As Baltimore pursues an ambitious plan to eliminate the blight of vacant homes, the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development is keeping track of the progress. Dashboards created with data show real-time tracking of key metrics set by the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Council.
The goal of the council is to revitalize 5,000 vacant properties, transitioning them to homeownership or other productive uses, by July 2029. Starting from a tally of about 16,000 – vacancies created through economic upheaval and the continuing effects of racial redlining – about 1,800 homes have been reclaimed so far. The effort is receiving national attention, with the Wall Street Journal last month describing the bidding wars that have erupted over newly desirable real estate in the city.
Baltimore Fishbowl took a tour last week of the Top 5 neighborhoods experiencing the greatest number of vacancy reductions over the past two years. On many blocks, construction, from painting to the rise new buildings, was underway. The tour also revealed the hard work, block by block, that needs to continue for Baltimore to make more progress. Even as rowhouses are being purchased and renovated, many commercial and industrial properties on the edges of neighborhoods are languishing.
Here are images and statistics from the Top 5 neighbhoods where vacant properties are being revived:
5. Harlem Park
Credit: David Nitkin
Harlem Park is in West Baltimore, and the neighborhood is centered around Harlem Square Park. Home styles include rowhomes, apartments and new construction. In the 1870s and 1880s, developers erected hundreds of rowhouses in the blocks around Harlem Park, and after years of racial strife, it became predominantly Black in the 1930s.
- Number of vacant homes July 2024: 501
- Number of current vacant homes: 439
- Reduction since FY25: 62 properties; 12.4 percent of vacants
4. East Baltimore Midway
East Baltimore Midway is in North Baltimore, and several former industrial buildings in the area have been converted to dual-purpose artist live and work spaces. The neighborhood is close to Penn Station and the Station North Arts and Entertainment District.
- Number of vacant homes July 2024: 386
- Number of current vacant homes: 317
- Reduction since FY25: 69 properties; 17.9 percent of vacants
3. Sandtown-Winchester
Sandtown-Winchester is in West Baltimore, and has a storied past: the rowhomes in the neighborhood have been home at different times to Thurgood Marshall, Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway.
- Number of vacant homes July 2024: 668
- Number of current vacant homes: 588
- Reduction since FY25: 80 properties; 12 percent of vacants
2. Coldstream Homestead Montebello
Coldstream Homestead Montebello is a neighborhood in North Baltimore that derives its name from the 19th-century grandeur of Baltimore’s elaborate summer estates and small country villages. It contains an historic district that recognizes the development of a more suburban style of rowhouses. The neighborhood is home to City College High School.
- Number of vacant homes July 2024: 316
- Number of current vacant homes: 235
- Reduction since FY25: 81 properties; 25.6 percent of vacants
1. Broadway East
According to the Live Baltimore website, Broadway East in East Baltimore is experiencing a resurgence after a long period of disinvestment. Progress includes the renovation of the American Brewery building on Gay Street, and the Baltimore Food Hub, a 3.5-acre campus of food-related businesses.
- Number of vacant homes July 2024: 816
- Number of current vacant homes: 717
- Reduction since FY25: 99 properties; 12.1 percent of vacants
