By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
The Edmondson Village Shopping Center is moving toward revitalization. Developers, elected officials and community members gathered at the plaza on March 30 to celebrate new construction, infrastructure improvements and leasing activity.
For years, the Edmonson Village Shopping Center has faced neglect and crime, including a mass shooting in 2023. That same year, TREND, a commercial real estate developer specializing in inclusive economic development, acquired the property and began its transformation.
Over the next two years, the plaza will add a grocery store, primary care practice, child care center and additional retail and dining spots.
“At TREND, we talk every day about what community and economic development really means. It’s hard work; it’s passion work, but it’s more than place. It’s about strengthening a neighborhood, supporting families and creating opportunity,” said Lyneir Richardson, co-founder and CEO of TREND. “That’s what today is all about as well.”
Under TREND’s model, community members act as co-owners of the shopping center. Nearly 200 local residents and small-dollar investors supported the project and now have a direct stake in its transformation. The site’s revitalization has also been backed by state and city investments, with Maryland contributing roughly $4 million and Baltimore committing nearly $8 million.
Before TREND’s acquisition, a discriminatory covenant prohibited “negroes” from owning the property—language that remained until 2023. To officially remove the restriction and secure broader development rights, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, city council members and TREND leaders went door-to-door in the community to gain residents’ approval.
Scott said removing the racist covenant marked a significant milestone.
“In 2023, a Black mayor and Black councilman had to get Black residents in a Black neighborhood in a majority Black city to say that a Black person could own this property,” said Scott. “That’s the kind of progress that we continue to fight for each and every day, but Lyneir, we got it done. Now, there’s not just one Black owner but many.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the project demonstrates what’s possible when communities lead their own development with the government serving as a supportive partner.
“This is representing the kind of progress that people can see and feel— progress in health care, progress in fresh food, progress in support for seniors and progress in new investments in childcare,” said Moore. “The investments that community wants, that community will then deliver— that’s what this represents.”
Business owners, like mother-daughter duo Katrina and Ashley Armwood, reflected on the magnitude of this new chapter for the shopping center. They opened United Postal Express in February, providing essential business and mailing services to the community that’s bred them.
The opportunity to open a business in the shopping center has been a particularly special moment for Katrina Armwood because of her family’s Edmondson Village roots. Her grandparents bought their home in the community more than five decades ago.
“This is about keeping resources local. To my new business colleagues, we have to support each other and reinvest into the community that supports us,” said Armwood. “As for me, opening this business alongside my daughter and the community that helped raise me is full circle.”
