(BALTIMORE – November 20, 2025) – The opening of The Hammond at Greenmount Park marks a significant milestone for Johnston Square and for Baltimore’s broader conversation about neighborhood revitalization. Located between Biddle and Chase streets, the project replaces 42 long-vacant lots with mixed-income housing, a new Enoch Pratt Free Library branch, and dedicated space for the neighborhood association that helped shape the development. Its completion underscores a core idea: when community leadership is respected and paired with strong institutional partners, sustainable neighborhood change becomes possible.
The foundation for this progress was laid more than a decade ago. Johnston Square residents, determined to strengthen their community, began organizing around shared priorities that reflected lived experience rather than outside assumptions. Regina and Keith Hammond were among those who stepped forward, joined by a broader circle of neighbors who contributed time, insight, and persistence. Their work demonstrated a simple truth: progress begins when residents are treated as collaborators, not spectators.
In 2013, these community leaders formalized their efforts by creating the Rebuild Johnston Square Neighborhood Organization. Early block-level improvements — cleaning, greening, and stabilizing key areas — built credibility and trust. This momentum drew the involvement of Rebuild Metro, which had already helped facilitate change in nearby Oliver and Greenmount West. Together with city agencies, state partners, and practitioners, residents helped shape the Johnston Square 2020 Vision Plan—a realistic, coordinated framework informed by both professional expertise and neighborhood priorities…