$1.8B East Baltimore redevelopment has had mixed results so far, study finds

Changes sought in Baltimore City’s Middle East community under an ambitious $1.8 billion redevelopment plan over 20 years ago have so far brought mixed results. A report by the nonprofit research firm Urban Institute found the project to reshape 88 acres in the neighborhood by the East Baltimore Development Inc., or EBDI, has succeeded on some fronts, but also fallen short of its original goals to upgrade the community with 1,500 new affordable and market-rate housing units, lower poverty levels in the area and add more new residents with at least a bachelor’s degree. The report found, though, that the EBDI area had recorded higher rents for apartment units since 2011. The 62-page report was released on Wednesday. It recommended further study of the large-scale redevelopment in the coming years to measure its success.