Greater Baltimore AHC News
GBAHC Begins Rehabilitation on Two Park Circle Houses in its Commitment to Neighborhood Revitalization
Baltimore, Md. (March 14, 2011) – Greater Baltimore AHC (GBAHC), a non-profit developer of affordable housing in the greater Baltimore region, has begun rehabilitation of vacant houses in the Park Circle area of lower Park Heights. The first two houses are located at 2618 and 2809 Violet Avenue.
The houses were purchased from the City of Baltimore as part of its initiative to address the issue of vacant houses. Working with the Land Resources division of Baltimore Housing, GBAHC has completed the purchase of six houses at a total cost of $35,000 with two additional properties in process with the City. GBAHC expects to spend approximately $125,000 for rehabilitation of each house.
The houses are located in the same neighborhood as GBAHC's MonteVerde, a 301-unit apartment community for low income seniors and non-elderly disabled residents that underwent a $30 million redevelopment by GBAHC that was completed in the spring of 2010.
“This initiative is an example of our belief in the importance of revitalizing properties as well as the neighborhoods in which they are located,” said Andrew M. Vincent, director of GBAHC. “When completed in late spring, we hope that these beautiful houses – brought back to life by all that we will be doing – will be shining examples of what we hope the future holds for all of Park Circle.”
The houses will undergo extensive rehabilitation such as all new HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems as well as new windows and exterior doors. Crews will also install new flooring and lighting, make wall repairs, paint and install new kitchen and baths including fixtures, cabinetry and appliances. In addition, particular attention will be paid to restoring the historical features of the homes wherever possible, such as moldings and staircases.
GBAHC will work with neighborhood organizations, including Park Heights Renaissance, to identify qualified first-time homebuyers for the first two houses as well as for the remaining six when they have been renovated and are ready for sale. Renovations on the other six houses will be completed in phases with the next phase anticipated to begin this summer.
About Greater Baltimore AHC
GBAHC has been in the Baltimore region since 2002 and has developed five properties with more than 1,000 affordable apartments. Projects include Barclay Greenmount, Greenspring Overlook, Kirkwood House, Lansdowne Apartments, and MonteVerde, a high-rise with 301 affordable apartments primarily for senior residents in Lower Park Heights. Additionally, Greater Baltimore AHC recently purchased Union Rowe, 72 one- to four-bedroom apartments with renovations expected to get underway in this year. It has also been named to the development team for mixed-income, rental and ownership units in O'Donnell Heights.
GBAHC is part of AHC Inc., headquartered in Arlington, Va., a private, not-for-profit developer of affordable housing in the mid-Atlantic region providing quality homes for low- and moderate-income families. Since its founding in 1975, AHC has developed and preserved 35 properties with more than 4,300 affordable apartments. In addition, GBAHC and AHC provide homeownership services and on-site educational services to improve the quality of residents’ lives. For more information visit www.gbahc.org