Housing And Community

THERE ARE those who argue the appropriate name for the city department with the initials HCD should be Housing and Community Destruction. As Sun reporters John B. O'Donnell and Jim Haner explained in their three-part series, the agency's policy of demolishing thousands of derelict houses and slapping large liens on them in the name of stopping blight actually accelerates the destruction of many city neighborhoods.Baltimore's abandoned and vacant properties -- as high as 40,000 addresses -- can be traced to two inescapable conditions.

Howard County's Department of Housing and Community Development has won a $1.2 million grant to help families with low and moderate incomes in what is an increasingly expensive place to live, officials announced yesterday. The community development block grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will be used for programs the county is supporting. Neil Gaffney, deputy director of the county's housing department, said the initiatives are aimed at making lower-income families more self-sufficient.

Mount Airy officials have named a manager for the town's new Main Street revitalization program. Jill Lemke, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, has accepted the position, Mayor James S. Holt said yesterday. Now living in Buffalo, N.Y., she plans to begin work next month. "We're very excited to have her coming here because of her qualifications, and she's quite enthusiastic," Holt said. Lemke has a master's degree from Cornell University in regional planning, with a concentration in community and economic development, according to the announcement.

More than $3.2 million is now available for qualified first-time homebuyers through Harford County's Mortgage Purchase Program. The funding is made possible through a state Department of Housing and Community Development program.Under MMP, the maximum purchase price for an existing unit is $80,000, or $85,000 for new construction. The loan can be used toward the purchase of single-family residences, including town houses, detached or semi-detached homes or condominium units. The purchase of a modular home qualifies for financing it it carries the state seal of approval for safety code compliance.

In an effort to protect homebuyers from property-flipping schemes, city lawmakers, lenders and Realtors are launching a public awareness campaign today. Billboards and bus signs are already up, and radio and television ads will start airing soon - all directing potential homebuyers to counseling and information so they don't end up with an excessively overpriced house. A toll-free hot line - 888-949-6677 - connects consumers with a housing counselor from the Maryland Center for Community Development.

Kenneth Strong, director of research for a nonprofit law center in Baltimore devoted to helping community organizations, started a new job with the city yesterday as director of the office of homeownership. Strong, who will try to encourage homeownership through loan programs and promotional efforts to persuade more people to live in the city, was one of five housing department hires announced during a news conference yesterday at City Hall. Other incoming housing officials introduced by the mayor yesterday included Douglass Austin, deputy commissioner for development; J. Gregory Love, deputy commissioner for housing and building code enforcement; Ruth Louie, assistant commissioner for community development; and Chris Shea, associate deputy director of planning and development.

Baltimore will receive $44 million in federal Department of Housing and Urban Development grants to help fund the city's housing programs, combat homelessness and provide resources to people with AIDS, city and federal officials announced yesterday. The total announced yesterday for the current fiscal year, which began in July, represents a $2.5 million increase over last year's allocation, city housing officials said. "Real people - neighbors of ours here in Baltimore - will live better lives because of the funding we announce today," said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat, at a news conference at his Northwest Baltimore district office.

In articles March 4 and 5 about Daniel P. Henson III, Baltimore's new housing commissioner, The Evening Sun reported incorrectly that Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse Inc. receives millions of dollars each year from the federal government in loans for housing projects.In fact, the company has received $12.5 million in government loans since the early 1980s, most of which was awarded prior to the beginning of the Schmoke administration.In addition, the Howard County edition of March 4 stated incorrectly that Struever Bros.

Municipal Mortgage & Equity LLC, the Baltimore apartment financier better known as MuniMae, will buy a U.S. unit of an Australian firm in a $102 million deal that will more than double the local company's size. The acquisition, to be announced today, is MuniMae's biggest yet and will make the Baltimore company the nation's fourth-largest owner of apartment units, said Mark K. Joseph, MuniMae's chairman and chief executive officer. "I am ecstatic," Joseph said yesterday. "I am really very happy because of the opportunities [the acquisition]

Fairbrooke Senior Apartments, a 122-unit, elevator-equipped, affordable housing complex for the elderly, is currently under construction in Aberdeen.The one- and two-bedroom units in Harford County are expected to be ready for occupancy by next summer. Rents will range from $440 to $490 per month.The four-story, $8.3 million complex is being built on 7.5 acres fronting a natural park area of woods and streams. Two shopping centers are within walking distance.Constructed of brick, stucco and vinyl siding, the building will have a "modern Victorian" design.