Programs
Equitable Development
The Equitable Development focus area provides legal services, legal education, and policy research to Baltimore’s community and nonprofit organizations working to build community assets and to improve access to affordable housing, reliable transportation, healthy food, living wage employment, and needed social services.
Equitable development is rooted in the participation of community residents in development decisions that affect their community. Equitable development seeks meaningful involvement of impacted citizens in decision-making processes regardless of race, income, culture, and social class and means that the positive benefits of development are shared by all and no group bears a disproportionate share of negative consequences of development.
An equitable development framework is essential because those most affected by development are often not at the table to determine how development happens or to ensure that the benefits of development—jobs, housing, business opportunities—come to those who were there before the development was conceived. Equitable development aims to meet this problem head-on by including those most affected by development as true stakeholders in the development process.
The Community Law Center provides legal representation to nonprofit and community organizations to foster equitable development by:
- Working with communities to draft community benefits agreements with developers in their neighborhoods;
- Representing communities in administrative hearings and judicial review;
- Providing workshops and educational opportunities to community residents about equitable development and community benefits agreements;
- Seeking policy change to improve opportunities for equitable development;
- Bringing stakeholders together to address community concerns;
- Assisting communities with developing and implementing land reuse plans; and
- Forming, reviving, or maintaining nonprofit organizations, including bylaws, incorporation, and tax-exemption (501(c)(3)) applications.
To apply for assistance, please submit an application with the nonrefundable application fee and all requested information to the Community Law Center. Beyond the nonrefundable application fee, generally no fees are charged for the attorney's time, but clients are responsible for direct expenses (filing fees, postage, copying expenses, etc.) related to their cases
Community organizations and nonprofits are encouraged to purchase the Community Law Center's manual "How to Start a Nonprofit Organization in Maryland" to get their organization started as well as to keep their organization running efficiently and effectively. Community associations are also encouraged to purchase the Community Law Center's manual "Revitalizing Baltimore's Neighborhoods: Legal Tools for Community Associations" for in-depth information on strategies community associations can use to make their neighborhood a place everyone would want to call home!
