On Wednesday, July 10, we were proud to be joined by Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott, Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development Jacob Day, Maryland Senator Cory McCray, and over 150 other local officials, partners, supporters, and Johnston Square community members to celebrate the launch of construction of Greenmount Park Apartments and the ongoing transformation of Johnston Square into a model for the rebirth of Baltimore’s redlined communities.
The groundbreaking for the building took place on the 1100 block of Forrest Street, along the Greenmount Avenue corridor, where 42 lots had sat vacant for years. By the end of 2025, these lots will boast 109 mixed-income affordable apartments and a street-level branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library facing Greenmount Avenue–the first new public library branch in Baltimore in 15 years.
“This development will be one for everyone: beautiful buildings, world class park space, and a state-of-the-art library,” said Mayor Scott at the event. “This community deserves it, just like every other neighborhood across Baltimore.”
As this project breaks ground, another 30 abandoned single-family homes in the surrounding two blocks are being restored into new homeownership and rental housing opportunities, a 4-acre park and playing field is being planned directly behind the apartments and the library, and the Johnston Square team is transforming dozens of vacant lots into new gardens and greenspaces. By developing this major community-driven project in conjunction with a broader block-by-block revitalization strategy that supports both new and legacy residents, the Johnston Square neighborhood continues to rebuild itself into a growing community of opportunity where longtime residents are uplifted and not displaced. In the process, we are continuing to establish a replicable blueprint for community-led transformation in Baltimore’s disinvested neighborhoods.
The project is being made possible through the partnership of ReBUILD Metro, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Somerset Development, New Community Partners LLC, and Rebuild Johnston Square Neighborhood Organization, among others. “This project is a milestone for Johnston Square,” said community leader Regina Hammond, the executive director of Rebuild Johnston Square Neighborhood Organization. “It demonstrates that with shared goals and partnerships between mission-driven developers and community residents, we can transform our neighborhoods and create new opportunities while still honoring our heritage and ensuring our current residents remain in the neighborhood.”
Financing is being provided by partners’ Capital One, Boston Financial, Chase Bank, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, the Baltimore Department of Housing & Community Development, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs.
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