Barclay project ‘creating the market’ for new Baltimore City homes
April 6, 2012 | Baltimore Business Journal
Baltimore, MD (April 6, 2012) – It’s difficult to walk more than a block or two through Baltimore’s Barclay neighborhood without seeing signs of construction. That’s because Washington, D.C.-based Telesis Corp. is nearing second-phase work on an $85 million project that, when finished, will reinvent the neighborhood bounded by North Avenue, Greenmount Avenue, St. Paul Street and 25th Street.
Telesis is about five years into what was scheduled to be a 10-year project. Although work likely will take longer because of economic conditions, Telesis is steadily building 325 new housing units — an average of one new home for every eight people who live in the neighborhood. The project includes a mix of affordable and market-rate housing dotting several blocks from North Avenue to 25th Street.
“We had a lot of vacant houses and boarded-up houses, so this really has revitalized us,” said Connie Ross, chairwoman of the Barclay-Midway-Old Goucher Coalition, a neighborhood association. “We’re getting a lot of new neighbors because of the redevelopment.”
Baltimore awarded the project to Telesis after the company responded to a request for qualifications in 2006. Telesis completed the first phase of development, which includes 72 rental units, last fall. The company also has finished rehabilitating eight houses for home ownership and plans to finish 12 more by September.