While we all hope that Julian Baron’s super-optimistic forecast for Baltimore comes to pass, skepticism is warranted (“ The next decade belongs to Baltimore. Here’s why ,” Nov. 9).

Our favorable location hasn’t stopped our decades-long decline, and it alone won’t fuel a turnaround. Meanwhile, the economic policies that have caused a disinvestment crisis and fueled population flight remain impediments to a true revival.

And the apparent affordability of housing here is partly an illusion. The city’s tax rate on residential and business property is more than double that available a few miles away in the surrounding county, and that will be reflected in monthly mortgage bills. Every $100,000 a prospective home- or business-owner borrows to invest in the city carries a mortgage payment (fo

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