Community Law Center
E-NEWS
Summer 2003
Communication and Compromise:
Zoning Victories in Southeast
The Patterson Park Neighborhood Association
(formerly the Baltimore-Linwood Association), working with Community Law Center
Staff Attorney Susan Hughes, has
successfully negotiated agreements with two property owners/operators in order
to further its goal of revitalizing and redeveloping the Patterson Park
community. In exchange for the community’s support in front of the Zoning
Board, the operator of a storefront property on N. Kenwood Avenue entered into
an agreement with the PPNA. This agreement included a number of provisions for
the store operator to follow, including hours of operations, security cameras,
lighting and daily maintenance of the property. The PPNA also lent its
conditional support to a property owner in his request for a Zoning variance
permitting him to convert the property from a single-family dwelling to a
two-dwelling unit on S. East Avenue. The association sent a letter of support
to the Zoning Board based on the conditions that the owner conducts the
necessary rehabilitation in a timely manner and that he carefully screens all
perspective tenants. The Law Center supports and encourages the efforts of the
PPNA to take a proactive approach to encouraging redevelopment and investment in
their neighborhood.
UPDATE – Sarbanes Cites The
Community Law Center’s Work
In a press release issued earlier
this month, Senator Paul Sarbanes heralded the investigations of consumer
groups, specifically mentioning the Community Law Center, into the practices of
Fairbanks Capital Corporation. This statement was part of Sarbanes’
announcement of an agreement between Fannie Mae and Fairbanks that will lead to
daily on-site inspections of Fairbanks’ procedures and the review, on a
case-by-case basis, of any account going into foreclosure.
Our Money
Place: Southwest Baltimore’s NEW Comprehensive Community Financial Institution
On June 9th, community
residents celebrated the opening of Our Money Place in the Westside Shopping
Center with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. This celebration was the
culmination of intense efforts by Operation ReachOut SouthWest (OROSW) to bring
a financial institution into the neighborhood to provide financial services to
the area residents. The Community Law Center’s
Senior Staff Attorney, Kristine Dunkerton served as legal counsel for
the project. Our Money Place is the realization of OROSW’s Economic Development
Committee goal to revitalize financial services in Southwest Baltimore. By
conducting a study with the assistance of the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation and focus groups with area residents, the committee was able to
craft ideas about how this neighborhood financial institution would work. Our
Money Place is comprised of several organizational entities, including SSA
Baltimore Federal Credit Union, A&B Check-Cashing and Our Money Place, Inc.,
which provides educational and counseling resources on financial topics. The
Law Center will also work with Our Money Place to offer educational workshops on
avoiding and escaping predatory mortgage schemes. City Council President Sheila
Dixon, Councilmember Agnes Welch, Izzy Patoka of the Mayor’s Office of
Neighborhoods, Christopher Tan of the National Community Investment Fund and
Joan Lok of the FDIC were on-hand to commemorate this momentous event!
The Law Center is especially
excited about the opening of Our Money Place. When asked about the impact of
this event, Kristine Dunkerton explained, “Our Money Place, Inc. is the first
organization of its kind that we are aware of. This institution is being
examined as a national model for community-based financial services. Although
the inclusion of the check casher scares a lot of people, the fact is that the
community wanted and uses the check casher and trusts them over banks. Without
a check casher included in the program, very few people would be coming in the
door to be educated about traditional banking services, home buying, credit
repair, retirement planning, money management, and other services offered by
both Our Money Place and the SSA Baltimore Federal Credit Union.”
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Last Updated:
September 25, 2006 ©
2006 Community Law Center, Inc. Baltimore, Maryland
|
The Community Law Center, Inc.
