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By Dan Hounsell, Contributing Editor
Facility managers across the country are confronting the realities of aging portfolios and rising maintenance backlogs, leading many to embrace right-sizing initiatives. The City of Baltimore’s Department of General Services offers a strong example of how organizations can strategically reduce their building footprint while improving efficiency and sustainability.
At NFMT, co-located with Clean Buildings Conference, earlier this year, Terrel Chesson, deputy director at Baltimore City, sat down with Dan Hounsell, senior editor for the facility market to discuss the project.
Baltimore’s portfolio includes 70 owned and leased facilities totaling over 3.5 million square feet, with an average building age of 60 years — and some historic properties over 140 years old. A deferred maintenance backlog of $165 million, coupled with long-term capital needs exceeding $1 billion, has made reevaluating building usage a necessity.
To address these challenges, Baltimore has developed a multi-step strategy that includes detailed facility condition assessments, space assessment modeling, total cost of ownership analysis, and ongoing market evaluations. These tools provide data-driven insights to prioritize which buildings to retain, repurpose, sell, or demolish.
The effort also reflects a broader shift in how organizations think about their real estate assets. By reimagining how space is used, and encouraging more flexible layouts, organizations can better align physical resources with modern workforce and operational needs. Communication with internal stakeholders has been critical, helping to balance emotional attachments to legacy spaces with the practical realities of aging infrastructure and limited budgets.
Right-sizing offers additional advantages, including reduced utility costs, opportunities for energy upgrades, and streamlined operations. Baltimore’s focus on modernization, sustainability, and efficient space usage showcases how a thoughtful, systematic approach can prepare facilities for a more resilient future. Learn more by listening to the full conversation.
Dan Hounsell is the Senior Editor for the facility market, which includes Facility Maintenance Decisions, a sister publication to Facility Cleaning Decisions.
posted on 7/28/2025
