A Message from Laurie Feinberg, Acting Director

As 2018 comes to a close, we can celebrate several accomplishments here at the Department of Planning over the past year. In 2018, the Office of Sustainability finalized the Green Network Plan, which is now in its implementation stage, with several project managers working with community members in focus areas to bring some of the plan ideas to life. In addition, we launched the Planning Academy this year, a project that we plan to grow and develop further in 2019. Looking ahead to 2019, we are anticipating moving full speed ahead on the Census 2020 preparation effort. We have several committees currently organized to tackle outreach strategy in hard-to-count communities in advance of the Census. And we are seeking community members to assist with this effort. If you are interested, please send me an email or sign up via this link. We are also anticipating the completion of the Sustainability Plan update in early 2019. The new plan utilized an equity lens to develop implementation strategies. The final plan will be featured prominently on our webpage, and we will provide a more detailed overview of it next month in our newsletter. On behalf of the entire Planning Department, please enjoy a peaceful holiday season! Sincerely -  Laurie Feinberg, Acting Director

New Neighborhood Profiles and Mapping Tool Available for Public Use

The Department of Planning has a wealth of tools and information already available online about the City via this link, but now there's a new tool available to explore City data at the neighborhood level of detail.

What can you explore with this new tool?

You can click on any neighborhood of interest and download a 3-page PDF with a broad range of data from the American Community Survey (2016). The data includes racial demographics, age, educational attainment, unemployment, poverty and much more. 

What time period does this tool cover?

The data covers 2011 and 2016, using the 5-year American Community Survey. The 5-year estimates from the ACS are "period" estimates that represent data collected over a period of time. The primary advantage of using multiyear estimates is the increased statistical reliability of the data for less populated areas and small population subgroups.

What geography does the data cover?

This tool compiles data at the block group level to match neighborhood boundaries. 

Does this tool include any City collected data that you can't find on the U.S. Census webpage?

Yes! The tool includes City data on vacancy, sales and permit activity. This data is derived from City administrative data sets. 

What are the interactive features of this tool?

Viewers can click on different thematic layers to add data to the map.

How does this mapping tool differ from CityView?

One additional piece of information available through this tool is the ability to view property level data. If you zoom in far enough, you can click on a specific property and get a great deal of information about it: notices or citations associated with the property, plat data, or a link to streetview.  

The new neighborhood planning tool can be accessed on our website via this link.

Eric Holcomb, Director of CHAP, honored with Lidinsky Award

Eric Holcomb, the Executive Director of Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) at the Department of Planning, was presented with an Honorable Mention for the Richard A. Lidinsky award. The Richard A. Lidinsky, Sr. award was established in 2004 in honor of the late Mr. Lidinsky, a dedicated public servant who served the City of Baltimore for 43 years. Nominees for this award have served Baltimore City for at least 10 years, and demonstrate integrity, influence, leadership and dedication to their work. Eric has served as Executive Director of CHAP since 2014, and has been a leader on Baltimore City historic preservation issues since 1994. You may view the award ceremony online on Charm City TV's YouTube channel.

Office of Sustainability Staff Pass Certified Flood Management Exam

Bruna Attila, Coastal Resources Planner, and Aubrey Germ, Sustainability Planner, are now certified Flood Managers. The Association of State Floodplain Managers has an established national program for certifying floodplain managers through an exam process. The Certified Flood Management (CFM) exam measures a person’s knowledge of a community’s responsibilities under the National Flood Insurance Program and related floodplain management topics. What is floodplain management? Floodplain management is a process that promotes the wise use of floodplains in order to minimize flood risk, reduce damage from floods, protect public health and safety, and improve the quality of life for the community. Why does this matter to Baltimore? A community with a rich waterfront heritage, Baltimore has seen flood impacts in recent years. As recently as September with Hurricane Florence, Baltimore faced the risk of localized flooding. Additional staff with deep knowledge of floodplain mitigation will help our City reduce the risk of future damage from flooding. More information about Baltimore's floodplain management program is available via this link.

INSPIRE Planning: What to Expect in 2019

The INSPIRE team is grateful to all of the individuals throughout communities that have given their time, energy, and passion over the last year to help create and implement INSPIRE plans.   (At left: A project with Art with a Heart at Bay Brook and Curtis Bay)

So much will be happening in 2019; here’s a short list of a few things to expect in the beginning of the year:

• DOP will release the draft recommendations for Bay Brook and John Ruhrah
• DOP will launch Govans planning
• BOPA and DOP will announce art installations for three community projects
• Arlington community members,  Civic Works and DOP will complete the Arlington community garden

What Planners Are Reading:

• In December, Minneapolis City Council voted to approve Minneapolis 2040, a new comprehensive plan for the city that centers racial equity. The plan, among other provisions, vows to end single family zoning citywide. The entirety of the plan can be reviewed via the Minneapolis 2040 webpage here. 
• A team is selected to redevelop the historic Mayfair Theater at 506 North Howard. 
• Visions of transforming historic Baltimore buildings, from residents shared on Twitter.
• Baltimore's Neighborhood Impact Fund, designed to direct investment to areas that have faced historic disinvestment, set to launch.

Upcoming Planning Events

1/8 - Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP)

The Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) oversees 33 local historic districts, over 200 landmarks, and manages a local historic preservation tax credit program.  CHAP helps preserve and revitalize neighborhoods, celebrates City history, and promotes historic preservation as a proven economic driver for Baltimore City. 

For more information on the upcoming meeting agenda, visit this site.

1/10 - 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.