Baltimore Approves GREEN HOUSE Design!

Yesterday afternoon the Baltimore City Planning Commission approved the design for GEDCO's GREEN HOUSE Residences at Stadium Place and the technical details related to the modification of our original "nursing home" concept component of the community (PUD zoning ordinance) and land allocation (subdivision of the property) to accommodate our project.

After the Planning Department staff member assigned to review our project presented the details, the Chairperson asked for anyone present who wished to speak against (thankfully no one) or for the project.

Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke (who represents the area around Stadium Place) then enthusiastically jumped to her feet to praise GEDCO as the sponsoring organization, the concept and execution of our "affordable retirement community," and to remark how proud she is that the first Green House in the State of Maryland offering such a unique brand of "humane," cutting edge care for frail elders embedded in the Green House model will be located in her district.

Councilwoman Clarke embarassed me into getting up to "share my enthusiasm" with the Board members who then responded with some very heartfelt praise for GEDCO and our work in the community. I left feeling like I had just participated in a "love-fest" in honor of everyone who has contributed to our successes over the years!

Baltimore City Support

I attended the Baltimore City Urban Affairs and Aging Committee meeting with residents of Stadium Place last week, to support a resolution introduced by Mary Pat Clarke, who has been a strong advocate of Stadium Place for many years. Three residents gave very heartfelt testimony about what it meant to have a safe and beautiful home at Stadium Place, and why there is such a great need for affordable long-term care at Stadium Place. We were very grateful that John Stewart (Executive Director of CARE) was able to attend the meeting and show his support.

After receiving a very favorable hearing from City Council Members Agnes Welch, Mary Pat Clarke, Sharon Green Middleton, and Rikki Spector, they passed a resolution in support of the Green House project. The resolution calls for Baltimore City and the State of Maryland to provide financial support to the project. It also calls upon the Baltimore City delegation to Annapolis to give high priority to the Green House project. We look forward to receiving the support of the full City Council next week.

We were happy to confirm the news that the Housing Department of Baltimore City was allocating $500,000 over the next two years towards the project. It was also exciting to hear that several Council Members would like to have a Green House project in their districts, after the project at Stadium Place is complete.

Wow – we’re off to a great start!

Keep your fingers crossed. It looks like we’re really going to pull this off. Solid prospects are evolving for raising the funds required to build our GREEN HOUSE® Residences at Stadium Place.

On Monday we received confirmation that Governor O’Malley has included $4.5 million in his proposed FY 2010 Capital Budget for GREEN HOUSE at Stadium Place (Budget Code: ZA00).

Yesterday I met with our good friend Senator Joan Carter Conway to show her the latest architectural plans (which we’ll post tomorrow) and map the strategy for “protecting” this funding from legislative cuts. She is energized! Sen. Conway told me that she has received a call from Mayor Dixon’s office and Baltimore City is prepared to allocate $500,000 toward the project to compliment the State’s allocation.

I then went over to visit Del. Adrienne Jones of Baltimore County who chairs the House Capital Budget Subcommittee. Del. Jones had visited Stadium Place over the summer and watched the Green House video, and she was very impressed by the number of contributors to the “Green for the Green House” campaign, and the fact that our project will be “shovel ready” by the end of the year and will create 51 new permanent jobs (right out of the Obama rule book). I think she is convinced and supportive (her committee is key).

And then, while walking back into the Senate Office Building I ran into Shale Stiller, the President of the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation, who told me he was drafting a letter of support for the project, and the Foundation is very interested in seeing a capital funding proposal from us.

Before leaving Annapolis Ann Murray and I went over to the Lifespan legislative reception at Harry Browns. We saw Del. Adelaide Eckardt (from the eastern Shore) (who is also on the House Capital Budget Subcommittee) and had a chance to inform her about the project – and she seemed impressed as well. Del. Nathaniel Oaks from Baltimore City (my district) said he would put in a good word with his colleagues from the City Delegation.

Many important seeds planted yesterday!