Baltimore City Department of Planning e-News - August 2019

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the compass - city of baltimore department of planning

Baltimore City Department of Planning eNewsletter  -  August 2019

A Message from Chris Ryer, Director

Chris Ryer

In May, Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young signed the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights at Middle Branch Park during Baltimore Wildlife Week. 

The Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights states that children in Baltimore have the right to breath fresh air; splash in clean streams and the Chesapeake; explore safe wild spaces; grow a garden and play in vibrant neighborhoods, and much more.

I worked with the Director of Recreation and Parks, Reginald Moore, to pen an article for Bay Journal, describing the value of the Bill of Rights.

Baltimore is one of 18 cities participating in the Cities Connecting Children to Nature Initiative, generously supported by the National League of Cities and the Children & Nature Network.

As the summer continues, I hope that you have a chance to get outdoors within Baltimore City - at Druid Hill, Patterson, Carroll or our magnificent Gwynns Falls or Middle Branch parks.  We have one of the best urban park systems in the country – perfect for August!

Chris Ryer, Director

YouthWorks Summer 2019 Interns Focus on the Census 2020

YouthWorks

As recently covered in the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore City has recently released an outreach plan in advance of the 2020 Census. The City's goal is the increase participation by 5% from 2010. For each person who is not counted in Baltimore, the City could lose an estimated $1,800 per year in available federal funding. This funding goes to support critical programming such as Head Start, food stamps and more.

This summer, the Department of Planning hosted three YouthWorks students who focused on assisting our agency with outreach around the 2020 Census. Above, we feature two of these students from their presentation to Planning staff on August 2. 

An important component of the outreach involves developing a team of trusted messengers across the community. These may include teachers, community leaders, health providers and community organizers. Our YouthWorks interns canvassed at Artscape this summer to recruit Census Ambassadors as messengers.

We are looking for community support around outreach for the Census! If you have an idea or or want to serve as a Census Ambassador, contact Austin Davis at austin.davis@baltimorecity.gov. 

If you are seeking part time work, the Census is also hiring for their Baltimore office over the coming year. Apply and learn more via this link.


Art @ Work Murals Take Shape

Murals

Teams of professional and youth artists have been developing murals in Govans, Brooklyn, and Curtis Bay as part of INSPIRE’s partnership with the Art @ Work program.

BOPA’s Art @ Work program is a five-week mural artist apprenticeship for Baltimore City youths enrolled in the YouthWorks program. Young people ages 14–21 are hired to work under lead teaching artists and artist interns to create beautification projects throughout their neighborhoods. Through Youthworks they participate in leadership training and other professional development workshops.

The 2019 lead artists include Megan Lewis, Iandry Randriamandroso, S. Rasheem and Ernest Shaw.

This project was featured on WMAR news; you can read and watch the story here.


Historical and Architectural Preservation: Hamburg Street Apartments Presented @ July Meeting

Hamberg

In July, the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation gave final approval for the construction of a 5-story, 33-unit apartment building at 115 W. Hamburg Street in the Sharp Leadenhall historic district. The building replaces a warehouse located near the intersection of S. Hanover and W. Hamburg Streets.


Planning Hosts Flood Preparation Training in Baltimore

Training

On July 17th, 2019, the Department of Planning hosted a Substantial Damage Assessment Training. It was facilitated by the Region III office of Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). 

The City voluntarily participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which provides flood insurance and disaster assistance for residents. Both the NFIP and local code requires that post-flood repairs include flood protective measures such as elevating structures.

This training focused on post flood field assessments, which require inter-agency coordination. In attendance were staff from the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, The Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Department of Planning. Each agency is reviewing its flood damage assessment responsibilities.

Questions may be directed to Victor Ukpolo or Bruna Attila at the Department of Planning via (410) 396-7526 (PLAN).

EVERY SUNDAY: Compost at the Farmers Market!

Composting

All Baltimore residents are welcomed to bring their food scraps to the Baltimore Farmers Market & Bazaar under the JFX for FREE every Sunday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Baltimore's Office of Sustainability will continue to coordinate the collection of food scraps/compost every Sunday through December 2019. The compost drop-off tent is near the Hollywood Dinner at Holiday Street. You can bring your food scraps, plants trimmings, coffee grounds/tea bags, and paper products. We will not be accepting meats, dairy, fish, eggs, liquids, coated paper products, glass, metals, plastics and rubber.

 

Equity in Planning Updates

Our Equity Lens

Each month, we want to point you to resources we've found that are relevant to our work around racial equity and remind you of our four-part equity lens (above).

This month, we want to direct you to a blog article by General Assembly, the tech education provider, that unpacks the differences between some of the buzzwords we hear - equity, diversity and inclusion.

You may also have seen visual interpretations capturing the difference between equity and equality on the web. This blog post describes some of the conversations around this concept.

The Equity in Planning Committee has developed their own definition for equity which you can find here.

 

Job Opportunities with Planning.

Food Matters fellow

GIS Analyst


Funding Opportunities.

Green, Healthy, Smart Challenge Grant due by November 2019, rolling application process.

The Green, Healthy, Smart Challenge is a grant program for student-led sustainability projects in Baltimore City Public Schools. Students must be a part of an organized green team that meets to complete their project. Teams just starting to develop sustainability initiatives can apply for up to $1,000.


Upcoming Commission Meetings & Events.

8/13 - 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.

8/21 - Sustainability Commission 

Please join commissioners and staff for our monthly Commission on Sustainability meeting. Meetings are open to the public. We welcome all who are interested to attend!

The Commission on Sustainability is made up of volunteer members representing environmental groups, community organizations, labor unions, public health and environmental justice interests, and private industry.

Information is available on the Sustainability calendar.

8/22 - 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.

8/4 & 8/29 - UDAAP

The Urban Design and Architecture Advisory Panel’s role is to provide the Planning Commission and the Department of Planning design review expertise in the areas of urban design, architecture, and landscape design for all proposed master planning efforts and significant development projects with the goal of achieving high quality designs for the planned and built environment of Baltimore City. More information found here.

 

city of baltimore

Baltimore City Planning

417 E. Fayette Street, 8th Floor

Baltimore, Maryland 21202

410.396.PLAN

plan@baltimorecity.gov

planning.baltimorecity.gov

department of planning

Chris Ryer, Director

 

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