Baltimore residents in court fighting to restore their Poppleton community

Residents of Baltimore's Poppleton community are fighting to restore their neighborhood after a failed, controversial land project that they say led to the demolition of historic homes and the displacement of more than 500 Black residents. 

The Poppleton Now Community Association sued the city, various leaders, and the developer for the unjust taking of their homes. The lawsuit further alleges the agreement between the developer and the city was unconstitutional.

A federal judge is now deciding if the case should be dismissed or if it can move forward in court.

Why are residents fighting back?

The Poppleton community was once a thriving place to live, according to the neighborhood's community association. But what's left of it comprises vacant properties and displaced neighbors.

"You felt like no one cares," Sonia Eaddy, a resident in Poppleton and leader in the community organization, told WJZ. "To this day is embarrassing for you to invite people into your neighborhood, because first it was just a lot of the vacant houses, and then with the city not making the vacancy and the vacant lots felt unsafe."

La Cité Development was granted the right to redevelop the area more than 20 years ago. The city then began to acquire the homes through eminent domain, displacing hundreds of people, according to residents. 

The developer has only completed one apartment complex so far, citing financial troubles, according to The Baltimore Banner.

"It is a new building, and all buildings start as new. There has been little care for the building, little, little in any care for the residents," resident Tisha Guthrie said.

What does the lawsuit allege?

While the original purpose of the project was to construct new housing and commercial space, the lawsuit alleges it instead resulted in widespread displacement, indefinite land control by a private developer, and the destruction of a historic Black neighborhood without delivering the promised public benefits.

The lawsuit alleges the agreement is holding the neighborhood hostage, saying the city still owns most of the land, but the company owns the development rights. 

According to the lawsuit, in 2022 and 2023, the City paid La Cité hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove parcels from the development area—land that plaintiffs allege had already been acquired by the City through eminent domain. They argue this raises serious constitutional concerns, including the misuse of public funds.

On Feb. 13, a judge ordered La Cité to cease its operations and hand over the next phase of development to Arctaris Impact Investors.

The lawsuit further claims that City officials ignored public opposition and their own review panel's findings to push the deal through. In one striking allegation, the plaintiffs cite a reversal of the development bid shortly after then-City Council President Sheila Dixon appeared in a fashion spread sponsored by individuals linked to La Cité.

"There were maybe 70-80 houses just like mine in Poppleton...They were wiped off the face of the earth," plaintiff and third-generation Poppleton homeowner Yvonne Gunn said in court filings.

Attorneys argue that the city would have to pay millions to buy back the land from the developer that it already owns.

One-of-a-kind agreement

The agreement between the city and developer was called one of a kind in the lawsuit, allowing the developer to walk away from the project at any time and keep the parcels it closed on. 

 "Eminent domain took home ownership," said Eaddy, a third-generation resident who still lives there after the city paid for her property to be spared. "They took property owners. They took small business owners. Those are the things that I would like to see, you know, people being able to have entrepreneurship, being neighbors again."

What do residents want?

In the lawsuit, the community is asking for the agreement to be void, declare the city's land use practice illegal, and put the entire value taken from the neighborhood into a trust to be distributed back into it, among other damages.

"I want to see victory where the city could use the victory that happened in Poppleton to make sure that these things are repeated in other neighborhoods," Eaddy said.