By Doni Glover, Publisher
(BALTIMORE – April 22, 2024) – Although some in Annapolis might think this news outlet is hard on elected officials, we simply aim to speak truth to power. This is to thank, applaud, and celebrate the people who have invested in and around North Avenue. This is so very special to me because – like some of you – North Avenue is a part of me. From Patterson Park to Harford Rd to Greenmount to Warwick, Dukeland, and Poplar Grover – I am North Avenue. Â
My dad’s first funeral home was at Patterson Park and Lanvale. That was around 1968. We lived on the second floor. Then we moved to 712-714 E. North Avenue where we lived on the second and third floors. And then around 1978, we returned to my mom’s property at 1526 Moreland Avenue on the Westside. In retrospect, the West North Avenue Development Authority is a Godsend that will transform a key swath of prime transportation-oriented real estate traveled by more than 27,000 people daily. That’s up there with the Key Bridge.
The redevelopment of this important piece of land will have lasting effects for generations to come. Politically, it is the work of mastermind Sen. Antonio Hayes. He, too, lived right off North Avenue in a tough part of town near Penn-North. Easily, our beloved senator could be a drug dealer. Instead, he has orchestrated a long overdue initiative. And Gov. Wes Moore is funding it with over $28 million – $11 million last year and another $17 million this year.
Nine years ago, this same strip was scarred by the Freddie Gray Unrest. While it has been a long time coming, it is finally here. Communities along this stretch of land should be attending meetings to see how to be an integral part of this growth and development. The EMAGE Center, located in the 2100 block of West North Avenue, is a prime example. Established by Citywide Youth Development, the business produces Made in Bmore Apparel and Frozen Desert Sorbet. With about $3 million from the State of Maryland thanks to former Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford and Sen. Hayes, it is now buying adjacent properties on the block. This is happening just blocks from Penn-North.
So, further development along West North Avenue makes lots of business sense. And let’s not forget the expansion of Coppin State University since massive investment by Gov. Robert Ehrlich. Coppin now spans from Gwynns Falls Parkway to Baker Street. Some old, tough, murder-ridden, and drug-infested neighborhoods were replaced by a new look, a new hope, and a new optimism.
At Saturday’s meeting, a group of 9 AKA sorority members who have formed a rehab outfit that transforms vacants won grant money to continue the work they have started along the West North Avenue corridor. That was beautiful.
Given that the March Funeral Home empire and other Eastside leaders first launched efforts on East North Avenue over a decade ago, the West North Avenue Development Authority (WNADA) led by Washington, D.C.’s own Chad Williams is surpassing those efforts. Maybe, this effort can ultimately expand to touch East North Avenue, too. Both sides of the so-called ‘Black Butterfly’ deserve the long-anticipated attention.
Truth be told, when North and Charles was getting redevelopment money about 15 years ago to formally welcome the white arts community, someone should have recognized the need to also invest money simultaneously and immediately into the whole of North Avenue versus this piecemeal approach. That is how you do it!
But, …. we’ll take this for now.
Westsiders, get on your business game ASAP. The money is here and grant applications will be flowing. Â
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