Federal, state grants to help Loyola University upgrade York Road facility

Loyola University Maryland plans to use federal and state funding to upgrade its footprint in North Baltimore.

The university announced April 19 that it received $1 million in federal funding and $225,000 in state funding to renovate and create a community hub at its multipurpose facility at 5104 York Road. The renovations, scheduled for completion in 2026, will strengthen Loyola’s York Road Initiative, a community development effort in the York Road neighborhoods of Baltimore, the university said in a media release.

 “As a Jesuit, Catholic institution, we are committed to continuing to invest in our campus, including spaces and resources along York Road,” Loyola President Terrence M. Sawyer said in the media release. “This renovated space will serve as a hub for community-university partnerships serving the York Road corridor and city of Baltimore. It will bring together diverse groups and provide an operational home for a wide range of community engagement efforts. As we implement our new strategic plan, we are looking for ways we can engage with our community and do the work of investing in our city.”

As part of the renovation, Loyola will add 2,500 square feet of office space for professionals for Loyola’s York Road Initiative and the Center for Community, Service and Justice. The addition will also include a multipurpose space for community events and workshops and a large reception area for small-scale retail and pop-up art events. The space will allow for legal clinics for the community, youth workforce and leadership development programs, and events such as Loyola’s annual Halloween Block Party for the neighborhoods.

The renovations will also create office space for an entrepreneur from Loyola’s Baltipreneurs Accelerator, which supports startup businesses and social ventures through the Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Loyola.

In addition to Loyola’s York Road Initiative, the renovated space will house partnering community organizations, including the York Road Partnership and York Corridor Business Improvement District Management Authority. Loyola’s departments of public safety and environmental health and safety will continue to operate out of the building.

Loyola will repurpose the York Road Initiative’s existing office, a smaller freestanding building on the same property, for the university’s sustainability and food equity efforts, including the Govans Farmers’ Market, a community fridge that supplies food to neighbors in need, a community compost bin for food scraps, and environmental sustainability and climate resiliency programs for the area. Loyola’s Office of Sustainability will lead the efforts, the university said.

The $1 million in federal funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at the request of senators Chris Van Hollen (D) and Ben Cardin (D), and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md. 2).

“This direct federal investment will support Loyola’s efforts to bring the York Road Corridor and Greater Govans communities closer together by providing an inclusive space for local events, workforce development programs, and other support services. I have seen Loyola’s York Road Initiative firsthand, and I support this vital work that both uplifts the students they teach and the surrounding communities they serve,” said Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee, in a media release.

In addition to adding office space, the funding will allow Loyola to purchase new generators, update mechanical systems and consolidate the university’s department of public safety in the building.

Loyola’s York Road Initiative also received $675,000 in federal funding in 2022.

The $225,000 state grant, matched by $225,000 from Loyola’s capital budget, will fund preconstruction work for the office renovation at 5104 York Road, including project planning, architectural design and site preparation. The grant comes from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Seed Community Development Anchor Institution Fund, which provides funding to anchor institutions for community development projects.

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