| Smart
Growth Listening Sessions Results Posted |
Over
600 Marylanders came out to six Smart Growth Listening Sessions throughout
the state. The Maryland Department of Planning
(MDP) and the Task Force on the Future for Growth and Development
in Maryland held these session to get citizen input on the
future of sustainable
growth in the State.
Click here to find out more
|
| Moving “Smart,
Green & Growing” Forward |
MDP
Secretary Richard E. Hall joined Governor Martin O’Malley on January 12th, in a press conference to trumpet six
bill proposals that aim to advance Maryland’s Smart, Green & Growing
Initiative.
“
Our Smart, Green and Growing legislative agenda is focused on
protecting Maryland’s precious, yet limited, land resources in
every region of our State, so that our families and children will someday
to be able share these natural treasures with their own kids in the
same way that our parents and grandparents shared them with us, said
Governor Martin O’Malley. “It’s time to move from
twenty years of treading water to twenty years of cleaner water
and more sustainable growth. ”
At the event, the Governor unveiled a series of initiatives
comprising part of the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s 2009 legislative
agenda. Today’s legislative announcements also included a presentation
of the Task Force on the Future for Growth and Development in Maryland
report and recommendations (See below).
Governor O’Malley, joined
by Secretary Hall, announced 6 related bills that would:
1. Strengthen local government Comprehensive Plans to protect communal
investment in the plans and maintain their integrity by overturning
the Terrapin Run case;
2. Modernize the State’s Planning Visions to address current
challenges and expand them to include priorities such as economic
development, housing, and public participation;
3. Collect good information on how Maryland is growing to inform
local, regional and state planning through Smart Growth Measures
or Markers;
4. Reauthorize, green, and enhance the Maryland Heritage Structure
Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program; and
5. Broaden public revenue sources that can be used for Tax
Increment Financing for Transit Oriented Development.
6. Provide regulatory authority to establish Aquaculture Enterprise
Zones while revising shellfish leasing terms, streamlining the process
for aquaculture businesses to flourish in Maryland.
These legislative
initiatives represent responsible steps the O’Malley-Brown
Administration can take toward a sustainable future for Maryland – a
future that is smart, green and growing,” said Secretary Richard
E. Hall of the Maryland Department of Planning. “I am proud
to work closely with Governor O'Malley and the Maryland General
Assembly as seek to move these proposals forward in Maryland. ”
Click
here to read the Governor’s full press release
|
| Report
Released from The Task Force on the Future for Growth and
Development |
The
Task Force presented its report to Governor O’Malley
at his “Smart, Green & Growing” press conference
on January 12, 2009.
The 89-page report entitled “Where Do We Grow from
Here?” presents an assessment of current conditions
in the State and outlines 52 recommendations for furthering
smart, sustainable growth in Maryland.
The
21-member task force, created under HB 773 in the 2007 legislative
session, began meeting in January 2008 with 13 specific charges
to fulfill. The Task Force continues until December 2010.
Click
here to download the report and appendices
|
| Maryland
Planning Directors Roundtable – Spring 2009 Meeting |
The
next quarterly meeting of Maryland Planning Directors’ Roundtable
will be
held Thursday,March 19, 2009. Click
here for details. |
| MDP
PlanCast Multimedia Site is Here! |
MDP
has launched its newest web service for citizens to learn
about the programs of the agency and about
growth issues
facing the State. Called “MDP PlanCast,” this site
includes audio and video recordings of interviews. MDP PlanCast
features the department’s new 15-minute public affairs
radio program, "Smart Planning," which airs Saturday
mornings on Baltimore's WCAO-AM (Heaven 600). The show presents
interviews with the agency’s staff highlighting its programs
and products.
Click
here to visit MDP PlanCast!
|
| Did
You Know? |
| It
is projected that more than one million additional people will
call Maryland home by 2030, a 20% population increase. As the
state prepares for these new residents, its communities will
face many growth and preservation challenges. The Maryland
Department of Planning is providing ten vital facts and estimates
that you should know. Click
here to visit “Did You Know?” |
| MDP
Publishes 27th in its Models & Guidelines Series |
| Supporting
Governor Martin O’Malley’s efforts to distinguish
Maryland’s Smart Sustainable Growth initiatives, the
Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) issued its 27th publication
of Models and Guidelines today. This guide, entitled "Smart
Growth, Community Planning and Public School Construction," focuses
on Maryland’s Public Schools Construction Program, supporting
sustainable schools within planned growth and Priority Funding
Areas across the state.
Click
for August 14, 2008 Press Release
Click
to download Models & Guidelines #27
|
| Maryland
Public Schools Interactive Map |
| As
part of MDP's online BRAC resources, this online tool can assist
individuals relocating to Maryland to view public school locations
throughout the 23 counties and Baltimore City. Users of this
site can view proficiency scores and enrollment for each school
as well as overlay median residential home prices for the year
2006 by census tract. Click
here to enter MDP's Maryland Public Schools Interactive Map. |
| MDP’s
FINDER Parcel Map Program Receives Write-up in The Maryland
Surveyor Magazine |
Mr.
Gary Ganjon, a professional land surveyor in Carroll County,
published an article describing the way
he uses MDP’s FINDER in his practice. The article, entitled “SOFTWARE
REVIEW: MdProperty Map FINDER Software,” was printed
in the “The Maryland Surveyor,” the journal of
the Maryland Society of Surveyors.
Mr. Ganjon
writes, “FINDER is a very powerful tool to
retrieve tax map and parcel data without learning the intricacies
of [complicated GIS software]. The ability to add some of your
own data sets can turn FINDER into a great tool for evaluating
possible project sites and to track your own work. The half
day of free training is well worth the time. I recommend this
tool for your review.”
Click here to read the full article
|
