At the very end of the Councilmania section of this week’s City Paper there is a paragraph that informs us that the Land Bank Authority bill has been withdrawn from the Baltimore City Council!
Over a year ago I discussed the possible land bank here. The land bank idea has been floating around city hall since at least 2007. It was the subject of many political speeches by numerous leaders. This is another example of “Talk is cheap”. We had a lot of land bank talk and we end up with nothing.
The root problem is still out there though. Since 2001 there has been pressure from citizens, developers, and the real estate industry to simplify the process of purchasing city owned property. Almost a decade has gone by and it is still incredibly complicated to buy property that your tax dollars support! The city is desperate for revenue yet it can not create an easy way to liquidate some of its most valuable and desirable assets.
Adam is the most recognizable face of the recent resurgence in Reservoir Hill. He has appeared on many national and local radio shows, in several news publications, and at numerous events discussing his innovative urban redevelopment ideas and his unique lifestyle. Adam is a successful entrepreneur, community activist, and a local political guru who ran for city council in 2007. He is the founder and director of the TechBalt.com Buy a Block Project and BaltimoreHourly.com. His fearless local political commentary has rocked the local blog scene for most of this decade and he plans to take it to the next level in the next decade here on Charm City Current.