Located within minutes of Downtown Baltimore and the thriving waterfront, the Somerset-Oldtown development is a part of the Perkins/Somerset/Oldtown (PSO) Transformation Plan Area.The long-term vision of the PSO Transformation Plan is to transform Perkins Homes, Somerset, Oldtown and the surrounding neighborhoods into a Community of Choice that promotes resident pride and unity among neighbors, and is integrated into the surrounding area.The PSO Transformation Plan will replace distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality, mixed-income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood. The Plan replaces all 629 units and bedrooms from Perkins Homes with a new community of 1,345 total mixed-income units. The new housing community will encompass 48.5% subsidized units, 20.5% additional affordable units (LlHTC), and 31% market-rate rental housing.The Plan will revive commercial corridors like Oldtown Mall, Broadway and Fayette Street, improve connections from north to south along Central Avenue and Caroline Street, develop blighted and under utilized properties, develop public parks and streetscapes, upgrade the existing housing stock and infrastructure, build wealth from within, and create new education and health amenities. Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development will coordinate the implementation of the Neighborhood Plan. At the same time, the Plan includes a range of new public safety initiatives, as well as the expansion of existing ones, to reduce crime and violence and help the neighborhood to regain its sense of peace and community strength.
