Citizens Encouraged to Attend February 13 and 15 Evening
Meetings
(February 9, 2018) Baltimore, MD - The Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) is currently engaging local officials, staff, and residents in the new state development planning process, A Better Maryland.
Planning will host two listening sessions next week in Queen Anne’s and Caroline counties. Planning kicked off the statewide listening session outreach last fall.
Tuesday,
February 13
Queen Anne’s County Listening Session
6:30 p.m.
Department of Planning and Zoning
110 Vincit St. Centreville
Thursday, February 15
Caroline County Listening Session
7:00 p.m.
Wharves of Choptank Visitor Center
3 Crouse Park Lane, Denton
(Off MD 404 Business)
The purpose of the outreach and overall statewide dialogue is to connect with stakeholders and solicit feedback about the plan and how it can help local governments and state agencies better meet local planning needs.
"As we continue our listening sessions across the State, it is only through local feedback and interaction that we will collectively be able to create a new successful State development plan," said Special Secretary of Smart Growth Wendi Peters. "Understanding the local perspective and the needs at the local level will help us develop a plan to support economic development, preserve resources and improve quality of life."
At the listening sessions, attendees view a short presentation and interact with planning staff and other stakeholders using an instant polling exercise and discussion questions.
The overall effort consists of a series of 24 outreach events in every Maryland county and Baltimore City through spring 2018.
"We appreciate the feedback we have heard thus far and we encourage both in-person and online participation as we continue to meet with more jurisdictions over these next few months," said Acting Secretary of Planning Rob McCord. "Each meeting brings a unique local perspective and we look forward to hearing from Marylander's across the State."
As part of this initiative, the ABetter.Maryland.gov website was launched, where stakeholders can review the project purpose and methodology, find out about upcoming listening sessions, read summaries of session input, and complete a survey to participate in the A Better Maryland plan.
The survey remains open throughout this spring and is an excellent way for citizens to become involved if they cannot attend a listening session or they prefer to provide an online comment. The outreach is designed to provide convenient and frequent access to make engagement meaningful and consistent.
The next listening sessions include Cecil County on February 27 and Harford County on February 28.
For additional information, including meeting times and locations, please visit abetter.maryland.gov. The website also includes notes and discussions from the prior listening sessions.
A Better Maryland is a two-year project initiated by Governor Hogan’s Executive Order 01.01.2017.18 in July 2017, with an anticipated completion date in July 2019. Planning is working closely with the public, local governments, state agencies and other stakeholders, the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission, the Maryland Municipal League, and the Maryland Association of Counties to develop and maintain a productive dialogue throughout the effort.
For questions about A Better Maryland or to find out when Planning is visiting your community, please contact Chuck Boyd, Director of Planning Coordination, (chuck.boyd@maryland.gov) at 410-767-1401.
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