| Maryland Asset Building and Community Development Network Newsletter April 4, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Baltimore City HOME Hearing
City HOME Hearing - On Monday, April 21, 2008 at 6:00 p.m., the City of Baltimore will conduct a public hearing on the HOME Project-Specific Action Plans for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009. This hearing will be held in the 3rd Floor Conference Room at 417 East Fayette Street. The purpose of this hearing is to afford citizens an opportunity to comment on the contents of the draft plan prior to submission to HUD. The plan can be found at http://www.baltimorehousing.org/index/EventDetail.asp?ID=271 Written comments are due by April 20, 2008. To give input into ABCD's comments to the plan, contact Mark Cameron at [email protected]. | |
Baltimore Noise Regulations
Maryland ABCD Network member Bill Miller would like to share the following message from Councilman William Henry, 4th District, Baltimore: |
|
Currently, the laws that regulate and restrict noise can be found in numerous places in the Baltimore City Code - scattered amongst the Health, Zoning and Transportation, and Building Codes. This separation of statutes not only makes enforcement more difficult, but also makes it harder for people to know themselves when they are and are not in compliance. On March 3rd, I introduced a resolution in the City Council, calling for the creation of a task force which will overhaul the City's current noise laws and create a more defined, easily enforced, and encompassing noise law for the City of Baltimore.
This task force, made up of representatives of all of the applicable City agencies, will investigate how to overhaul these noise laws to provide the citizens of Baltimore and City agencies with a uniform and more easily enforceable noise statute. The first part of their goal will be to organize the current statutes in such a way that they will come together as one single section that covers all of the current noise laws in the City. This would include both a proactive standard for future land development and use, as well as reactive standards that will enable easier enforcement of existing problems. In its effort to study the issues of noise in the City from an objective standpoint and make suggestions on how to better regulate them, the task force will not only study the current laws and work to remove possible issues in them, but will also look for solutions to problems currently not covered. The second part of their goal will be to devise a uniform noise law that can be implemented and easily enforced.
Before the task force begins its work later this spring, we need to ascertain what other stakeholders need to be represented in its deliberations. As such, the City Council's Community Development subcommittee, chaired by Councilman Bill Cole, will have a public hearing on the resolution on Wednesday, April 9th, at 5pm. The hearing will be in the Council Chambers on the 4th floor of City Hall, and will be broadcast live on cable channel 25. It is my hope that community and business leaders will take this opportunity to come and testify before the committee, suggesting both additional representation to be included in the task force's enabling resolution, and starting points for the determination of the status quo that will begin the task force's deliberations.
While the hearing is open to the public and anyone is free to simply show up and testify, if you know in advance that you will definitely be coming to do so, representing either a group or yourself, please email Leslie Wietscher in my office at Leslie.Wietscher@BaltimoreCity.gov or call us at 410-396-4830. If you have general questions about public hearings or the process, please email Brenda Williams, staff to the Community Development subcommittee, at Brenda.Williams@BaltimoreCity.gov or call her at 410-396-1260.
Thanks! |
| Share Yourself:
National Volunteer Week
Angie McAllister of United Way of Central Maryland reminds us that National Volunteer Week is April 27 - May 3, United Way of Central Maryland would like to offer members of our community the chance to lend their time and talents to local organizations in need of volunteers.
During this week, United Way envisions companies, civic organizations, groups, and individuals contributing their time to work on projects that will enhance the lives of those throughout their communities. With your help and through shareyourself.org, we can make this possible. Shareyourself.org, United Way's online volunteer center, brings organizations and volunteers together to make positive changes in the community.
Is there something at your organization that you would like to do but you just don't have the time, resources, or volunteers to do it? Well, this could be your chance to transform those thoughts into action.
Here's how:
Brainstorm about projects that need volunteer assistance.
Log on to www.shareyourself.org to register your agency (registration is free and once registered, you will be able to post future volunteer opportunities).
Remember, this is your opportunity to expose potential volunteers to your organization, and it will hopefully generate a new batch of committed volunteers.
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact 410-895-1567.
|
Habitat for Humanity, Home Depot Foundation Partner in Green Building Program
Habitat for Humanity International and the Atlanta-based Home Depot Foundation have announced a five-year, $30 million national green building initiative.
The Partners in Sustainable Building program will work to provide funding and resources to help Habitat affiliates build at least five thousand energy-efficient homes - roughly 17 percent of all the single- and multi-family homes Habitat will build over that period.
The partnership will begin with a year-long pilot program involving approximately thirty Habitat affiliates in a variety of climates and in both rural and urban areas. In 2009, it will become an opt-in program that includes educational and scholarship components. Through the program, Habitat affiliates will be able to expand their use of energy-efficient equipment, install more water-conserving fixtures, and ensure good indoor air quality while helping affiliates secure third-party verification of nationally recognized green building standards.
"This partnership will provide our affiliates with the additional resources and training they need to create homes that are more durable and energy efficient [and] even more affordable to our homeowners," said Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan T.M. Reckford. "We are truly grateful to the Home Depot Foundation for making this partnership possible because it will improve the lives of thousands of low-income families while promoting good stewardship of our natural resources." |
|
HUD ANNOUNCES BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL CHDO TRAINING
HUD's Office of Affordable Housing Programs is pleased to invite you to an upcoming HOME technical assistance training hosted by the National Community Development Association (NCDA), the National Association for County Community and Economic Development (NACCED), and the National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA). NCDA, NACCED and NALHFA, along with trainer Monte Franke, will deliver four one-day "Becoming a Successful CHDO" trainings. These trainings, funded through the HOME CD-TA program, will provide participants with a sound understanding of the HOME program rules and what it takes to become a successful CHDO developer of affordable housing, including the importance of organizational structure and capacity, project selection and implementation, and how to work successfully with your participating jurisdictions.
These free, one-day workshops are open to staff and board members of Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) and organizations interested in becoming a CHDO. The workshops will be held in the following locations. Please contact the individuals noted below for more information.
Metro North New York - April 8
Community Center
185 North Main Street
Spring Valley, NY 10977
Please contact Brian Lawson at [email protected]
Twin Cities - April 29
Ridgedale Library
12601 Ridgedale Dr.
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Please contact Brian Lawson at [email protected]
Boston - May 1
Piemonte Room
Boston City Hall
One City Hall Plaza
Boston, MA 02201
Please contact Vicki Watson at [email protected]
|
|
|
|
The William Donald Schaefer Civic Fund
The William Donald Schaefer Civic Fund has been established at he Baltimore Community Foundation in honor of the former Baltimore Mayor and Maryland Governor. Formed with a $5 million endowment, the Fund will work to support neighborhood organizations and community projects.The Schaefer Fund's priorities will be increasing community involvement, nurturing resident leadership, and improving communication among neighbors, according to Tom Wilcox, President of the Baltimore Community Foundation.
Community Foundation officials said they hope the civic fund will build on the success of the Neighborhood Grants Program, which was started in 2000 with financial contributions from the William G. Baker Jr. Memorial Fund and Goldseker Foundation. Since then, major donations have been received from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. In the years since its inception, the program has distributed nearly $2.5 million - usually in grants of less than $5,000 - to dozens of neighborhoods.
For more information,see the Baltimore Community Foundation website.
Sources: the Baltimore Sun and Philanthropy News Digest.
|
Baltimore Plugs Gap Left by Ailing Tax Credit Market
Baltimore officials recently stepped in to address equity problems facing nonprofit affordable housing developers in the wake of today's credit crunch, reported the Baltimore Daily Record. Historically, many such developers have raised equity for their projects by selling Low Income Housing Tax Credits through syndicators to investors. As recently as two years ago, investors were paying close to a dollar for each dollar of tax credit value. But according to experts, three large purchasers of tax credits - Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and CitiGroup - have "stopped buying the credits because their tax liability dipped low enough that it was no longer worth their investment," the article said. Now LIHTCs are bringing in as little as 80 cents on the dollar, experts say. That reduced value threatened Greater Baltimore AHC Inc.'s plans to build a 301-unit complex in Park Heights. But the city Board of Estimates approved a $100,000-a-year payment in lieu of taxes agreement with AHC that will help cover operating costs and debt service on the building, thereby making AHC "a more attractive borrower" and state bond fund applicant, the article said.
Courtesy of KnowledgePlex
|
|
Executive Director Position Available
Pen Lucy Action Network (PLAN)
Baltimore, Maryland
Pen Lucy Action Network (PLAN), an urban Christian community development organization in Baltimore affiliated with Faith Christian Fellowship, seeks a full-time Executive Director to further the vision of PLAN in the greater Pen Lucy neighborhood. Responsibilities include program oversight (currently youth sports leagues and tutoring programs), fundraising, staff management, and building relationships with residents and organizations within Pen Lucy and Greater Baltimore. Undergraduate degree required with Masters preferred. Must have experience in staff supervision, fundraising/grant writing, fiscal management, and cross-cultural ministry. Benefits included.
To Apply: Search will close on May 16th, 2008. Please e-mail for full job description to:
Emily Sippel
Pen Lucy Action Network (PLAN)
E-mail: [email protected] | |
|
The Maryland Asset Building and Community Development Network
Ensuring strong and stable asset building & community development organizations
through education, networking, and advocacy.
P.O. Box 1853, Sykesville, MD 21784 Karen Blandford, Network Coordinator
[email protected]
410-795-1633
To subscribe to this newsletter email Karen here
|
|
|
