Winning the Decade: How Governor Wes Moore’s $69.5 Million Bet Is Rewriting Maryland’s Community Story

On a brisk morning in Annapolis, Governor Wes Moore stood before the Board of Public Works not simply to announce a funding package, but to signal a philosophy. With the unveiling of $69.5 million in Fiscal Year 2026 community revitalization and economic development awards, Moore made clear that Maryland’s next chapter will be written from the ground up — block by block, storefront by storefront, and neighborhood by neighborhood.

The investment, administered through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), will fuel 226 projects statewide, targeting long-disinvested communities with a comprehensive mix of housing, business, infrastructure, and placemaking initiatives. From façade improvements and mixed-use redevelopment to homeownership incentives and strategic demolition, the scope of the plan reflects Moore’s core belief: durable economic growth begins locally.

“In order to build a Maryland that is more resilient, more affordable, and more competitive, we have to start at the local level,” Moore said, framing the initiative as both economic strategy and moral imperative.

A Strategy Rooted in Equity — and Data

More than $40 million of the total investment is directed to projects in Just Communities, a designation formalized by Moore on Juneteenth and grounded in data, history, and lived experience. These communities represent areas where the state is intentionally concentrating resources to repair past harms, reduce disparities, and unlock opportunity.

This approach marks a shift from scattershot redevelopment to targeted, equity-driven investment. Instead of waiting for market forces to correct decades of neglect, the state is leaning in — and doing so with scale.

DHCD Secretary Jake Day underscored that vision, emphasizing that place matters as much as policy.

“When we invest in the character, vitality, and potential of our communities, we unlock new opportunities for the people who live and work there,” Day said. “When we invest in great places, Great Places Win.”

From Vision to Visible Change

Of the total package, $26.48 million received immediate approval through four major programs, supporting 130 projects that are already moving from blueprint to reality. These include:

$9.78 million through the Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative
$5 million for the Business Façade Improvement Program
$8.7 million via the National Capital Strategic Economic Development Fund
$3 million through the Seed Community Development Anchor Institution Fund

Together, these dollars will help modernize commercial corridors, stabilize neighborhoods, and strengthen anchor institutions that serve as economic and social hubs.

The awards support everything from small-business expansion and streetscape upgrades to affordable housing infrastructure and community facilities — the kinds of improvements residents see, feel, and use every day.

Strategic Demolition, Strategic Growth

One of the most transformative tools in the package is the $10 million Strategic Demolition Fund, aimed not at erasing history, but at clearing the way for purposeful redevelopment. Twenty-five projects across Maryland received funding to repurpose underutilized or blighted sites into engines of growth.

Among them: arts-driven downtown revitalization in Oakland; sewer and infrastructure upgrades to support affordable housing in Waldorf; a mixed-use retail and residential redevelopment in Salisbury; inclusive housing on a former industrial site in Easton; and an ambitious oyster-processing, biotech, and education hub in Cambridge.

Each project reflects a broader pattern — redevelopment that blends economic opportunity with cultural, educational, and environmental stewardship.

Growing an Economy That Lifts Everyone

For Governor Moore, the $69.5 million investment is not an isolated announcement. It is part of a broader governing narrative centered on competitiveness, affordability, and shared prosperity.

“This is how we grow an economy that lifts everyone,” Moore said. “And this is how we win the decade.”

In practical terms, that means supporting small businesses as community anchors, expanding housing options near jobs and transit, and ensuring that revitalization does not displace the very residents it is meant to serve.

As projects break ground across Maryland in the coming months, the true measure of success will not just be dollars spent, but lives improved — neighborhoods made safer, more vibrant, and more hopeful.

In that sense, the $69.5 million investment is more than funding. It is a statement of faith — in local vision, local leadership, and the enduring power of communities when given the tools to thrive.