On Spetmber 10, 2016, dozens of homes went under contract in a zone of rehabilitated buildings and vacant lots north of Johns Hopkins Hospital, as homebuyers were lured to the once-and-future neighborhood by the promise of thousands of dollars in incentives.
A $36,000, one-day-only offer to employees of Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System as part of their Live Near Your Work program was designed to create buzz for the area.
It’s the site of an ambitious and controversial revitalization project that struggled to gain momentum for years.
And it appeared to work. Faced with more potential buyers than the number of houses initially included in the offer, Ryan Homes released additional lots to meet the demand.
“Without the programs, I wouldn’t be buying in the city,” said Terrence Woods, 30, a financial analyst at Hopkins Health System.
“The excitement and energy here today says everything about the future of this community,” Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels said. “It’s really very encouraging in terms of the strong, diverse, working-class community we’re trying to build.”