Hope rises in Baltimore

by: Jeremy Burton

Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 12:35:56 PM EDT

Great story in the Urbanite, a Baltimore local, regarding City Arts, a project I've mentioned here before, in part:

“Artist housing.” What does this phrase bring to mind? Perhaps a rickety, walk-up garret with north-facing windows but no running water. Maybe a gritty, brick-walled industrial loft with all the creature comforts of an abandoned warehouse.

Chances are you don’t envision spacious new apartments with handsome kitchens in a modern building wired for high-speed Internet. City Arts Apartments, soon to be completed at 440 Oliver Street within the Station North Arts and Entertainment District, offers these amenities and more as Baltimore’s first purpose-built housing development for artists. It takes advantage of a federal program that allows developers to receive low-income tax credits while creating rental housing with a preference for artists.

JFSJ, through Tzedec Community Ventures, our (as the names suggests) investment venture fund (and of who's board I am proud to be a member) is - in partnership with BUILD, the Baltimore IAF affiliate, several local black church, along with local Jewish family foundations and the Associated, Baltimore's Jewish Federation - a lead investor in TRF-DP, one of the development partners of this project.

We're proud to collaborate to support the revitalization of Baltimore's historic neighborhoods and very excited to see this project progressing. Read the full article here.