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January 18, 2018

Cambridge Residents Invited to Community Design Charrettes and Kick-Off Event for Cannery Park

ESLC and its project partners will host two community design charrettes, as well as a project kick-off event, to celebrate and gather community input for Cannery Park. The park, which will be located adjacent to the former Phillips Packing Co.’s last remaining building (soon to be known as The Packing House), is the culmination of a planning and funds-seeking process that has been in the works for approximately seven years. The media kick-off event will happen at 11am on Tuesday, January 23rd at 411 Dorchester Avenue. All residents, local businesses, and members of the media are encouraged to attend to find out more about the future park, and about Parker Rodriguez – the Alexandria, VA-based landscape architecture firm that has been selected to design and create Cannery Park. The two community design charrettes will be open to the public in an effort to capture feedback and input on the design of Cannery Park’s master plan, as well as to provide updates on Cambridge’s newest public space. The first charrette will be held from 6:30 to 7:30pm on Tuesday, January 23rd at the Cambridge Empowerment Center, located at 615 B Pine Street. The second charrette will be held at 6:30pm on Thursday, January 25th at the Public Safety Building, located at 8 Washington Street. Along with ESLC staff, members from the City of Cambridge, Dorchester County, Cross Street Partners, and Parker Rodriguez will be in attendance during all of the week’s events. The restoration of Cambridge Creek, along with the removal of an inactive railroad line so as to create a rail trail connecting the park to downtown, will be among the first action items in the creation of the new park. Parker Rodriguez was founded in 1996 as a full service land planning, landscape architecture, and urban design firm serving

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November 30, 2017

Why Eastern Shore residents should care about saving the Historic Tax Credit

Caught up in the current effort to reform the federal tax code is a critical program that has completed nearly $25 million worth of rehabilitated historic buildings on Maryland’s Eastern Shore since 2002. The Federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) is a 20% credit on the cost of rehabilitating a historic building and is a powerful and efficient tool for revitalizing our nation’s small towns and cities. For every $1 invested by the federal government, the program attracts nearly $4 in private investment. Better yet, for every $1 in credits, the program returns $1.20 to the federal treasury – actually yielding a profit for the government. The results have been stunning and have changed the outlook for many communities. On Maryland’s Eastern Shore the program has a long history of revitalizing communities while also saving important historic buildings. Since 2002, in Easton alone the program has incentivized the rehabilitation of $10 million worth of buildings – from main street shops to former industrial buildings. A perfect example is the McCord Laundry facility, home to the Eastern Shore Conservation Center – a mixed-use campus of nonprofit organizations, businesses, and apartments. In Cambridge, the program is supporting the rebirth of Race Street, providing critical equity to make the rehabilitation of the Hearn Hardware Building a reality. The formerly vacant and crumbling building will now host market rate apartments and first floor retail space; yet another positive outcome thanks to the Historic Tax Credit. Elsewhere in Cambridge, the Historic Tax Credit is incentivizing an ambitious and potentially catalytic project that will convert the vacant Phillips Packing Co.’s Factory F into a hub of commerce, industry, and education. Without the Historic Tax Credit and the New Market Tax Credit program, which is also seriously threatened, tackling difficult projects like this in rural communities would not be possible. Repeal of

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September 8, 2017

Packing House meetups scheduled

Help us create a dynamic Innovation Hub as a key part of The Packing House project - at the historic Phillips Cannery building in Cambridge. We are holding four September “Meetups” at different locations, with each running from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm. A brief presentation will be made by Cross Street Partners and ESLC, and the rest is discussion. Focus on traditional Eastern Shore sectors that also belong to the technology economy: food and agriculture, aquaculture, environmental sciences Unparalleled environment for meeting, collaborating and innovating with others – from inside our community, and beyond it Higher education presence around research and commercialization Compelling exhibit space for public education Come to the one most convenient for you, and share your thoughts about our region’s economic and entrepreneurial future, and feedback on this exciting project. If you have not already RSVP'd, please attend one of the upcoming meetups during which a presentation will be made about the planned Innovation Hub in Cambridge. Pizza, beer, wine, and beverages will be provided. Cambridge Meetup - September 27 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm RSVP Chestertown Meetup - September 13 5:30pm to 7:00 pm RSVP Easton Meetup - September 14 5:30pm to 7:00 pm RSVP Salisbury Meetup - September 21 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm RSVP Questions? Please contact ESLC Program Coordinator Rachel Roman at rroman@eslc.org

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July 21, 2017

Maryland Department of Planning announces $90,000 grant for The Packing House smokestack stabilization!

Great news for The Packing House project! The Maryland Department of Planning recently announced that 50 matching grants totaling nearly $2.7M were awarded to non-profits, local jurisdictions, and other heritage tourism organizations including museums, historic preservation, natural resources, cultural, and educational organizations by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA). Among them was $90,000 awarded for The Packing House - more specifically, the stabilization of the factory smokestacks which are in desperate need of repair. The Packing House grant fell within MHAA's "Heart of Chesapeake Country Heritage Area" (or Dorchester County), which as a whole was awarded $235,000. ESLC also has a crowdfunding site at Razoo.com where an additional $25,000 is trying to be raised to help with a hefty smokestack repair bill. These grant funds support heritage tourism projects and activities that draw visitors and expand economic development and tourism-related job creation throughout Maryland. Tourism is the 10th largest private sector employer in Maryland, providing more than 143,000 jobs and $17 billion of visitor spending annually. Maryland’s Heritage Areas contribute to Maryland tourism by saving and enhancing the places that attract heritage tourists - people who focus their travels on historic sites, museums, cultural activities, or the natural beauty of Maryland’s Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay coastal areas and Mountain Maryland. For more information about The Packing House, please visit thepackinghousecambridge.com.

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May 19, 2017

ESLC drops crowdfunding video for The Packing House

Early in 2016, the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy identified a vacant factory building in downtown Cambridge Maryland steeped in local history. The 60,000 square foot former manufacturing facility, known throughout the 1900’s as the Phillips Packing Company’s “Factory F”, is all that remains of the vegetable and food packing empire that once employed thousands in Cambridge. In addition to employing and housing much of Cambridge, the canning operation also served as the largest supplier of K-rations to American troops during World War II. The Phillips name was synonymous with the Eastern Shore of Maryland, purchasing millions in local agricultural product from surrounding farms. The company closed in the 1960’s, and the building has been deteriorating ever since. Now, in partnership with Baltimore’s Cross Street Partners – a real estate firm focused on re-building communities by creating vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods built on a foundation of innovation and entrepreneurial activity – ESLC has focused its efforts on transforming the run-down Phillips Factory into The Packing House, a vibrant food, farming, and innovation exchange. While the word and excitement is spreading about The Packing House and its kitchen incubator, oyster bar, fresh foods market, shared innovation hub, microbrewery, and community events space, work cannot begin until ESLC raises the money necessary to begin Phase 1 of the development process. Phase 1 includes the stabilization of the Phillips Packing Co.’s iconic smokestacks. Visible from Rt. 50 by all who travel to and from the beach, these pillars of history are visibly crumbling and are in dire need of being saved. This is where YOU come in. With a donation of $5, $25, $100, or WHATEVER amount you are able to contribute, ESLC can help come up with the necessary funding needed to get the smokestacks repaired and ready to move onto phase 2 of this historic revitalization. With a legacy of

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cambridge Tag

Cambridge Residents Invited to Community Design Charrettes and Kick-Off Event for Cannery Park

Why Eastern Shore residents should care about saving the Historic Tax Credit

Packing House meetups scheduled

Maryland Department of Planning announces $90,000 grant for The Packing House smokestack stabilization!

ESLC drops crowdfunding video for The Packing House

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