On a stretch of downtown west filled mostly with parking lots, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) sees its next chapter.
The university wants to turn a swath of largely vacant land along the West Lexington corridor into a “college town.” The redevelopment costing nearly $300 million adds new housing, a sit-down restaurant and an athletic field to land it largely owns.
“It’s an opportunity to develop the northern end of our campus to make it a vibrant community,” said Bruce Jarrell, president of UMB since 2020. “We think of it as a college town, an area where young people, older people want to live together. They will put feet on the street to make energy happen around here.”
The amenities would be open to the public.
The proposal, known as the Vibrancy Initiative, recently cleared a key hurdle with approval from the University System of Maryland Board of Regents. It now heads to the Maryland Board of Public Works. If the state signs off, construction could begin in 2027 and wrap by 2029.
Jarrell argues that redevelopment would put those parcels to productive use and generate property tax revenue for the City of Baltimore.
The financing structure relies on private dollars. Wexford Science & Technology, a development firm, would fund most of the project.
“95% of the costs will be covered through the private financing,” said Jim Hughes, UMB's chief development officer. “And as part of that, we’re transferring state owned property to control of a private developer.”
The university would pay for public facing improvements, Hughes said, such as sidewalks, lighting and public art, along with construction of the athletic field.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS
Administrators say they have conducted outreach. Much of it focused on students, faculty and nearby businesses like Lexington Market.
But some neighbors remain skeptical.
Nicole King lives in the neighborhood and teaches at the university’s Baltimore County campus. She is also part of With Us For Us, a coalition that pushes hospitals and colleges to pay what members see as a fairer share of city taxes.
“When universities become developers, is that really serving their mission?” King asked while strolling through the area. “What is this Vibrancy? What does it really mean if we peel back the layers?”
King said she worries about what could be lost.
“My initial concern is with the character of the place and the people who live and work in this place,” the professor said. “And the west side of downtown has been many things, historically. It's been a shopping and garment district. It is a Black public space, so I don’t want to see it lose that character.”
King pointed to Poppleton, where families were displaced after the city used eminent domain to clear land for an out-of-state developer. Decades later, the stalled project remains tied up in lawsuits. Institution-driven development, she said, has often favored powerful entities over legacy residents, leaving lasting scars.
As the proposal advances, King said she’ll be watching whether the university follows through. She said community-facing features — like the promised outdoor athletic field — are often scaled back or eliminated as projects evolve. She called for binding commitments and genuine community engagement.
Jarrell and Hughes said they share a vision for a neighborhood that will feel lively and welcoming.
“Students or faculty will come back to this campus having left five years ago, and they’ll walk up here and say, ‘What happened? Look at this place now. I want to live here,’” Jarrell said.
“Well, I would just add to that, along those same lines, that when somebody’s coming new to Baltimore and they ask a local, ‘What are the great places to live?’ I want this neighborhood on that list,” Hughes said.
