A beacon in the Park Heights community is leading the way for neighborhood revitalization.
Pimlico Race Course will be torn down and rebuilt following the 150th Preakness Stakes, which will be the final race run before the project breaks ground.
Park Heights Renaissance says it is already working with neighbors and businesses to prepare to host major events and welcome visitors into the community.
“Park Heights is coming together like never before,” said Yolanda Jiggetts, CEO of Park Heights Renaissance. “We see the Pimlico as a complement to all of the other projects that are happening. Hopefully, it will redesign racing so that it is inclusive, so that people are not only going there to race, but that they are going there to have dinner, they are going there to have happy hour.”
The organization is also running other festivals and events to promote business during the Preakness Stakes. It says it has been working on adding mixed housing, libraries, and other community hubs to this area.
Jiggetts, a Park Heights native, says working on development as a public-private-community partnership will ensure neighbors who already live there have a say in what happens next for their neighborhood. This will ward off business and neighbor displacement, according to Jiggetts.
Stimulate the economy
The Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA), the agency overseeing the makeover, did not give a specific date for when the demolition will begin but said they will start “soon after Preakness 150.”
The new, $400 million state-funded horse racing facility is expected to support about 500 jobs and become a year-round hub of economic activity, MSA leaders said.
Maryland leaders hope the reconstruction project will stimulate economic activity in Baltimore, especially in the Park Heights community.
Aside from making Pimlico a world-class race track, there will be a hotel, event space, and other amenities.
This marks a new beginning for the entire neighborhood. The reconstruction will bring more than 100 racing days a year to this community, according to the state.
The MSA shared the concept design for the new Pimlico Race Course during a Board of Public Works meeting on Wednesday.
How will Park Heights revitalization impact businesses?
A Park Heights business owner told WJZ he is already losing money, and he is worried about the track’s temporary closure.
Others say they are hopeful for better days ahead.
“When I came here first, I never saw business like that day. It was good business,” said Habtom Woldemariam, owner of Knight’s Discount Liquor. “But in two years, we lose business. We don’t make business. I wish good business for everybody. I’m hoping for better.”
Yeshiyah Israel, the owner of YBI African Apparel and Fashion, took over the storefront from her father, who ran a furniture store for decades. She’s been in business for 15 years and is even buying additional properties to add more businesses.
Israel plans to open a café soon and hopes to be an anchor business owner for the community.
“Bigger, brighter, safer, cleaner, and nicer,” Israel said. “We are the economic engine. We, meaning from Garrison to Northern Parkway, have invested lots of money into this community. We are looking forward to the new development.”
Investing in Park Heights
Making Park Heights the center of this Pimlico reconstruction project was critical, according to state and community leaders.
“Park Heights was at the center of every conversation. The community was at the center of every conversation,” Gov. Wes Moore said during the Board of Public Works vote on Wednesday.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the revitalization will be a big boost to the Park Heights neighborhood.
“I think the community is excited about the potential and opportunities in the future,” Scott said.
Where will the Preakness Stakes be held in 2026?
After this year’s Preakness 150, the second leg of the Triple Crown will be held in Laurel, Maryland, as reconstruction will be ongoing in 2026.
Racing is expected to return full-time to Pimlico in 2027
