12-20-2024 4:35am

RUNDOWN MOTEL

Days Inn at Loch Raven to become 122-unit multi-family community

Olszewski Announces New Project to Provide Much-Needed Attainable Housing in Baltimore County

TOWSON, MD – County Executive Johnny Olszewski, in partnership with Osprey Property Company, Pax Development and the Community Assistance Network, announced a new multi-family housing development project that will provide affordable housing units for residents in Baltimore County.

Loch Raven Overlook – a soon-to-be-constructed 122-unit property in Towson – will deliver much-needed housing in the area and the most units ever toward Baltimore County’s Voluntary Compliance Agreement (VCA) goal.

“We are all in to change — and improve — the housing paradigm in Baltimore County, and this is yet another example of a strategic partnership that will deliver high-quality, affordable housing with great access to schools and parks, jobs and transit,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. “I thank Osprey Property Company, Pax Development, and the Community Assistance Network – as well as our state and local partners – for their commitment to building stronger communities and expanding access to quality housing for all of our hardworking families in Baltimore County.”

Under this joint venture by experienced affordable housing developers, the Days Inn, located at 8712 Loch Raven Blvd. in Towson, will be demolished to make room for Loch Raven Overlook. This new attainable housing option in the Loch Raven Commercial Revitalization District will transform an underutilized parcel at the gateway to the district.

The development will include a total of 122 units of which 115 will count toward the Baltimore County’s VCA commitment to supporting and incentivizing the creation of 1,000 affordable rental housing “hard units” by the end of 2027. Loch Raven Overlook represents the largest-ever commitment towards the county's VCA goal, with 908 total units now approved.

Through sustained efforts and future housing opportunities, Baltimore County anticipates to exceed its 1,000-unit goal in calendar year 2025, far exceeding the initial deadline. “We are proud to support Baltimore County’s vision to create more affordable housing through our Strategic Revitalization Programs,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day.

“Projects like Loch Raven Overlook will make it easier for people to live here, start a business here and ultimately strengthen communities here in Baltimore County.” This project is a major source of investment in reversing a decline at this critical commercial corridor. Construction of this project will bolster the entire area, which already benefits from major employers such as Towson University, Goucher College, Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance Company, and Stanley Black and Decker.

To support this effort, Baltimore County will provide $8 million in American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding from its Housing Opportunities Fund for the project as a grant to the Community Assistance Network, which will use the funding to acquire the property. The project also benefited from State assistance via a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and funding through its Strategic Demolition Fund.

“We are excited about the prospect of having a new residential apartment community in an area that has been a blighted property for many years,” said Baltimore County Councilman Mike Ertel. “It will be an attractive, high-quality building that will provide affordable rents to hardworking people who already work and live on the Loch Raven Boulevard.

I’ve been heartened by the collaboration of the developer and the surrounding community to bring this project forward.” The development will be divided into two buildings – one with 72 units and one with 50 units. The 72-unit building will include 33 one-bedroom units preserved at 60% AMI, 29 two-bedroom units preserved at 60% AMI, 4 two-bedroom units preserved at 30% AMI and 6 units two-bedroom units preserved at 80% AMI for 40 years.

“Projects like this are only possible through strong partnerships with state, local, and federal programs and partners,” said Osprey Property Company President Brian Lopez. “By aligning resources and working together, we can provide high-quality, affordable housing options that will create jobs, strengthen communities, and improve the lives of our residents. We are thankful to all our partners who have made this project a reality.”

The 50-unit building will include one efficiency unit preserved at 60% AMI, 16 one-bedroom units preserved at 60% AMI, 9 two-bedroom units preserved at 30% AMI, 9 two-bedroom units preserved at 60% AMI, 5 three-bedrooms units preserved at 30% AMI and 10 three-bedroom units preserved at 60% AMI for 40 years.

This agreement is the latest effort from the Olszewski administration to improve access to quality housing in Baltimore County. Since taking office, the Olszewski Administration has:Secured passage of the HOME Act, ending housing discrimination by source of income — after years of unsuccessful attempts — and helped pave the way for similar statewide legislation in 2020;Created Department of Housing and Community Development to centralize Baltimore County’s housing efforts, eliminate overlapping functions, and streamline planning for key outcomes that are previously dispersed across multiple departments;Passed a package of foundational housing reforms proposed by the Olszewski administration to:

Establish a dedicated and permanent Baltimore County Housing Opportunities Fund for reoccurring investment to support the ongoing development, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable, accessible, and attainable housing;

Create Baltimore County’s first-ever process to designate properties as “vacant,” serving as the foundation for future efforts to convert blighted and abandoned properties into housing, including homeownership opportunities;

Update the County’s regulations to expand family-member use of accessory apartments (accessory dwelling units or “ADUs”) to increase opportunities to keep families together and allow older adults more opportunities to age in place; and

Modernize new townhome construction to create additional housing opportunities aimed at residents who may be priced out of the current housing market; as well as a separate bill to strengthen rental housing registration and inspections processes to improve housing quality in Baltimore County

Announced the largest attainable housing deal in Baltimore County history that preserves 460 housing units of attainable housing at three multi-family properties; and Issued an Executive Order requiring that housing developments receiving County financial support must include affordable housing units. Construction is expected to begin by early 2026.

TOWSON, MD—Governor Wes Moore has announced $129.5 million in Fiscal Year 2025 awards to support seven state revitalization programs, funding 304 projects in communities across the state. The funding, administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, aims to revitalize communities and address disinvestment.

Among those investments is a $500,000 award for “acquisition of a dilapidated Days Inn Hotel to be demolished and redeveloped into a 122-unit multi-family community.” The property in question is located at Loch Raven Overlook in Towson.

The Essex Development Corporation will also receive $200,000 toward the Facade Improvement Grant Program.

Moore emphasized the importance of supporting revitalization efforts, stating, “For Maryland to win the decade, we must transcend the status quo and continue our work to improve communities across the state. From creation of affordable housing and community space to improvements to streetscapes and infrastructure, vibrant, revitalized communities not only make Maryland a desirable home for all; they are the cornerstone for a better Maryland.”

The Strategic Demolition Fund, a program focused on accelerating economic development and job creation, awarded $10.7 million to 33 projects statewide. These projects include transforming the dilapidated Towson Days Inn Hotel into a 122-unit multi-family community. In Charles County, a vacant building at 4145 Indian Head Highway will be revitalized to house a new grocery store. Prince George’s County will see the Cheverly Hospital demolished and redeveloped into a mixed-use community. The Henry Hotel, a local African American heritage site in Worcester County, will also undergo structural and exterior improvements to preserve its historical significance.

“This year’s investment of more than $129 million is more than double our Fiscal Year 2024 awards, thanks to Governor Wes Moore and our partners in the General Assembly,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “These revitalization awards infuse critical and needed dollars directly into communities, all to serve the Marylanders who live, work, and play there. Working with our partners to bring these projects to life stimulates other public, private and nonprofit investment to revitalize communities, a chain reaction that leads directly to community improvement.”

The Strategic Demolition Fund, a statewide program aimed at catalyzing activities that accelerate economic development and job production in existing Maryland communities, awarded $10.7 million to 33 projects, including:

Acquisition of a dilapidated Days Inn Hotel to be demolished and redeveloped into a 122-unit multi-family community (Baltimore County);
Revitalization of the vacant building at 4145 Indian Head Highway to bring a new grocery store into the community (Charles County);
Acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, demolition and capital equipping of the Cheverly Hospital, to make way for a vibrant mixed-use community (Prince George’s County);
And completion of structural and exterior improvements to preserve the Henry Hotel, a local African American heritage site (Worcester County).

The Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative will help eliminate vacant and deteriorating properties in Baltimore City and make way for green space, affordable and mixed-use housing, and new opportunities for businesses. The Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative awarded $20 million to 37 projects, including:

Revitalization of Reisterstown Road Plaza by transforming it into an inviting “Town Center” where community can shop, work, play and gather;
Tenant improvements to tailor space for a new grocery store at Edmondson Village Shopping Center to enhance food security and provide residents with high-quality, affordable groceries;
Stabilization and repairs to infrastructure to renovate and restore historic 210 Charles Street into 231 apartment units for individuals and families and 30,000 square feet of commercial space;
Predevelopment to support Baltimore City's first Net Zero homeownership community consisting of for-sale units that will expand homeownership opportunities and provide a best practice for revitalizing historically disinvested communities.

The Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative is designed to support redevelopment in communities within the Baltimore Beltway. More than $23.6 million was awarded to 91 projects, including:

Home rehabilitation for legacy homeowners in Coldstream Homestead Montebello, Darley Park and South Clifton Park for repairs and safety modifications that allow them to continue aging in place in their communities (Baltimore City);
Home repairs and upgrades for seniors and legacy homeowners to provide safety improvements and address deferred maintenance in order to increase home value and build wealth in the Liberty Corridor (Baltimore City);
Rehabilitation for older and long-time homeowners so they can age in place, maintain value in their home, and continue to be a vital part of the Central Baltimore community (Baltimore City);
And upgrades to plumbing, the pool, and redesign locker rooms to improve accessibility at the Druid Hill Y, a vital community hub with nearly 2,200 members (Baltimore City).

Like the Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative, the National Capital Strategic Economic Development Fund provided $20.8 million in funding for 31 projects in communities in and around the Capital Beltway, including:

Construction of streetscaping and multi-modal improvements along a 1.3 mile segment of Russell Avenue, between East Diamond Avenue and Montgomery Village Avenue, converting an auto-centric road to shared-use (Montgomery County);
Rehabilitate Parkview Towers in Takoma Park, MD, updating an aging 125-unit property to support restoration of structural integrity of the envelope of the building (Montgomery County);
Acquisition of an underutilized parking lot that will be transformed into units of new, high quality affordable housing for seniors near downtown Wheaton (Prince George’s County);
And design and predevelopment of affordable multifamily rental units, part of the first phase of the redevelopment of the Hyattsville Justice Center (Prince George’s County).

Community Legacy awarded more than $8 million to 45 projects in designated Sustainable Communities throughout Maryland. Some of these projects include:

Continuation of the renovating and building 12 affordable for-sale condos in historic downtown Frederick to be sold to Habitat-qualified first-time homebuyers (Frederick County);
Adaptive reuse of the historic Howard County Courthouse in Ellicott City, MD, as a Center for Arts, Culture and History (Howard County);
Rehabilitation of Building 521 for the purpose of converting the former Fort Ritchie building into a Nature Center (Washington County);
And support infrastructure work in the development of the SBY Market Center, a mixed use building (Wicomico County).

Additionally, $10.4 million in grants and loans were provided to higher education institutions and hospitals by the Seed Community Development Anchor Institution Fund for community development projects in disinvested areas of the state. The funds supported 25 projects, including:

Renovation and stabilization at the University of Maryland Baltimore County to transform a long-vacant property floor into an academic space for students and provide a community space for the residents of Arbutus (Baltimore County);
Restoration of the exterior of The Hippodrome Foundation's France-Merrick Performing Arts Center building located at the corner of Eutaw and Fayette Streets adjacent to the Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore City);
Support the development of "The Perch," an education-based business incubator at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Somerset County);
And demolition of the former Wicomico County Library and construction of a new Performing Arts Center (Wicomico County)

For a full list of awards, visit FY25 State Revitalization Program Awards.

For more information about the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and its revitalization programs, please visit its website.