Baltimore Housing Commissioner Alice Kennedy to transition to new role

Baltimore Housing Commissioner Alice Kennedy will step down from her role with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), according to the mayor's office. 

Kennedy has served as the city's housing commissioner since 2021 and will transition to a new role with the city in mid-November, the mayor's office said. 

Baltimore Housing Commissioner 

According to the mayor's office, Kennedy has worked at the DHCD since 2016, when she started as the Deputy Commissioner for Homeownership and Housing Preservation. 

She oversaw several programs, including the Lead Hazard Reduction Program and the city's Weatherization Program, where she created innovative solutions for providing services to residents. 

"From the uncertainty of Covid-19 to serving as chief architect of our vacant housing initiative, Commissioner Kennedy has led with determination and stability," Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement. 

In 2020, Kennedy was named acting commissioner. Since her permanent placement, she has led the DHCD in implementing the vacant housing reduction plan and aligning funding for affordable housing, the mayor's office said. 

"As I continue my service to the city, I am inspired to see the next chapters of revitalization and renewal within our communities and eager to support Mayor Scott's vision," Kennedy said in a statement. 

It is currently unclear what her new role will be. 

Baltimore's revitalization effort 

The change in city government comes as the mayor's office prepares to rehabilitate communities by investing in the permit process to address vacant properties. 

In March, the city launched Bmore FAST (Facilitating Approvals and Streamlining Timelines), an initiative to reform and modernize the permit approval process to increase development. 

According to the mayor, the Bmore FAST initiative should help the city with its goal of transforming all of its vacant properties in the next 15 years, with the help of a $3 billion investment. 

In late August, the mayor's office announced the appointment of the city's first "Permit Czar," Baltimore Deputy Mayor Justin Williams. 

The new role was designed to streamline Baltimore's reformed development process, Mayor Scott said.