Government and city officials in Maryland have broken ground on a $28 million mixed-use affordable housing development. Located in the Park Heights neighborhood of Northwest Baltimore, the project will deliver 83 affordable flats and dedicated space for small businesses. The initiative is being led by BRIDGES Community Development Corporation, WinnDevelopment and Bon Secours Unity Properties.

The milestone marks the culmination of an eight-year vision first started by BRIDGES CDC. High-profile attendees at the groundbreaking event included Maryland Congressman Kweisi Mfume alongside representatives from the Maryland Department of Housing & Community Development, the City of Baltimore, Bank of America and NewPoint Capital.

Named the Residences at Belvedere Place, the four-story, 112,102-square-foot building will contain 21 one-bedroom, 53 two-bedroom and nine three-bedroom apartments. The allocation strategy dictates that nine units will serve households earning at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income, while 63 units are for those at or below 60 percent of AMI. Crucially, 11 units will provide supportive housing for families at risk of homelessness earning at or below 30 percent of AMI. Workers expect to complete construction by the spring of 2027.

Funding sources include $500,000 in Fiscal Year 2024 Congressionally Directed Spending secured by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Congressman Mfume and former U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. Additional public support came via Low Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt bond financing and city loans. To create the 2.2-acre site near the Pimlico Race Course, developers successfully assembled 10 vacant and underutilised plots of land.

The building will feature 8,442 square feet of ground-floor retail space, native landscaping and resident amenities. BRIDGES CDC is providing a $6 million loan from historical grants, and Bank of America acts as the construction lender. Southway Builders and C.L. McCoy Framing are serving as joint general contractors, with Grimm+Parker acting as the architect.

“Affordable housing is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and I am incredibly proud to have supported federal funding for this project to bring 83 affordable homes to the Park Heights Community,” said Congressman Mfume. “Being able to bring federal investments home to communities that need them is one of the most gratifying elements of being in the U.S. Congress, and I will not stop fighting to secure funding for worthwhile initiatives like this one.”