For over 140 years, every third weekend in May, Pimlico Race Course has become a focal point for lovers of horse racing everywhere. That’s when thousands of people pour into northwest Baltimore for the annual Preakness Stakes.
But the neighborhood that hosts the second of the Triple Crown races, Park Heights, has often been overlooked amidst all that attention.
This year, on the Monday before Preakness, Mayor Brandon Scott stood just blocks away from the home he grew up in to declare the neighborhood the newest Main Street district in Baltimore. This designation unlocks $500,000 to support businesses within the corridor.
Baltimore’s Main Streets program was launched in 2000 by former Mayor Martin O’Malley to preserve and revitalize commercial corridors across the city. Today, it’s the country’s third largest urban Main Streets program.
“Today’s announcement is about supporting the hard work and persistence of this community,” Scott said at an event to celebrate the designation, held on May 13. “It’s not easy to hit all of the benchmarks to become aligned with the requirements of the Main Streets initiative, but this group has put in the work.”
To Park Heights Renaissance CEO Yolanda Jiggetts, the Main Streets designation will help weave together all the projects that are already reshaping the neighborhood.
Nearly 500 affordable and mixed-income housing units have been constructed or planned for the neighborhood. The Towanda Recreation Center reopened to the public in 2021 after renovations, and a new aquatic center is expected to open in 2025.
A new library is planned for the community. It will be the city’s first in more than 15 years.
“You can’t keep attracting people and wanting them to stay here without having businesses, really making it a walkable neighborhood where residents feel like there are a variety of shops and that they’re safe,” Jiggetts said.
In the short-term, Jiggetts said the organization will focus on lighting, murals, and other beautification and safety improvements. Then, they’ll begin working with their business partners to gauge their current level of success and determine how the funding can help them make adjustments so they can stay in the neighborhood for years to come.
The funding allocation includes an annual $60,000 grant to help staff the Park Heights Main Street office and $400,000 to the Pimlico Merchants Association for business development, lighting, and safety enhancement. They will also receive a $40,000 grant that they can use at their discretion.
After Governor Wes Moore signed legislation last week that will allow for a $400 million renovation of Pimlico Race Course, Park Heights Renaissance is also expecting to see $10 million for workforce development, along with voting membership on the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority as it decides how Pimlico should be redesigned.
The first Main Street designation in 10 years, Park Heights joins eight other Main Streets in the city after a community listening and application process that took two years by itself.
“This is a new day for Park Heights, for this neighborhood,” Scott said. “After being ignored for generations — except when it’s Preakness — the neighborhood is being recognized as somewhere to invest in every day.”
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