BmoreNews.com
  • Latest News
  • Black Wall Street
  • Business
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Videos
  • Login
  • Register
  BREAKING
CCG Nominates Doni Glover Show (BlackUSA.News) for Emmy February 3, 2023
How Baltimore’s Historic Zoning and Code Enforcement Block Black Wealth Creation February 3, 2023
Next Phaze Cafe presents … SOULFUL FRIDAYS! 112 E. Lexington St., BALTIMORE February 3, 2023
ANGELA HENDRIX BELL TO BE RECOGNIZED TONIGHT AT BLACK WALL ST. DMV February 3, 2023
IAN FARQUHARSON | Cigars Sips & Socials | by Troy L. Rawlings January 31, 2023
Konan to be Recognized at Black Wall Street DMV, Feb. 3rd, Omni Shoreham DC Ballroom January 31, 2023
WHY THE BEYA METAQUAKE SYMPOSIUM? (Feb. 2-4, Omni Shoreham DC) January 31, 2023
CIAA 2023 MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT January 31, 2023
Prof. Larry Gibson Speaks: Esther E. McCready, Nurse, Honored January 31, 2023
Sherryn Gaworecki, Salvation Army February 1, 2023
Next
Prev
No Result
View All Result
en English
en Englishfr Françaisde Deutschit Italianoru Русскийes Español
Subscribe
Live
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Editorial/Op-Ed
  • The Glover Report
  • Black Wall Street
  • Video
  • Polls
  • Questions
  • Forum
Live
No Result
View All Result
BmoreNews.com
Live
Home Editorial/Op-Ed

Historic Hoes Heights Faces Attempted Manipulation by the Roland Park Community Foundation to Change 100 Years of Black Legacy in Baltimore

Doni Glover by Doni Glover
August 29, 2022
in Editorial/Op-Ed
1 0
A A
0
Historic Boundaries of Hoes Heights

Historic Boundaries of Hoes Heights

ADVERTISEMENT

By Hoes Heights Action Committee

(BALTIMORE – August 29, 2022) – Since the renovation of the beautiful and historic Roland Water Tower (RWT), there have been many meetings shepherded by the Roland Park Community Foundation and its committees to discuss potential design options to enhance the green space surrounding the renovated monument. Unfortunately, the process that led to the permanent road closure of the tower advocated for and now being sought for final design approval by agencies of the City of Baltimore including CHAP (Baltimore City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation) has not allowed for the voices of those most affected by this closure to be heard.  This design process was conceived in the early days of the 2009 Greater Roland Park Master Plan and has intentionally excluded and misrepresented the community most affected by this closure: Hoes Heights, a neighborhood established by a formerly enslaved man and one of the oldest black historical communities in Baltimore.

Today, the Roland Park Community Foundation (RPCF), chaired by Mary Page Michel, and its subgroup the Roland Water Tower Steering Committee, have ignored the concerns of Hoes Heights residents and misrepresented our community in its design presentations to the Maryland Historic Trust (MHT), the Baltimore City for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP), City of Baltimore Department of Transportation (DOT), and the City of Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW).  Indeed, RPCF hired Unknown Studios, a landscape design studio, to create several options for a redesign of the green space surrounding the Roland Water Tower. Although Unknown Studios initially created a design with full road access, the final design that is now being shepherded through (without buy-in from the majority of Hoes Heights residents) will permanently shut down the traffic circle around the Tower that for over 100 years and until it’s recent closure has served as a safe gateway in and out of our community.

Much has progressed in Hoes Heights over the last century. Living in this still predominantly Black community are now the sons, daughters, cousins, and grandchildren of its original residents, many of whom were the nannies, housekeepers, gardeners, and chauffeurs to Roland Park and beyond – communities from which our Black ancestors were excluded by deeds, custom, and means.

We are perplexed as to why the Roland Park Community Foundation has actively promoted and advocated for a plan that will harm and exclude our historically black neighborhood, which depends on the road access around the Tower for travel to and from points outside our community.  The Roland Water Tower was first built in 1904 to provide water to the growing community, and soon afterward became a transportation hub as a trolley/bus turnaround, as well as a green space for the families of Hoes Heights. For well over a century since then, these homes have been passed down through generations, all full of pride and love for their neighborhood.

RELATED TOPICS

Op-Ed: My Beef With Brandon and His Boss – Yitzy

From the Desk of Carl Snowden: The “Black Wave” that changed the political complexion of Anne Arundel County politics.

THANK YOU by Ashley Esposito, Baltimore City School Board

This all began to change behind the scenes when in 2009 the Roland Park Civic League claimed the Water Tower as a key feature in their Greater Roland Park Master Plan. Then, as now, our community was excluded from the process in a direct and meaningful way.

The so-called “support”  for this vision was manipulated then as it is being done today.

Buy JNews
ADVERTISEMENT

The 113 homes in our community now include elderly people, front-line workers, and professionals tending to daily normal needs and imperatives. During the spring of 2022, members of our community conducted a door-to-door survey independent of RPCF that shows that over 86% of the residents surveyed do not want to lose access to our community’s gateway at the Tower.  Our survey was conducted within the historic borders of Hoes Heights, and its findings were presented to the Roland Water Tower Steering Committee by the 2 Hoes Heights representatives in the group. The data from the survey was, however, ignored by the Steering Committee.  Instead, the Steering Committee decided to move forth with their  “pocket park” design that eliminates road access to our community. Their counterargument is that they will instead implement various access/egress traffic calming measures to solve our community’s problem of access.  We believe that these options are not only inconvenient but also dangerous measures to the traffic safety of our residents and guests.

Today, what began as a much-needed restoration of the iconic landmark tower has been expanded by Roland Park Community Foundation.  The current permanent design outright overrides the historical transportation infrastructure and community gateway to our beloved community and instead promotes a pocket park of greenspace that blocks our nearly 100-year access to our Hoe’s Heights homes.  Although the Roland Park Community Foundation’s  (RPCF) papers and presentations seem to demonstrate our community’s support for this redesign, this is not the case. In all the meetings and outreach to this point, even as far back as the 2009 Greater Roland Park Master Plan, it seems that there had been “listening” to our views, but little prioritization or inclusion of these perspectives, needs, and traditions—particularly our road access.  We have systematically been excluded from this process throughout every step. with

We believe that if the public and our public officials truly understood the historical roots of our community and the egregious impact upon our daily lives in the closing of the road surrounding the water tower, they would be in agreement with our wishes to City Officials to keep the road permanently open.

We are asking for the help of the Mayor, the City Council, and other city Officials  with the following actions:

·         to hear our voices and know the history of this community

ADVERTISEMENT

·         Return the important Roland Park Water Tower road design back to full road access:

 

●     Request a meeting at which HHAC members are present that discloses the status update of all City of Baltimore agencies (DOT, DGS, DPW) involved in the redesign of the Roland Water Tower.

 

Sincerely,

Hoes Heights Action Committee:

            Teri Logan

            Quianna Cooke

            Eleanor Matthews

            Joanne Kent

            Kitsy Lee

            Hana Morford

            Betsy Heeney

           Jennifer Jarvis, President of Heathbrook Community Association
Tags: Historic Hoes Heights Faces Attempted Manipulation by the Roland Park Community Foundation to Change 100 Years of Black Legacy in Baltimore
ShareTweetShareShareSend
Doni Glover

Doni Glover

A journalist since 1994, he also founded DMGlobal Marketing & Public Relations. Glover has an extensive list of clients including corporations, non-profits, government agencies, politics, business owners, PR firms, and attorneys.

Related Articles

Black Wall Street HARLEM 2022 Fall. Photo by Lee Vaughan, Exec. Dir. of the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards
Black Wall Street

Guest Editorial: Black Wall Street HARLEM Honors Amazing Businesspeople by Tasemere Gathers

by Doni Glover
November 11, 2022
0
32

(HARLEM - November 10, 2022) - The Joe Manns Black...

Read more
Kia Chante'
Editorial/Op-Ed

Guest Editorial: Mindset Shift… by Kia Chante’

by Doni Glover
November 9, 2022
0
21

(FT. WASHINGTON - November 8, 2022) - As many of...

Read more
Wes and Dawn Moore hit two churches in Prince George's County yesterday.
Editorial/Op-Ed

Guest Editorial: The Closing Argument by Senior Journalist Charles Robinson, III

by Doni Glover
November 7, 2022
0
57

(CLINTON, MD - November 7, 2022) - In the vastness...

Read more
Ken Morris
Editorial/Op-Ed

Guest Editorial: A LEGACY OF EDUCATION, ACTIVISM, AND LIBERATION by Kenneth B. Morris, Jr.

by Doni Glover
November 3, 2022
0
10

(ROCHESTER, NY - November 2, 2022) - I can't say...

Read more
Vote "NO" to Question K
Editorial/Op-Ed

EDITORIAL: Prof. Gibson Says Vote “NO” to Question K: It does not serve our community!

by Doni Glover
October 17, 2022
0
10

(BALTIMORE - October 17, 2022) - A faithful follower sent...

Read more
Editorial/Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Omega Baltimore Host Easterwood Park Tour to Address Safety Concerns

by Doni Glover
October 8, 2022
0
37

(BALTIMORE - October 7, 2022) - We recently hosted community...

Read more
Load More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended Stories

Attorney Jeremy Eldridge discusses Freddie Gray Case, 11.10.15

July 22, 2022
0

BlackUSA #Crypto News : I Am Black Wall Street #NFTs!

July 19, 2022
2

Protest! #usa

July 21, 2022
0
ADVERTISEMENT

Popular Stories

  • The DMV loves, loves, loves Allison and Marc!

    Power Couple Marc Clarke & Allison Seymour to be Recognized at Black Wall Street DMV, Feb. 3rd

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • HBO’s “The Wire” Actor Richard Burton to receive BMORENews Lifetime Achievement Award

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • A Real Westside Story: The Men of Matthew Henson #29 Still Connected After Half a Century

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Glover Report: Public Apology to Baltimore City School Board Candidates/Finalists Ashley Esposito and Salimah Jasani

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • OTIS WARREN: Nationally-Recognized Baltimore Real Estate Titan Passes

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
BmoreNews.com

BmoreNews.com is an online news outlet based in Baltimore, MD established in 2002. Yes, this is our 20th Anniversary year. We primarily cover news and developments from an African American/Black perspective.

LEARN MORE »

Recent Posts

  • CCG Nominates Doni Glover Show (BlackUSA.News) for Emmy
  • How Baltimore’s Historic Zoning and Code Enforcement Block Black Wealth Creation
  • Next Phaze Cafe presents … SOULFUL FRIDAYS! 112 E. Lexington St., BALTIMORE

Sections

  • Black Wall Street
  • Business
  • Editorial/Op-Ed
  • News
  • Politics
  • The Glover Report
  • Uncategorized
  • Video

Newsletter

The most important world news and events of the day

Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Press Release
  • Contact

© 2022 BmoreNews.com - Created by Sawah Dev.

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest News
  • Black Wall Street
  • Business
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Videos

© 2022 BmoreNews.com - Created by Sawah Dev.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In