BALTIMORE — Baltimore City is ending its longtime agreement with the developer who planned to rebuild West Baltimore's Poppleton neighborhood.
The city's housing department declined La Cité's request for more time to build a senior-housing building on North Schroeder Street.
Housing Commissioner Alice Kennedy said in a statement that the developer is now "effectively... in default of their agreement with the City of Baltimore."
The full statement says:
The Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has notified Poppleton Development I, LLC, that it declines to grant an extension of time related to providing evidence of financing for the planned senior building at 231 N. Schroeder Street. This declination effectively places the developer in default of their agreement with the City of Baltimore.
The City has worked with and accommodated this developer for nearly two decades. At this juncture, it was disappointing and disconcerting to receive a request for basically an open-ended extension when the agreement provides for an extension of no more than 60 days.
While the redevelopment of Poppleton has seen some signs of progress, the areas’ revitalization has mostly been met with delays and shortcomings that we can no longer endure. Allowing for any further delay by Poppleton Development I, LLC, in this long-awaited redevelopment project is not in the best interest of the community or the City of Baltimore. The City looks forward to working with the community on next steps.
La Cité announced last month that it planned to start building 180 single-family homes as part of the Center/West development.
