Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Proudly Representing Maryland's 7th District

Statement of Representative Elijah E. Cummings [MD-07]

October 4, 2006

Baltimore City Council
Land Use and Transportation Committee
Ed Reisinger, Chair

Hearing on the Baltimore City Task Force on
Inclusionary Zoning and Housing
5:00 PM Du Burns Council Chamber, 4th floor, City Hall

Hello Council President (Sheila) Dixon, Chairman (Edward) Reisinger and distinguished members of the Committee on Land Use and Transportation.

My name is Elijah Cummings, and I represent the 7th District of Maryland in the United States Congress.

I am honored to have the opportunity to testify before the Land Use and Transportation Committee today about a subject of critical importance to my constituents and to the entire City of Baltimore, and that is inclusionary housing.

A task force established by the Baltimore City Council has examined our City’s need to provide affordable housing to City residents even while sustaining and expanding the revitalization of the City and encouraging continued investment in all forms of real estate.

Baltimore is experiencing a surge in development with housing and community development projects taking place throughout the City.

Our population is increasing with many people relocating here from surrounding areas such as Washington, DC, helping to expand our tax base.

This is good news.

As a resident of Baltimore for more than 55 years, I remain deeply concerned however, that dwindling housing options for low- and moderate-income families in Baltimore City stand in the way of expanding homeownership.

This dilemma leaves many families either paying more than they can afford for housing or unable even to live in the City.

Residents throughout the City have contacted me about how the surge in Baltimore’s real estate market has negatively impacted their ability to find affordable housing.

In Baltimore, the median home price rose by 99% from 2000 to 2004, while wages rose by 19%.

In 2005, there were approximately 3,600 foreclosure filings in Baltimore.

For those first-time homebuyers whose incomes fall below $75,000, housing choices are very limited.

Seniors and those on a fixed income often cannot handle even the slightest increase in housing prices.

Further, many long-term Baltimore residents have expressed concern about being displaced from the neighborhoods they now call home because they can no longer afford to live in the new developments planned for their communities.

The haunting question is this; where will these people end up?

Creating affordable housing is an important policy issue.

Sustaining healthy mixed-income neighborhoods is crucial to the development of a strong Baltimore with stable communities.

As you may know, I have been very active in the redevelopment of East Baltimore.

This project, if successfully executed, will serve as a national model for the formation of partnerships between the private sector, the government, and academia that can effectively transform communities.

We are already experiencing very positive results.

While people were displaced as a result of this project, we fulfilled our commitment to inclusion by assisting with the relocation of nearly 400 families.

We also provided substantial support services to these families to help them get started in their new homes.

I appreciate President Dixon, Councilwoman Paula Johnson Branch, Councilman Bernard “Jack” Young, and the entire Baltimore City Council for all of your hard work in making the East Baltimore Development Project a reality for this city.

The number one reason for my involvement in that project is to ensure that inclusion remains a top priority at every stage of development.

Baltimore City needs more investment and growth to realize its extraordinary potential.

This investment must not take place solely in certain pockets of the City that cater to the affluent, but there must be a mindset of inclusion throughout the City.

Our hard-working citizens – the nurses, teachers, bus drivers, and police officers – whose taxes have paid to support development in the City deserve to live in homes they can afford.

I urge you to adopt the recommendations of the Baltimore City Task Force on Inclusionary Housing, including the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to support large scale inclusive development.

It is essential to increase resources for inclusionary housing to address the needs of people of all income levels who desire and deserve to be a part of the revitalization of our City.

It is our responsibility to provide for those citizens who had a vision for a better Baltimore long before its heyday.

Now that things are turning around for Charm City, we must take care of those who “knew and loved Baltimore when. . .”

Baltimore City prides itself on welcoming and including residents of all backgrounds and income levels.

We must do everything we can to make sure all residents can continue to call this great City home.

Again, thank you Council President Dixon and Chairman Reisinger for the opportunity to testify before you.