Fixing smart growth (Secretary Hall’s Op-Ed from the Baltimore Sun, April 28, 2011)

Despite Maryland’s much-lauded efforts, sprawl continues, at great cost

The following text was originally presented as an Op-Ed in the Baltimore Sun’s Commentary section on April 28, 2011

By Richard Eberhardt Hall6:00 a.m. EDT, April 28, 2011

Today the Maryland Department of Planning is unveiling a draft of Maryland‘s first state growth plan, which we’re calling PlanMaryland. In 1974, the General Assembly authorized

Smart Growth is Not New to Maryland, Part 1

Brief History of Planning in Maryland

PlanMaryland is not the first attempt to more wisely manage growth, development, preservation and quality of life in Maryland. The evolution of planning in Maryland begins with the State Planning Commission.

The Maryland State Planning Commission was created by a special session of the General Assembly in 1933 – the first state planning commission in the country. 

How has Maryland been growing?

Growth Trends

The total acreage of developed land in Maryland nearly doubled in the past three decades, resulting in large losses of farms and forests. It took three centuries to develop the first 650,000 acres of land in Maryland and a mere 30 years to develop the next 650,000 acres.

PlanMaryland – Getting state agencies, local governments and the private sector on the same page

The following is a reprint of a handout provided to the members of the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission as part of a briefing on PlanMaryland progress at their March 28, 2011 meeting (for a PDF of this document, click here. Note: page numbers maintained from the original):

1 | P a g e

What for? Achieve Maryland’s Smart Growth goals for vibrant, desirable communities; protected agricultural and environmental lands and resources; and sustainable lifestyles and economies.

What’s the Problem? Lack of coordination and clarity among state agencies, local governments and the private sector in three ways: what they are trying to achieve, where they are trying to achieve it, and how their efforts are coordinated to be complementary and not at cross purposes.

PlanMaryland directly addresses these deficiencies.

What Are We Trying To Accomplish?, Part 4

Goal 3

Ensure that a desirable quality of life in Maryland’s communities and rural areas is sustainable.