan, which is set to have the final version released in early 2025, will clearly articulate an action-oriented, data-driven, and community-centered, long-term vision for affordable housing across the city. The final plan will include measurable production and preservation goals. Each goal will include specific metrics that will help stakeholders track progress.