Boston's Dudley Street Initiative empowers community with eminent domain for redevelopment

The Prince George Community Housing Trust meeting held on July 2, 2025, focused on strategies for enhancing community development and housing initiatives in Prince George's County, Maryland. The meeting highlighted successful examples from other cities, emphasizing the importance of local government support in revitalizing neighborhoods.

The discussion began with a review of tools that have facilitated growth within the housing program. A notable example cited was the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative in Boston, where the city government empowered the community by granting the power of eminent domain. This allowed the initiative to acquire abandoned and blighted properties, which had been misused as dump sites. The initiative successfully established a community development corporation and a shared equity homeownership program, demonstrating effective community-led redevelopment.

Further, the meeting referenced Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the city government undertook the cleanup of a brownfield site previously contaminated by railroad activities. This redevelopment effort led to the establishment of the Sawmill community, which developed a mixed-tenure, mixed-income neighborhood that includes both homeownership and rental options.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to explore similar strategies in Prince George's County, aiming to foster community engagement and sustainable housing solutions. The next steps involve further collaboration with community organizations and potential site visits to learn from the successes of other cities.