Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City Leaders Present Vision and Action Plan for Brooklyn and Curtis Bay Community

August 5, 2016

On August 4, community leaders from Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City gathered at the Chesapeake Arts Center to present the Greater Baybrook Vision and Action Plan. The document is the culmination of a yearlong cross-jurisdictional planning effort for the Brooklyn, Curtis Bay, and Brooklyn Park neighborhoods. North county Delegate Ned Carey of District 31A, Baltimore City Delegate Peter Hammen of District 46, and representatives from Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation and other local organizations attended the event. The plan and the event were coordinated by Ira Kowler, Greater Baybrook Project Manager of the Strong City Baltimore initiative.

With funding support from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Goldseker Foundation, Strong City has gathered over 100 stakeholders and residents from Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County for a comprehensive discussion about community development across the Greater Baybrook peninsula. The Vision and Action Plan lays out visions and policy strategies in key issue areas such as housing, economic development, transportation, quality of life, youth and education, and community engagement and will serve as a guiding document for future revitalization across the peninsula.

Divided between Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County, the Greater Baybrook peninsula has historically home to workers in nearby manufacturing and maritime industry business along the water. However, a slow economic downturn occurred over the past several decades as industry became globalized and anchor businesses moved out of the area. In the past several years many portions of the peninsula have begun to see the sparks of a local revival, led by strong institutions such as the Ben Franklin Center for Community Schools and the Chesapeake Arts Center, providing new spaces where a diverse set of residents could receive services and build community. The peninsula recently gained national attention for the fight led by Free Your Voice, a local youth organization, against a proposed trash-burning incinerator site in the community. The Greater Baybrook Vision and Action Plan built off the energy of these stakeholders to define a path for ongoing revitalization of the peninsula.

In addition, the Greater Baybrook Vision and Action Plan has allowed the peninsula to submit a $1.1 million state funding request as part of the Baltimore Regional Neighborhoods Initiative (BRNI) in July 2016. Six cross-jurisdictional projects from Greater Baybrook will be considered as part of the 2016-17 BRNI funding cycle, including home improvement funding, recreational facilities, business façade improvements, and a peninsula branding campaign.

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