BALTIMORE, MD (August 1, 2007) – Today, Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, along with members of the BRAC Subcabinet, a delegation from Baltimore City government, and Baltimore-area elected officials, toured new and revitalized areas as part of an entire day showcasing Baltimore City’s readiness for BRAC families moving to Maryland. Earlier in the day, Mayor Sheila Dixon presented Baltimore City’s BRACtion Plan to Lt. Governor Brown.
“Maryland is investing in the future of Baltimore City and our entire State to prepare for BRAC,” said. Lt. Governor Brown. “We are ready.”
The BRACtion Plan is a guidebook for City BRAC preparedness. In 2005, the federal base realignment decision prescribed the movement of military workers from out of state to Maryland military bases, specifically Aberdeen Proving Ground and Ft. George G. Meade. Current estimates indicate that the State of Maryland could receive as many as 60,000 new jobs over the next decade.
“The City of Baltimore is in a unique position to absorb the population moving to Maryland,” said Mayor Dixon. “Baltimore offers quality, affordable homeownership opportunities unavailable in other jurisdictions.”
The BRACtion Plan was developed after a series of meetings and individual discussions with City agencies, non-profits, foundations, private enterprise, small business owners, and community leaders, and after discussion and review in a BRAC stakeholders’ forum known as BRACStat.
“Baltimore City is primed to be an ideal location for BRAC families moving to Maryland to work at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Ft. Meade,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “Mayor Dixon and her BRACStat team have laid out a comprehensive plan to welcome these families.”
Stops and highlights on the tour included Baltimore City Community College’s Liberty Heights Campus, where the Lt. Governor met with President Carolane Williams, the Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse’s Clipper Mill project, the Station North project, the Johns Hopkins University Emerging Technology Center, the neighborhoods of Mayfield and Belair-Edison, environmentally-friendly townhomes in Patterson Park, and the Westport project.
"Baltimore City is more than a city of 630,000 people. It is a network of vibrant neighborhoods, where people look out for their neighbors and value the culture and tradition that makes us Charm City,” said Anna Custer, Executive Director of LIVE Baltimore. “We are proud to show the Lt. Governor the result of a decade’s worth of re-investment and residents returning to the city.”