ReBUILD Metro held a ribbon-cutting on Thursday, Oct. 29, for the Mura Street homes in Johnston Square, an East Baltimore neighborhood, and said only one home on the block is still unsold. Mayor Brandon Scott, state Sen. Cory McCray, Council President Zeke Cohen and Comptroller Bill Henry were among the officials at the event.
According to the Baltimore Brew, the $5.5 million project turns 16 vacant rowhouses into eight double-wide homes and rebuilds two more rowhouses, for 10 homes in all.
What Was Built
ReBUILD Metro, a nonprofit, rebuilt vacant rowhouses on the Mura Street block as homes for sale. Sean Closkey, president of ReBUILD Metro, said only one home on the block remains unsold. The recording did not specify prices or buyers.
Closkey said the vacancy rate in Johnston Square is below 10 percent for the first time in more than four decades. He said the effort took 13 years and credited neighbors, the city, the state, the developer and the contractors.
What Speakers Said
Closkey said the work was the result of residents deciding to invest in their own block. “It was agency,” he said. He credited neighborhood residents who asked for investment on their block.
Scott said the city is working to eliminate vacant housing over the next decade or more. He said revitalizing whole blocks, paired with investments such as a park under construction nearby, is the approach. “We have a few more blocks to go,” he said.
State and City Goals
A state Department of Housing and Community Development official said the state is a partner in the work. The official said Gov. Wes Moore’s 2024 executive order created Reinvest Baltimore, which aims to move at least 5,000 vacant properties into homeownership or other positive outcomes over five years, according to the department’s website on Reinvest Baltimore.
The official said the city has seen a 13 percent reduction in vacant buildings. The recording did not include figures to support that number. The official also said the state backs the city’s $3 billion, 15-year goal to eliminate vacant property.
What Happens Next
Scott said he looks forward to more ribbon-cuttings in Johnston Square and across Baltimore. The recording did not specify the next blocks or dates for further work in the neighborhood.
