Eastern Shore projects get $9.5M from Dept. of Housing and Community Development

MARYLAND – The Eastern Shore is getting a shot in the arm from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

Eastern Shore Investments Supported by DHCD

Across nine counties on the Shore, 49 projects were awarded $9.5 million. The DHCD awarded $129.5 million for 304 projects across Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions for Fiscal Year 2025.

The projects on the Eastern Shore include renovation at the historic Henry Hotel in Ocean City. Additionally, a historic bank building in Hillsboro, Caroline County will be converted into a cafe and marketplace.

Also included is support for the creation of The Perch in Princess Anne, a planned business hub. The mixed-use SBY Marketplace development in downtown Salisbury will also see support. Salisbury University’s vision for a performing arts center at the current site of the Wicomico County Public Library will also be supported by the funds.

“These are everything from housing development to business creation or development, all oriented at growing our economy… You can see that there’s a wide variety, and it’s really about revitalizing communities and making sure that the community articulates their vision and aspiration, and we support that,” said DHCD Secretary Jake Day.

Local Leaders Celebrate

In a press release from the DHCD, Hillsboro Town Administrator Jeannette DeLude celebrated the incoming funding. “We would not be able to complete our project without their support,” she stated.

Meanwhile, Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) Executive Director Zach Bankert said the funding will support a variety of needs.

“[It] will allow the OCDC to continue our successful Facade Improvement and Green Building Initiatives Programs, as well as a new program specifically designated for commercial facades improvements in Downtown Ocean City… the historic Henry Hotel [will] ultimately be opened as a museum celebrating African American experience in Ocean City,” Bankert stated in the press release.

“We’ve got to incentivize,”

The funding is part of the state’s seven State Revitalization Programs. Four apply to Eastern Shore projects, Secretary Day said. He added the genesis of those efforts was in the late 1990s.

“At the time, the state was pursuing a lot of land use control to stop sprawl development in environmentally sensitive and agricultural areas. The counterpoint to that it’s more expensive to renovate historic buildings, to revitalize older areas. So, we’ve got to incentivize some of that… [The programs] are all oriented at investing in economic growth and private community development in Maryland’s cities and towns to create jobs, future tax revenue, and future economic activity,” said Secretary Day.

Those incentives are also important to get the private sector involved in community development, said Secretary Day; private companies are usually unwilling to partake in such projects if returns are not immediate.

“Government can’t just approach things with a ‘Don’t do this.’ It also has to say, ‘Instead, we are going to make it easier to do that.’ That’s exactly what the State Revitalization Programs do… These grants are often participatory in affordable housing development. They support market-rate housing development, they support mixed-use,” Secretary Day explained.

Remaining Optimistic Amid Budget Crisis

All of this work will come as the state is grappling with a $3 billion budget crisis. Secretary Day said he believes DHCD projects could be one way to make the state’s economy stronger. According to the DHCD, every dollar invested generates $11 in direct revenue and $18 in state economic impact.

Secretary Day said he remains optimistic about whether the DHCD will be able to continue funding its priorities. He added he is confident in Governor Wes Moore’s (D-Md.) “clear vision” for how to address the deficit.

“We’re all about economic growth, we’re all about investing in things that produce tax revenue… There is no bigger bang for the taxpayer’s buck. I’m confident that we will see projects and investments like these continue in this budget and the years to come,” Secretary Day said.