BALTIMORE — Community leaders broke ground on a revitalization project in West Baltimore's Coppin Heights neighborhood, marking the beginning of renovations for vacant homes along North Avenue.
The project begins with gutting and renovating three houses, part of a broader initiative to revitalize the area. Baltimore City Council Member James Torrence said the city is investing over $100 million within a two-mile radius in District 7.
"We are betting on West Baltimore but also investing in that bet, um, to give you an idea," Torrence said. "When I used to go to Coppin High School back in 2005, two of these houses weren't vacant. Now we see them being reused and renovated."
WATCH: Baltimore breaks ground on Coppin Heights revitalization
Just a block away at Ashburton and North Avenue, dozens of vacant and boarded-up homes highlight the work still needed. Torrence noted the city is utilizing a "whole block strategy" to create homeownership opportunities.
"A lot is happening in my district, especially with the whole block strategy," Torrence said. "We're bringing whole blocks online so that people can have opportunities to actually own a home in West Baltimore."
Over the next three years, plans include renovating homes in the 2700 through 2900 blocks of North Avenue. The development will feature mixed-use housing designed for both renters and buyers.
Residents point to The Mill on North, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary with restaurants, vendors, and apartments, as an early sign of the city's commitment to the community.
"It gives the people a chance to come in congregate, they eat, they can eat, they play dominoes, they play cards," Battle said. "So it's just a place for the community to kind of get back and build and, and just, you know, get to interact with one another."
Thomas Dargan, who moved away five years ago, noted the changes happening in his old neighborhood.
"I got a better house, um, but now like I'm kind of like upset I didn't moved because y'all doing development now," Dargan said.
For current residents like Battle, who was born and raised in Baltimore but is new to Coppin Heights, the affordable housing and new investments are welcome news.
"It's very important for me, um, even living here," Battle said. "I live here, I rent here, and I will stay here, and it's all right because I like it, you know, it's affordable for me."
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