Cambridge revitalizes historic neighborhood lot

The City of Cambridge has been awarded 52,928 dollars from The Chesapeake Bay Trust, the EPA, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Baltimore Office of Sustainability as part of their Chesapeake Bay Street-Green Jobs-Green Towns Grant Program.

With that grant money, ShoreRivers, Habitat for Humanity Choptank, Cambridge Main Street and the Waugh United Methodist Church are collaborating on a pilot program to green vacant lots. 

"We see a lot of overgrown lots, and it can harbor mosquitos and it can harbor creatures," said the Habitat for Humanity Choptank Neighborhood Revitalization Manager, Rhonda Fields. 

"There might be things that were dumped 20 or 30 years ago," said Fields. 

The grant also helps to implement plans that help reduce stormwater runoff that causes water pollution, provide more green spaces and job opportunities. Some of the locations that are expected to be under construction include a vacant lot near the United Methodist Church.

"This particular design will have both pervious pavers and asphalt and there will be parking and green spaces as well as part of the overall lot," said the Cambridge Main Street Executive Director, Katie Clendaniel.

"I heard that there was going to be work on revitalizing the parking area, which is really a much needed thing for the city," said a local resident, Beth Cline.

"We have a lot of businesses that are coming in that have opened up, and we just need more parking for those people," said Cline.

The new construction is expected to start in October, and an additional vacant lot near the Methodist Church is also being looked at for construction within the next year.