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The OCA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the recipients of the 2023 Crystal Eagle Award are Sonia Eaddy and Nicole King. Sonia is a homeowner, longtime resident of west Baltimore, and community activist and Nicole is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County.
These two remarkable women are being honored for their joint efforts, over a span of many years, to save the homes in the historic black neighborhood of Poppleton from being taken by the City of Baltimore through eminent domain in pursuit of an ill-conceived, poorly planned, underfunded and (as of this point in time) largely failed urban renewal project. The details of what happened to Poppleton are set forth below. Unfortunately, it is a story that is far too familiar to many minority neighborhoods and communities across America that have been destroyed in the name of urban renewal and private redevelopment projects.
In 1975 Baltimore passed an urban renewal plan for the Poppleton neighborhood. Although the plan was to foster redevelopment of the area, after 30 years and the taking of some 300 properties, for lack of funding and a developer, absolutely nothing was built. Nevertheless, in 2004 the City not only reauthorized the plan, but expanded it to take more properties, including Sonia Eaddy's home. Even though these additional properties were not blighted, the footprint of the urban renewal plan was expanded to provide a larger parcel for future redevelopment.
In 2006 the City finally chose a developer for the project. Out of New York, LaCite made big promises to get the property under contract. Under LaCite’s original proposal some 13 acres in the neighborhood would be redeveloped in four phases over an 8 year period, with the project being completed by 2014. Unfortunately, once again, nothing happened. Despite the City making available to LaCite nearly $60 million in tax increment financing, another five years passed without a single shovel of dirt being turned. During this time the City did try to terminate the contract with La Cite, but a federal judge precluded the termination.
Finally, in late 2019, La Cite completed the construction of two small apartment buildings, a far more modest project than originally promised. Moreover, the presence of the buildings did nothing to improve the lives or character of the neighborhood. And at $1,925 a month in rent, they were hardly affordable to anyone living in Poppleton.
During all of this wasted time, as anyone could have predicted, much of the neighborhood suffered under a blight designation cloud. Where there were once shops, thriving businesses and a strong neighborhood culture, the area slowly deteriorated. The grass went uncut, trash accumulated, municipal services were cut back, and eventually drug and other criminal activity became commonplace.
But instead of giving up and moving out, the neighborhood fought back. Led by a determined Sonia Eaddy, a number of committed residents appeared at nearly every public hearing advocating for their community. They also worked tirelessly with City Planners to promote the "Poppleton Plan," i.e. the neighborhood's vision for what redevelopment should look like if all stakeholders were allowed to have an active voice. The plan included an expanded public park, a job training center for local residents, space for locally-owned small businesses, a grocery store, an early childhood learning center, and preservation of historic homes. TT
Almost at the same time, working behind the scenes was Professor Nicole King. Her research and knowledge of the disastrous impact that urban renewal has had on black and disadvantaged communities (particularly in Baltimore) proved invaluable in changing hearts and minds in an effort to bring about a more positive outcome. Further, under her direction, in the spring of 2021, "A Place Called Poppleton" debuted to document the history and culture of the Poppleton neighborhood. UMBC students produced a StoryMap digital walking tour of the neighborhood with a focus on the area’s Black history and places lost or endangered due to redevelopment.
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