Jules Dunham Howie is the Director of the Upton Planning Committee Westside Community Development Corporation, otherwise known as the UPC Westside CDC. She has worked onorganizational development issues for over 20 years. The UPC Westside CDC is working intentionally on the revitalization of the West Baltimore Upton community. It was formed in 2018 as the implementation arm of the 2026 Upton Master Plan, which was adopted by the Planning Commission on August 1, 2018. The Plan prioritizes homeownership in the community and Upton’s homeownership strategy is at the heart of the communities ‘Development Without Displacement’ commitment.
Since 2018, the UPC Westside CDC has garnered over $5 million to support the rehabilitation of 75 homes for homeownership and estimates there is $70 Million in development underway in the community. UPC has facilitated unprecedented partnerships with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Baltimore City’s Department of Housing and Community Development, developers, and the community to provide much-needed gap financing and ensure that the community has an equity stake in the development process.
Currently, UPC is working with the developer Upton Renaissance, LLC on the revitalization of 38 vacant houses in the 800 block of Harlem Avenue and the 800 block of Edmondson Avenue. This partnership is removing blight and facilitating community sustainability with whole block outcomes. The first five homes have been completed on Harlem Avenue and the first three new homeowners have moved into the community. We invite you to check out these beautiful new homes here.
