Pikesville Armory redevelopment also highlighted with tour, check presentation
TOWSON, Md. (June 2, 2026) – Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day today visited Baltimore County as part of the Department’s new phase of county tours, meeting with local leaders to discuss eviction prevention and food inaccessibility and touring the Pikesville Armory redevelopment project.
Tuesday was the second stop in the Department’s Day Trips: Community Connections series, an evolution of its broader Day Trips initiative created in 2023. The new Community Connections phase focuses on engaging with key community and civic partners closest to the work in housing, community revitalization, homeless solutions, business development, and more.
Secretary Day and Department staff held two community roundtables in Towson with local leaders focused on eviction prevention and food inaccessibility in Baltimore County communities. Key goals of these roundtable discussions include:
- Strengthening collaboration between the Department and local Baltimore County eviction stakeholders to identify effective eviction prevention strategies, address service gaps and policy challenges, and align local efforts with the Department’s statewide goal to reduce evictions
- Developing strategies to address the growing issue of food inaccessibility in Baltimore County by bringing together the Department – as administrator of the NourishMD Grant Program – and local leaders
“The pathway to a Maryland with more opportunities for work, wages, and wealth starts with strong collaboration between the State and the people working on the ground level to make our towns and cities better,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “Today was a great opportunity to learn from our local partners on how we can continue to work together to make Baltimore County’s communities stronger, more resilient, and more equitable for all – especially our most vulnerable neighbors.”
The visit included a tour of Pikesville Armory, a former military base undergoing a multi-use redevelopment into an arts-infused intergenerational community hub. Built in 1903, the 14-acre Pikesville Armory was used as an active military campus by the National Guard before being decommissioned in 2016. The revitalized site will host public green space, indoor and outdoor recreation, art spaces, intergenerational multidisciplinary programming, playgrounds, cafés, makerspace, veterans’ services, small businesses, school-based job development, and will be the site of a future housing development. Ground was broken on the project in January 2024 and it is projected to be completed in 2028.
From Fiscal Year 2022 through Fiscal Year 2027, the Department has supported the Pikesville Armory Foundation and Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc. (CHAI) with $16.75 million in funding through its Division of Neighborhood Revitalization’s Catalytic Revitalization Tax Credit Program and State Revitalization Programs, including a $500,000 Fiscal Year 2027 Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative award to support the Armory’s Workforce Development Makerspace project. Secretary Day joined Pikesville Armory Foundation leaders and state and local elected officials to present a ceremonial check celebrating the recently-announced funding.
“The State of Maryland and DHCD have been incredible partners and supporters since the creation of the Pikesville Armory Foundation,” said David Ginsburg, Executive Director, Pikesville Armory Foundation. “They helped us open the NCO Club in May of 2025 and their funding and partnership will enable us to begin phase 2 in March 2026 – which will include athletic fields, walking paths, an event lawn and an ADA-accessible playground. This newest award for the first makerspace in Baltimore County will have a huge effect on workforce development and job creation.”
Here’s what community partners had to say about the visit.
“Food insecurity isn’t just about an empty stomach; it’s an invisible barrier to a student’s future. When a child sits in a classroom wondering where their next meal is coming from, they aren’t thinking about math or reading—they are in survival mode. By failing to secure their basic nutritional needs, we aren’t just letting them go hungry today; we are compromising their ability to learn, grow, and thrive tomorrow, a fundamental investment in equity and education.” – Wendy Stringfellow, Executive Director, Student Support Network
“DHCD’s attention to housing instability in Baltimore County, which leads the state in eviction filings, is welcome and critical. Our clients are proud to live in the county; however, they face rampant unaffordability and an inadequate safety net. We look forward to partnering with Secretary Day to develop interventions that stabilize housing while investing in housing affordability for the many renters who live and work in the community.” – Vicki Schultz, Executive Director, Maryland Legal Aid
“Creating a more food secure Maryland will require a holistic approach to addressing the root causes of hunger and other effects of poverty in our state. The Maryland Food Bank is proud to be a part of these conversations, meant to build and strengthen partnership between the state, local jurisdictions such as Baltimore County, and community based-organizations. We applaud DHCD for convening these groups together and look forward to continuing efforts to support the communities we serve.” – Anne Wallerstedt, Vice President of Government Relations, Maryland Food Bank
“It is important to remember that creating partnerships not only helps us to think differently about the work we do and the progress we can achieve in the lives of individuals and families, but also how we can collectively have an impact on the broader spectrum to create sustainable change.” – Angela Young, Eviction Prevention Counselor, Courtroom Advocacy Project
“We are grateful to Secretary Day and the DHCD team for the opportunity to convene important conversations around eviction prevention, affordable food access, and community revitalization with subject matter experts within Baltimore County Government as well trusted non-profit partners. Now, more than ever, we need to work collaboratively across all levels of government, and we appreciate the State’s engagement as we work towards identifying solutions that meet the needs of our residents and lift up communities in Baltimore County and beyond.” – Kathy Klausmeier, Baltimore County Executive
“The Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is delighted to participate in the Community Connections initiative. Our residents are better served when we work in tandem with our partners to meet the needs of our communities.” – Dr. Lucy E. Wilson, Health Officer and Director, Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services
