Committee delays vote on Canal Village 3 PILOT after residents press accountability

The Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee on Monday postponed consideration of a 15-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) for Canal Village 3, a proposed affordable housing project by BWI, after extended public comment from neighborhood residents and discussion of enforcement measures.

The PILOT request (proposal 184) would apply to Veil Village 3 LP and was described by project lead Gary Hobbs as part of a multi‑phase effort to deliver 3‑ and 4‑bedroom townhouse-style homes targeted at single parents and families. Hobbs told the committee the development package includes homeownership lease‑option features, a 20% set‑aside of units for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, project‑based vouchers for eight units, and partnerships for energy‑efficient construction and supportive services.

The neighborhood’s concerns came from multiple speakers representing Northwest Landing and adjacent blocks. Maouna Wadud, neighborhood president, and other residents said problems from Canal Village 1 — including incomplete promised features, perceived construction and maintenance shortfalls and loss of mature trees — remain unresolved. Hadiya Wadudamet representing neighbors said community negotiations had broken down and asked how the city would protect the neighborhood and ensure commitments are met. Laurie Purdue of the Community Canopy Alliance emphasized heat‑island and canopy loss concerns, saying the neighborhood’s tree cover is under 14%.

Flanner House CEO Brandon Cosby said his organization negotiated a separate trust that would retain one million dollars needed to close financing; that money, he said, would be released only after verifiable evidence that developer commitments to the neighborhood were met. Deputy Director Jenny Fultz of the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) told the committee DMD shared neighbors’ concerns and would write commitments into the pilot agreement. She said the department will require monthly neighborhood update meetings, permit‑level verification by the city architect and the right to inspect the properties during the rental period. Fultz told the committee the city will not transfer development lots until the developer closes financing.

Council members pressed for stronger accountability language. Councilor Jared Evans moved to postpone the matter to the committee’s July 14 meeting to allow DMD and the developer to return with detailed, enforceable mitigation commitments addressing outstanding problems from Canal Village 1 and specific enforcement or clawback provisions. The motion passed by voice vote.

Hobbs, who acknowledged some earlier design decisions made during the COVID pandemic that he called mistakes, said he had signed a written MOU with Flanner House and the neighborhood to add porches and fences and that he would meet monthly with community members. He also disputed claims that homes were structurally deficient and said multiple inspections by state and city entities had not identified construction defects. DMD counsel and staff said they would include annual pilot reviews and the ability to revoke or penalize pilot benefits if commitments were not met.

The committee’s postponement requires DMD and the developer to return with a clear list of commitments, documentation of enforcement mechanisms (including how the pilot payment could be revoked), and follow‑up plans addressing outstanding maintenance and canopy issues raised by residents. The matter will be reintroduced at the July 14 committee meeting.

Votes and procedural actions: Councilor Jared Evans moved the postponement; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

Because public speakers described continuing problems tied to prior phases of the same development, DMD emphasized that the pilot and any enforceable terms will apply to Canal Village 3; DMD said it lacks legal authority to retroactively impose pilot‑style enforcement on Canal Village 1 lots that were transferred under a different process.