Mayor Rawlings-Blake, Community Churches Urge Progress on West Side
Lexington Square Project would create 750 permanent jobs if Commission for Historical Architectural Preservation (CHAP) allows Superblock compromise to move forward.
Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined local pastors and representatives from the Dawson Company, a second-generation African-American-owned development company leading the Superblock redevelopment, for an onsite tour of the proposed Lexington Square project. Founding members of Community Churches for Community Development and representatives from the Downtown Partnership joined Mayor Rawlings-Blake in urging the City’s Commission for Historical Architectural Preservation to allow the Lexington Square Project to move forward to spur job creation.
The Lexington Square project (known as the “Superblock”), is estimated to create more than 600 construction jobs immediately, and will, at completion, generate approximately 750 permanent jobs, $18 million in sales tax annually from the retail space, and $2.3 million annually in real estate taxes. The mixed-use redevelopment project will include approximately 500,000 square feet of retail and residential space and parking. The influx of investment and activity will significantly boost foot traffic, improve public safety, and be an impetus for revitalization of the West Side.
“At my request, the Dawson Company has put forward a reasonable compromise that respects our proud history, preserves historic facades and buildings and creates new jobs and investment for the future,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said. “This project, which has been going through a vetting process for over five years with the Maryland Historic Trust, represents a reasonable compromise between historic preservation interests and the need to create new jobs and new investment for the West Side. CHAP needs to allow the project to move forward.”
“This community cannot afford to turn away hundreds of jobs and the economic opportunity this project represents, training and jobs programs, and millions in direct private investment in the West Side. The Lexington Square project means a new start for an area that has been neglected for too long,” said Reverend Sheridan Todd Yeary, Senior Pastor, Douglas Memorial Community Church and founding principal of Community Churches for Community Development.
“We are bringing neighborhoods back together around this project –¬ symbolically and in a very real way. This project is a big step toward healing a great scar that divides Baltimore City and brings back some of the vibrancy and meaning to this historically significant corridor,” said Reverend Alvin C. Hathaway, Senior Pastor, Union Baptist Church and founding principal of Community Churches for Community Development.
In March, Mayor Rawlings-Blake announced a compromise between the developer and community leaders to preserve the legacy of Read’s drugstore, revitalize the city’s West Side, and create job opportunities for City residents. Lexington Square Partners, LLC (LSP), the developer for Lexington Square, has agreed to preserve the visible exterior walls of the Read’s Drug Store building in honor of the 1955 sit-in at Read’s Drug Store and design an appropriate commemoration following ongoing discussions with the community.
“There is a moral imperative to rebuild communities, and we must find a way to honor the heroic acts of the Morgan State students while allowing the critical Lexington square project to move forward,” said Downtown Partnership of Baltimore President Kirby Fowler. “That’s why Downtown Partnership of Baltimore is donating one hundred thousand dollars to commemorate the Read’s sit-in. We envision a high-quality, interactive experience that will bring history alive for the thousands of new visitors and residents that Lexington Square will draw to this area.”
LSP will also implement preservation strategies for several other buildings in the development, resulting in the preservation of over 89 % on Lexington Street and 76% on Howard Street of the contributing historic buildings that comprise the existing street walls. After an exhaustive vetting process lasting more than 5 years, the Maryland Historic Trust has approved the project.
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