Reflections in Black: Equity in Real Property
My lived experience and research shows that racism in public policy has damaged Black neighborhoods and disproportionately harmed Black residents wherever they may live. The interpersonal violence we see in the community is the direct result of the economic violence perpetrated by the city’s Black codes, Jim Crow, Ordinance 610, restrictive covenants, redlining, urban renewal, contract lending, land use and zoning, disinvestment, tax sale, subprime lending, etc. COVID-19 further exposed these deep wounds’ impact on housing and health outcomes in the Black Butterfly.
In response to these conditions, Mayor Scott ran on and other elected officials espouse a commitment to creating racial equity in the city. But there can be no equity without repairing the damage caused by the long list above. In order to achieve equity, Baltimore must implement laws, policies, regulations and practices that restore Black people and communities. As a part of the Mayor’s Business, Workforce and Neighborhood Development Transition Committee; the big idea I offered for his first term was to begin to dismantle and defund racism in city government and its agencies specifically surrounding real property. These are priority actions to begin that process:
Abolish tax sale of owner-occupied units and enable installment payment plans.
Ramp up the “in rem” foreclosure process — foreclosures that focus on vacant tax sale properties — using a new land bank for equitable distribution
Ensure every property with metered water is receiving an accurate bill and develop a dispute resolution unit
Support an appraisal gap tax credit focused on redlined communities
Advocate for an equitable property tax assessment and assessment process
Create a Baltimore neighborhood Reparations fund and Social Equity Bond
Create participatory funding and payment processes for real estate development
Create program to enable and support Black owned retail, commercial and industrial competent spaces
Create an Independent Condemnations and Demolitions Monitor
Publish a clear and concise set of procedures to apply for and receive city owned properties for equitable and sustainable development
Create program to support Co-Housing, Collaborative Workspace and Cooperative development
Create a Ground Rent Redemption grant and ground rent map
Create and apply a measure to balance non profit property tax exemption against lost property tax revenues
Fully implement state enabled waiver of estate administration fees for low income households
Create a path to ownership for Adopt A Lot licensees (participants) who live in the footprint of the lots
Reform the Side Lot program by streamlining the process and only applying the 10 year building restriction to owners not residing in community
Implement a program to ensure all eligible homeowners are receiving all eligible property tax credits including but not limited too the Homeowner’s Tax Credit and Homestead Tax Credit
Creating racial equity will take fundamental change in the way the city government operates. We have to start with lessons from the past to build a doper future.