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Baltimore Planners Vote Next Month on Lakeland Rezoning Push
Baltimore planners will vote next month on changes that could open industrial parcels in this South Baltimore neighborhood to mixed-use development.
How we reported this
The Baltimore City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on July 22 to consider rezoning 18 acres along Hollins Ferry Road in Lakeland from heavy industrial to mixed residential and commercial use.
The proposal arrives as city officials scramble to add 4,000 housing units by 2028 under the latest housing action plan, and developers who once focused on Canton and Locust Point now scout cheaper land farther south. Lakeland sits between the Middle Branch waterfront and the I-895 corridor, yet it has seen little of the renovation wave that lifted prices in nearby Westport.
Local anchors and recent activity
Two blocks from the proposed rezoning zone sits the Lakeland Community Center on Hollins Ferry Road, where the city runs after-school programs that drew 240 children last year. A short walk east, the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership has spent $1.2 million since 2023 on streetscape upgrades along Patapsco Avenue, including new lighting and sidewalk repairs that connect Lakeland to the Cherry Hill Light Rail station. Those improvements have already drawn two small contractors to lease former warehouse space on the same stretch.
Property records show 37 single-family homes sold in Lakeland between January and May 2026, compared with 22 in the same period of 2025. Median sale price reached $252,000, still well below the $385,000 citywide average reported by the Maryland Multiple Listing Service for the first quarter.
Next steps for buyers and owners
Anyone considering a purchase should review the draft rezoning map posted on the Baltimore City Department of Planning website and attend the July 22 hearing at 417 E Fayette Street. Owners of parcels inside the 18-acre study area can request a zoning verification letter from the zoning office before the vote, a step that clarifies permitted uses once the change takes effect. Local title companies report that two out-of-state investment groups have already filed for such letters on Hollins Ferry Road lots.
This article is general information only and is not personal financial or investment advice. Consider your own circumstances and seek licensed professional advice before making financial decisions.