Housing Authority of Baltimore City

Cherry Hill Homes

Community Profile

Cherry Hill has a rich history as a small town located in far Southwest Baltimore. Originally, it was home to returning World War II veterans who found refuge in the newly built community. Volunteerism, activism, and civic pride pervaded this stable middle and low-income community. Today, the community is close-knit, so it is easy to build relationships with community churches and groups. People know their neighbors, teachers, pastors, and storeowners who serve the community.

Cherry Hill is home to the Waterview Industrial Park, which has urban renewal and State Enterprise Zone designation. Across from the industrial park is the Cherry Hill Light Rail stop. In addition, Cherry Hill is one of the few communities in Baltimore that has waterfront property along the Patapsco River. Nearby Harbor Hospital, a major private employer with 1600 employees, and the South Baltimore Family Health Center offer additional employment opportunities as well as convenient health care. Five public schools, including a major Head Start site and after-school day care and enrichment activities, serve its students. Reedbird Park, part of the State park system, offers many recreational opportunities to the community. The revitalized Cherry Hill Shopping Center - with a major supermarket as a potential anchor - will provide shopping, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities. The quiet streets are removed from heavy traffic of the nearby downtown district, offering an almost suburban retreat from city life. On the other hand, City amenities are just a few minutes away downtown.

Even with all these amenities, the community is severely challenged. Over time, many professionals and working class families left due to the lack of decent homeownership and rental opportunities. The population is currently under 11,000 (from 18,000 in 1970) and is expected to decrease by the year 2000. While there has been a decline in the percentage of persons between the ages of 18 and 65, there has been an increase in the percentage of persons under 18 and over 65 that are living under the poverty level. In 1990, almost 65% of the children under the age of 18 lived below the poverty line. The predominant type of housing stock in Cherry Hill is public rental housing. Within the Cherry Hill community, the Housing Authority of the city of Baltimore (HABC) now owns and operates 1,525 public housing dwelling units. One hundred and ninety-three units (193) in Cherry Hill (MD 2-17) were recently demolished as part of a revitalization strategy.

While many of the social indicators and trends in Cherry Hill are negative, the positive factor is the commitment of the residents to this community. A significant portion of the people in Cherry Hill are involved in some organization or agency that is attempting to improve the quality of life. Traditionally, people who live in, or who have lived in, Cherry Hill have had a strong allegiance to their community and to each other.

II. Private Enterprise Efforts and Community-based Initiatives

The Nehemiah Homes and Marie's Landing are the newest houses constructed in Cherry Hill. Nehemiah was completed in 1994, built through a partnership between the Cherry Hill BUILD Action Team and The Enterprise Foundation. These 28 housing units offered homeownership opportunities for low-income residents of Cherry Hill. The units are located directly adjacent to HABC property. Located just behind the MD-17 public housing is Marie's Landing: 13 units recently completed by a developer who grew up in the community. These units also furthered the community's goal to increase the percentage of homeowners in the community. It is also noteworthy that both of these relatively modest efforts demonstrated a rather sizable pent-up demand for homeownership in Cherry Hill.

The South Baltimore Family Health Clinic is a community-owned facility, located on Cherry Hill Road, that provides medical treatment to residents of Cherry Hill, as well as those living in South Baltimore. This facility opened in 1991 and furthered one of the community's goals: to centralize services in Cherry Hill. The City's Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and Catholic Charities have agreed to renovate the existing commercial strip. Catholic Charities has purchased the center and is in the process of upgrading the shopping options available. HCD will help with financing and facilitate the relocation of the library branch and the Neighborhood Service Center into the new center.

HABC Efforts and Initiatives

The Housing Authority of Baltimore City and other City agencies are working very closely with citizens of Cherry Hill in an on-going community initiated process, called "Cherry Hill 2000," that comprehensively addresses the future of the entire Cherry Hill neighborhood. As a result of this initiative, HABC is rethinking their initial plans for public housing so that we can assist residents and community leaders in their plans to create a social and economic vision for this community. The goals of the Cherry Hill community are:

• Increase Cherry Hill's homeownership levels from 23% to 50%.

• Decrease the density of public housing facilities.

• Convert publicly owned rentals to private ownership.

• Increase the variety of the housing stock to address families of different sizes.

• Identify and address housing needs of seniors in the community.

• Establish homeownership counseling services for residents seeking to buy homes.

The HABC and HCD have listened to the stakeholders in this community. We have addressed or are in the process of addressing all of the initiatives above. The following describes HABC's ongoing modernization activities in this community.

Modernization of Cherry Hill, MD 2-11 and 12

	Dwelling Units (D.U.'s)	Completed Modernization	To be Determined
MD 2-11	600	600	-
MD 2-12	637	524	113
Total	1237	1124	113

Beginning in August 1991, HABC began the first phase of the modernization process. Comprehensive modernization work included the complete renovation, both inside and out, of 1124 dwelling units in 169 buildings including the management offices, community spaces, family support center (Our House) and a new day care addition to the community building (South Baltimore Child Development Center).

Interior of Units:

Building improvements to the units included extensive kitchen renovations including new kitchen cabinets, stainless steel sinks, single lever faucets, washer and dryer hook-up, stainless steel range hoods, frost-free refrigerators, fluorescent light fixtures (kitchen), aluminum window sills, metal door frames and metal wall protection shields installed on the front and rear walls near the gas range; replacement of all bathroom fixtures, stainless steel grab bars, ceramic tile wall surround, sink wall support (no legs required to support the sink), bathroom exhaust fan, and new ceramic floor. Insulation of exterior walls and ceilings, new medium grade VCT floor tiles throughout; new doors and metal door jambs (all exterior doors are six panel heavy gauge metal with two peep holes per door added to the handicap units); new double pane windows with an additional storm sash, replacement of all plumbing and interior hot water heating piping; upgrading of the electrical system to 100 amps per dwelling unit; all new lighting fixtures, receptacles and switches, cable hook-up in master bedroom and living room, telephone outlets in the master bedroom and kitchen; a complete sprinkler system throughout all units. Intercom systems were added to all three story apartment type buildings. Security screens were provided on all first floor windows of all dwellings. Five percent (5%) of the dwellings were converted to handicapped accessible units, with an additional two percent (2%) modified for the vision and hearing impaired.

Exterior of Units:

All environmental hazards were completely abated, which included asbestos, lead based paint (encapsulation and/or removal). Existing flat roofs were converted to pitch roofs by the addition of new trusses, and all existing and new pitched roofs had complete shingle replacement, and new gutters and downspouts with cast iron boot (to seven feet above existing grade). All masonry walls were washed with environmental safe chemicals, installation of steel pipe rails, handicap ramps to the appropriate dwelling units and ramp cuts in the curb/sidewalks, masonry walls around all dumpster pads, relocation of clothes poles, landscaping and erosion control modifications.

Innovations at this development included the use of plastic domestic water piping to increase longevity and prevent the theft of copper piping; sewage ejector type sump pumps to prevent clogging, and double-walled domestic hot water heat exchangers with stainless steel storage tanks.

The work included the renovation of the site surrounding these buildings. Replacement of all of the underground sanitary and storm water systems serving the buildings was performed. New security site lighting was mounted to the exterior of all buildings. New playgrounds were added to the development and included an extensive amount of modern play apparatus. Approximately 30 percent of the sidewalks were replaced.

New Day Care Addition:

A $1.2 million day care addition was built adjacent to the community building. The interior materials are similar to those used in the family dwelling units, except as noted; public rest rooms has stainless steel stall partitions and sinks, commercial grade kitchen, keypad with monitory system, terrazzo floor in the multi-purpose room and recently installed security screens on all windows. The exterior is composed of standing seam insulated metal roofs, brick and acrylic stucco walls and maximum eight-foot (8') windows.

As indicated in the chart above, 113 dwelling units remain to be revitalized. As there is a strong demand for homeownership in this community, HABC is waiting to determine the success of the Homeownership Project in Cherry Hill 17 before proceeding with modernization. HABC will meet with the residents and community leaders to determine the future of these remaining units.

Security Improvements

Listed below are items that were installed during the modernization as a result of security concerns at Cherry Hill Homes:

Townhouses and Apartments:

• Security screen for windows on first floor townhouses and apartments.
• Metal entrance doors and frames for the townhouses and apartments - front and rear.
• Security screen doors, front and rear, townhouses.
• Mail slots on front entrance doors, in the middle of the door, hinge side.
• Peep holes on front and rear entrance doors.
• Exterior entrance lights at each entrance to an apartment/townhouse and perimeter security exterior lighting on each building.
• Fire separation walls between each dwelling unit in the roof attic.
• Eliminated interior roof attic/access panels in each dwelling unit. Provided one access panel in the end dwelling units, only (this prevented individuals from entering the dwelling units from the roof crawl space).
• Security metal doors, encased in concrete, to the crawl spaces at each building.
• Centralized mailboxes, to the lower level, in all apartment buildings.
• Enclosed rear entrances to the apartment building on the lower level.
• Removed main front entrance doors to all apartment buildings.

Community Building (includes the management office), Family Support and Day Care:

• Security monitoring system with cameras and monitors.
• Security glass at all public areas and buzzer entrance system to access offices.
• Security system key pad(s) at entrance to offices.
• Security screen on all windows at the Day Care and Family Support.

Cherry Hill, MD 2-17

	Original D.U.'s	Demolished	Home Ownership	Elderly Building	Modernization
MD 2-17	360	193	76	80	167

HABC, the Cherry Hill Tenant Council and Cherry Hill 2000 revisited the original plans for the modernization of the 360 dwelling units in Cherry Hill, MD 2-17. Following many meetings and discussions, it was decided that Comprehensive Grant Program (CGP) funds would be utilized to revitalize this public housing community, by planning around HOPE VI guidelines, as the HUD Office of Public Housing Investments has been encouraging. There are three major components to the revitalization efforts in Cherry Hill, MD 2-17: homeownership, mixed-income elderly building and public rental housing. In order to achieve this diversity in housing, 193 units on this site were demolished.

Homeownership

Through a competitive RFP process, the HABC selected a development team to partner with them in the mixed-finance development of "76" for-sale houses for families eligible for homes sold under the Nehemiah Program. The RFP required that homes be made affordable to low to moderate-income families by establishing that monthly mortgage payments must fall within the range of $300 to $500. HABC would offer the new homeownership opportunities first to residents relocated from the MD 2-17 site, second to residents of Cherry Hill's public housing, next to the Cherry Hill surrounding community and then to other residents of public housing and finally to the broader community.

Applicants will receive homebuyer training which will be supplemented with a series of three workshops. The workshops will occur at pre-occupancy, pre-settlement and post occupancy.

The plan is conceived to provide affordable housing opportunities within a new mixed-income community to families with a variety of incomes. The entire development will consist of a new, planned community featuring a mix of detached, semi-detached and attached townhouses. CGP funds would be utilized for site preparation and buyer's subsidies similar to the concept of the Nehemiah program.

Proposed Elderly Building

In response to the community's request for elderly housing, HABC will be seeking proposals to develop a mixed income residential facility for senior citizens only. The development will consist of a mix of senior public housing and market rate units. The public housing units will comprise approximately 30 to 50% of the total units, as determined by a market study conducted by the developer. Comprehensive Grant Program funding will finance the construction of the public housing units. Supplemental funding will be sought through the States Elderly Housing Program.

Design/Build Modernization

The HABC has recently advertised for design/build proposals for the modernization of 167 public housing units. Proposals are currently being reviewed and contain many creative ideas. "New urbanism" principals are woven throughout the proposals. Proposed designs focus on changing the physical image to blend with the surrounding community. Selected demolition, new roadways, front and rear porches, windows with eyes to the street, and additions of a third story are some of the creative features that are being proposed.

As we reinvent public housing, we are focusing on traditions that public housing should be a safe, decent and clean place that provides families a place to live and grow and to be self-sufficient.

Employment and Business Opportunities

Substantial employment and business opportunities were generated throughout the Cherry Hill Community as a result of several modernization and development projects. For instance, the modernization of Cherry Hill MD - 11 resulted in the award of 3 (or 17%) of the total subcontracts going to Cherry Hill residents. These neighborhood based businesses were particularly likely to hire their neighbors, employing 18 Cherry Hill residents, as well as 9 low-income residents of Baltimore City. The prime contractor and the remaining subcontractors employed a total of 85 Baltimore City residents, 26 of whom were public housing residents.

Other modernization contracts include Cherry Hill MD - 12, which resulted in 71 Section 3 employment opportunities. The Nehemiah Homes and Marie's Landing are the newest for-sale homes constructed in Cherry Hill. Nehemiah resulted in 24 Section 3 new hires. One of the subcontractors performing on the Marie's Landing project was a janitorial business solely owned by a Cherry Hill resident. The installation of a new power distribution system at Cherry Hill created 2 Section 3 jobs. The Cherry Hill Shopping Center renovations, has generated 44 construction jobs.

The Section 3 employment opportunities included the following classifications: laborers, security guards, clerical, apprentices, public relations intern, survey trainee, and technician.

Throughout the numerous Cherry Hill projects Fair Housing & equal Opportunity (FH&EO) met with the developers and contractors on numerous occasions to help refine their Section 3 plan. HUD's Section 3 regulation defines certain baseline procedures intended to encourage the participation of Section 3- eligible business. But beyond this surface uniformity, each Section 3 contracting effort will have its own unique character.

FH&EO assisted in efforts to solicit Section 3 eligible bidders by referring to the developer small and disadvantage businesses with a record of hiring residents. FH&EO also disseminated information about employment, training and apprenticeship opportunities through the distribution of flyers. FH&EO also set up meetings with representatives of the developer and resident council, and arranged job recruitment meetings. Section 3 contractors were encouraged to hire residents as permanent employees.

During the recruitment process, the developer was responsible for identifying job vacancies with subcontractors, and passing these listings on to a recruitment office maintained by the Maryland State Employment Service and the Office of Employment Development (OED). Such a facility, in a location convenient for the targeted population has proven to be an effective outreach strategy in community-based employment efforts. Each of these agencies conducted preliminary screening of residents' vocational aptitudes and referred them, as appropriate.

Support of Local Industry

The following information summarizes the contracts let for work in the Cherry Hill Public Housing development.

Number of Prime Contractors	6
Number of Local Prime Contractors	4
Number of Subcontractors	189
Number of Local Subcontractors	176
Value of Prime Contracts	$63,274,459

Resident Partnerships and Monitoring Efforts

Collaboration efforts among various community groups, state and local government agencies, resident councils and economic development organizations plays a significant role in ensuring the effective operation of the Section 3 effort.

For example, the Cherry Hill Section 3 Task Force was designed to oversee any problems and concerns that the resident population had regarding employment opportunities. The Task Force consisted of residents, 5 HABC staff members, and members of the Office of Employment Development and the Maryland State Employment Service. The Section 3 task force model has been used at other large construction projects.

Several monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure accurate documentation of Section 3 compliance. For example, FH&EO developed a Section 3 employment application that is made available to the developer/contractor to ensure that all necessary data is captured. The developer/contractor is responsible for reporting Section 3 compliance efforts for all contractors performing on the project. Consequently, developers and all subcontractors must complete Section 3 tracking forms, which document their efforts to hire qualified residents. Reporting time frames are established based on the duration of the contract.

On site monitoring requires the assistance of residents. The residents play a significant role in ensuring the effective operation of the Section 3 effort. They kept HABC staff up-to-date on their efforts to seek and secure employment, thus helping FH&EO monitor the hiring practices of the developer and subcontractor. The resident leadership also contributed to the success of the Section 3 effort by encouraging and sustaining residents' support for the redevelopment efforts.

This Section 3 economic development effort appears deceptively simple and is built around a set of contracting procedures and an employment conduit, and is aided by a handful of key partners. Its success demonstrates the value of bringing to the design and implementation of public housing and redevelopment projects a constant awareness of commitment to creating economic development opportunities for public housing residents.