$70 million invested along Baltimore’s North Avenue corridor since 2021

More than $70 million has been invested along Baltimore’s North Avenue corridor since the West North Avenue Development Authority was created in 2021. The money has touched housing, public space, transit planning, youth programs and land acquisition.

The authority was authorized by Chapters 80 and 81 of 2021 and formally established on Oct. 1, 2021, with a target area stretching from the 600 block to the 3200 block of West North Avenue and a 250-yard buffer zone. Its mission is to improve housing, neighborhoods, economic development and transportation in West Baltimore, including both motor vehicle and pedestrian access. WNADA’s 2025 fact sheet calls the effort a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plan built around restorative justice, local knowledge and best practices.

State Sen. Antonio Hayes said the authority is the missing thread between groups that have long worked along the corridor without enough resources to connect their efforts. He said the recent run of ribbon cuttings and grand openings, including projects tied to recreation centers, pools and the Carolyn Fugett Intergenerational Center, reflects a much longer attempt to reverse decades of disinvestment in neighborhoods marked by vacant property, disconnected services and weak commercial activity. Hayes said the goal was to move from isolated wins to a system of reinvestment that residents could count on.

In June 2023, WNADA received $11.4 million in state funding in a presentation attended by Gov. Wes Moore, Hayes, then-City Council President Nick Mosby and Coppin State University President Anthony L. Jenkins. In March 2025, the authority awarded more than $6.5 million to 19 recipients, including minority-, women-, veteran- and returning-citizen-led businesses. WNADA’s 2025 fact sheet says more than 108 businesses and organizations applied for more than $100 million in grant subsidy support.

The state also expanded WNADA’s powers in April 2025, when Moore signed SB 4 and HB 258, making the authority Maryland’s lead economic development agency for Baltimore City and giving it new tools for loans, property acquisition and leasing, a special benefits zone and fee authority. The former Greenwood Towing property at 1358-1370 West North Avenue is a roughly 1.8-acre to 2.5-acre site that sold at auction for $2,336,250 in October 2024 and is a transit-oriented mixed-use opportunity.

WNADA’s 15-year plan calls for neighborhood development, public safety, residential and commercial development, and construction-trades training for young people in places including Coppin Heights, Easterwood, Mondawmin, Druid Heights and Penn North. Hayes has said he hopes the corridor eventually supports new homeowners and businesses from Coppin State University to Longwood Street.