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Share your Thoughts on the
A Better Maryland
Draft Strategies!

Please pardon the broken links to register for the webinars in the December 21 email. These have been corrected.

You are invited to participate in one of two upcoming online listening sessions for the new state development plan, A Better Maryland.  The online sessions are being held Thursday, January 10, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

In response to Governor Hogan’s executive order in August 2017, The Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) conducted listening sessions in every Maryland county and the City of Baltimore, as well as online, receiving input from residents, elected officials, and local government staff for A Better Maryland. You can check out the feedback by county on our What We’ve Heard page.

This past summer, Planning, in partnership with other state agencies and key groups such as the Sustainable Growth Commission, the Maryland Association of Counties, the Maryland Municipal League, and the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association, analyzed the feedback from the listening sessions and developed a series of strategies addressing the following topics:

Tackling the Economic Development Needs of the Next Century

Sustaining the Environment into the Future

Preserving Land

Improving Economic Growth and Development in Existing Communities

Meeting Renewable Energy Goals

Addressing Maryland’s Transportation, Infrastructure, and Technology Challenges and Opportunities

Creating Workforce/Affordable Housing

Building Capacity in Communities

Protecting Historic and Cultural Resources

Creating Quality Places

Coordinating State Agencies in Planning Processes

Adapting and Becoming Resilient to Climate Change

Respecting Regional Distinctions

Improving the Delivery of Programs and Services to Local Jurisdictions

You can review those strategies here.

In a second round of outreach, Planning held 12 additional listening sessions throughout the state in fall of 2018 asking participants to prioritize the draft strategies and maintain the dialogue on how to craft A Better Maryland.

If you were unable to attend one of these listening sessions and would like to provide feedback, or if you would just like to provide your input, please  join us for one of two online meetings on Thursday, January 10. Register for either or both of the meetings at the links below:

1:00 to 2:30 p.m. session

6:30 to 8:00 p.m. session

In these sessions, attendees will respond to series of polling questions (via their cell phones) and can submit detailed comments related to A Better Maryland. Please have your cell phone charged and help us learn more about your priorities for your community and for Maryland. The polling questions will be answered as you send responses through your phone’s text messaging.  We will guide you through the simple process of joining us for the online session.

A Better Maryland is a dynamic, evolving plan that provides a framework to support a thriving economy and environmental stewardship. The plan supports collaboration among state and local governments and all other stakeholders, providing resources and tools for the long term economic success of Maryland.

For information about A Better Maryland, visit the ABetter.Maryland.gov website or contact Chuck Boyd, Director of Planning Services, at ChuckBoyd@Maryland.gov