A Message from the Director

With spring upon us, our thoughts in the Planning Department are turning to green.  Earlier this month, we released the DRAFT Baltimore Green Network Plan. On March 15th, we held a public meeting at Mother Seton Academy where residents, stakeholders and community members reviewed the vision for the Baltimore Green Network and offered initial thoughts and feedback. The plan is now posted to Civicomment, our new tool for public input. We are excited to have you read through the Executive Summary and the full document posted to the Civicomment website. As you are reading, just click on the plus sign icon anywhere in the text where you would like to leave feedback for our team - a box will pop up and you can enter  your ideas. Further, you can review other comments left by community members as your read the documents.  We are very excited to pilot the use of Civicomment, as we hope that it will add transparency to the public input process. As we collect comments and feedback, follow us on Facebook this month - we will be posting initial themes that emerge from the public input that will inform our revisions moving ahead. The plan is on track to be presented to the Planning Commission in final form over the Summer '18. Thank you again for your support and your participation - please continue to share the Baltimore Green Network Vision with your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers - we want Baltimore residents from across the city to offer their input!

Thomas J. Stosur, Director

Baltimore Green Network Comment Period: Now Open!

If you care about the future of blighted and disinvested communities and believe in the power of better connecting Baltimore’s green infrastructure to build a stronger city, then Baltimore Department of Planning needs to hear from you!

You are invited to review the draft Baltimore Green Network Vision Plan and provide feedback via the CiviComment portal on the web. To improve the transparency and value of the public commenting experience, CiviComment allows you to target your comments to specific text in the plan as well as see the comments of others. If you are unable to use CiviComment, please feel free to email any comments directly to plan@baltimorecity.gov

Learn more about Baltimore Green Network at www.baltimoregreennetwork.com

Two New Water Lines Support Urban Farms

Just in time for (our snow-delayed) spring, two of Baltimore’s urban farms on city-owned land – Hillen Homestead on the 3500 block of Kenyon Avenue in Belair-Edison and Boone Street Farm on the 2100 block of Boone Street in East Baltimore Midway – received new water lines thanks to a collaboration between DPW, DOP, and HCD. This work is funded by HCD capital bond funds for greening.

The new water lines at these two sites, complete with lockable ground hydrants right on the property, will help ensure that these farmers can continue energizing, feeding, beautifying, teaching, and supporting their communities into the future. 

Three #PlugintoPlanning Workshops Held in February

The Department of Planning hosted a total of 135 Baltimore City community residents for three #Plug into Planning workshops across the city in February. The workshops took place at Forest Park Senior Center, Waverly Library, and the Door. We thank everyone at these locations who welcomed us and provided us with space and support.

At the workshops, Assistant Director Stephanie Smith presented an overview of the major projects currently underway at Planning, and then residents participated in a small group exercise designed to replicate urban planning decision making.  To review the presentation from these sessions, please visit this site. And keep your eye on our Facebook page for an announcement of more sessions this Spring - we are hoping to bring the workshop to South Baltimore and other locations in late April/May.

INSPIRE Updates:

21st Century Schools Opening Two schools that are part of the 21st Century School Buildings Program will be re-opening their doors to Baltimore students when they return from spring break in early April: Dorothy I. Height Elementary (formerly John Eager Howard) in Reservoir Hill, and Lyndhurst Elementary/Middle in Edmondson Village.  New features include modern, bright classrooms, adaptable learning spaces, state-of-the-art technology, and water fountains with drinkable water. The Planning Commission adopted the INSPIRE plans for these school areas in 2017, and streetscape improvements have been occurring in the lead-up to opening day.

Patterson/Claremont INSPIRE Plan

On March 8, 2018, the Planning Commission adopted the Patterson High School and Claremont Middle/High School INSPIRE Plan. The redevelopment of Patterson High School will take place on the site of the existing building on Kane Street in the Bayview neighborhood.

To leverage the investment in the new school, the Department of Planning Staff conducted an INSPIRE planning process between June 2016 and November 2017. Through community workshops, surveys, field research, meetings with the Patterson High School student groups and faculty members, these stakeholders have helped inform the plan. The Planning Department staff will continue to work with the community to implement the recommendations set forth in the plan.

The plan can be downloaded here.

Calling Brooklyn and Curtis Bay Community Members!

If you live, work, or play in Brooklyn or Curtis Bay, we’d love to hear from you! In order to help inform the INSPIRE planning for Bay Brook Elementary/Middle, we’ll be at two upcoming community events to talk with you about what you appreciate about your neighborhood. Stop by our table while you celebrate what these neighborhoods have to offer at Neighborhood Lights (April 6, 6pm-9pm in Garrett Park) and BenFest (April 14, 11am-3pm at Benjamin Franklin High School).

Job Opportunities

We are currently recruiting:

Equity and Engagement Associate (Office of Sustainability Summer Position)

City Planner I: Coastal Resources Planner

Upcoming Events

3/29 - Planning Commission

The Planning Commission meets regularly each month. All meetings are held in the Phoebe B. Stanton Boardroom of the Department of Planning, located on the 8th floor of 417 East Fayette Street and are open to the public. Live streaming is available.

The agenda and staff reports are available on this website. 

4/4 - Food PAC

Established in 2010, Food PAC members work actively to improve food access and the food system. Facilitated by the Baltimore Food Policy Initiative, Food PAC provides opportunities for collaboration and idea sharing around food-related organizations in Baltimore. 

More information provided here.

4/11 - Annual Sustainability Town Hall

The Town Hall will be held at the War Memorial building this year, and all participants are able to park for FREE! The event will offer an opportunity to comment on the Sustainability Plan update, and learn about other related initiatives ongoing across Baltimore.