NEWS
By John Duda | August 15, 2012
Now that M.J. "Jay" Brodiehas officially ended his service as head of the Baltimore Development Corporation, it's time to focus on his yet to be named successor and the economic development challenges he or she will face. This century has led off with a major recession and cutbacks in most government programs. We need to focus on the needs of our most distressed neighborhoods as we move forward, using approaches that make the best use of limited resources. According to the list of requirements the city has laid out for the new BDC head, the new director will be expected not only know about real estate development and the many tools the agency now has in place but must also be able to "plan, direct, coordinate and administer a comprehensive economic development plan with city agencies and partners.
NEWS
By Steve Kilar, The Baltimore Sun | August 2, 2012
After 16 years at the helm of the Baltimore Development Corp., the city's influential, quasi-public economic development arm, M.J. "Jay" Brodie will work his last day at the agency on Friday. "What I've told everybody is … that I'm taking a period of refreshment," Brodie said Thursday morning after a meeting of the city's Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel. He said he planned to take at least a month off before committing to new endeavors. Brodie, 75, started at the BDC in 1996 under then-Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke.
NEWS
By Lorraine Mirabella, The Baltimore Sun | April 10, 2012
The Maryland Film Festival would transform the historic and long-shuttered Parkway Theatre into a venue for small independent films and concerts under one of three proposals to enliven a key intersection in Baltimore's Charles North neighborhood. Two other developers also hope to restore the former movie palace, where vaudeville acts also once played, and bring in live music, theater and other performances, the Baltimore Development Corp. said Tuesday. The BDC, the city's economic development agency, said it had received three proposals to redevelop the theater at 3 W. North Ave. and adjacent buildings at 1 W. North Ave. and 1820 N. Charles St. in response to a request by the agency in December.
BUSINESS
By Lorraine Mirabella, The Baltimore Sun | February 25, 2012
When asked 16 years ago to head Baltimore's economic development agency, M.J. "Jay" Brodie really didn't want the job. The 75-year-old Brodie, who will retire from the Baltimore Development Corp. after serving as president under four mayors, is credited with helping to usher in major waterfront redevelopment, strengthen neighborhood commercial districts and attract and retain employers. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Brodie will leave a legacy as a major contributor to the city's continuing renaissance.
BUSINESS
By Lorraine Mirabella, The Baltimore Sun | February 23, 2012
M.J. "Jay" Brodie, who has headed Baltimore's economic development agency under four mayors and helped shepherd projects such as the Harbor East redevelopment, said Thursday he plans to retire. The Baltimore native and former city housing commissioner is credited with overseeing initiatives to create thousands of jobs and to attract and keep hundreds of businesses in the city during his 16 years as president of the Baltimore Development Corp., the city's quasi-public economic development arm. Brodie, viewed as highly influential in city development, also has drawn criticism from residents and business owners who have complained about being pushed out by urban renewal and about the secrecy under which they say his agency has operated.
NEWS
November 22, 2011
Now that it's official and public knowledge that Maryland is last in job creation and only 6th from last (44th) in having a business-friendly environment according to the Tax Foundation, some response is required. Let's get rid of the Baltimore Development Corporation, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and any public or quasi-public group in this state that has business development in its charter. Think of all the millions of dollars we could save to put to better use, like lowering the personal and corporate tax rates here.