On May 11, 2021, the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) was awarded its first-ever EPA Community-Wide Assessment Grant from EPA Region III. The grant offers Phase I and II environmental site assessments (ESAs) at no cost to public or private owners of contaminated properties in eastern Baltimore County. (Refer to EPA’s fact sheet, Assessing Brownfield Sites, for a definition and description of Phase I and II ESA processes.)

This three-year, $300,000 grant is part of Planning’s and partner agencies’ on-going efforts to advance and revitalize communities, improve the environment, and strengthen the economy of the state and the Mid-Atlantic region. An environmental site assessment is a critical first step when moving forward with redevelopment or planning recreation-based projects on brownfield sites and other abandoned properties.

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The Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) has just launched the newest tool in our Snapshot Maryland series of interactive dashboards, designed to assist planners and local governments in transportation planning. The Transportation Planning Dashboard is an interactive web map that provides users with socio-economic, demographic, employment, commuting information, and other transportation-related data. The Transportation Planning Dashboard is one of many dashboards planned under the Snapshot Maryland initiative.

This dashboard fulfills a need in Maryland for a user-friendly tool that jurisdictions can use to prepare the transportation elements of their local comprehensive plans. With this new mapping tool, users can examine and manipulate information, which is organized around U.S. Census geographies such as counties, designated places, incorporated places, census tracts, and traffic analysis zones.

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Over two half-days in November, the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) will host the Inaugural Maryland Statewide Brownfield Conference - Toward Beneficial Reuse. The conference is part of Planning’s ongoing commitment to the principles of smart growth, which encourage brownfield redevelopment. The Environmental Protection Agency defines a brownfield as a “property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.”

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Do you live or work near one of Maryland’s 20 military facilities? Are you interested in the military presence across the state? We want to hear from you!

The Maryland Department of Planning has created an online survey to learn how community members interact with, seek information about, and envision compatible development between the state’s military installations and surrounding communities now and in the future.

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The historic and famed Bethlehem Steel Mill in Sparrows Point is about to breathe new life thanks to Tradepoint Atlantic’s generous donation of a 22-acre water view park site, located at 1900 Wharf Road in Baltimore.

This project will be the first entirely new park built by Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks in six years and will fill a longstanding recreational gap in the Edgemere-Sparrows Point area.

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The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is encouraging the development of clean and renewable energy projects on abandoned or under-utilized waste sites in need of environmental cleanup.

Under this proposed regulation, MDE would promote green energy projects by waiving fees that are normally required under the agency’s program to oversee redevelopment of brownfield sites. The fee waiver, which would be offered to applicants that plan to use the property to generate clean or renewable energy, is included in a proposed regulation that was published in the Maryland Register.

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The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) and  Lower Shore Land Trust, Inc. (LSLT) were jointly awarded a grant from the Land Trust Alliance and The Nature Conservancy-California to pilot state-of-the-art technology for monitoring land conservation easements.

This grant will allow LSLT and MET to use a new technology in support of annual conservation easement monitoring and ongoing outreach and contact with landowners. This new technique uses high-definition aerial and satellite imagery that may provide a new tool for visiting hard to reach properties over time and complete site evaluations in much less time than traditional “boots-on-the-ground” monitoring visits.

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A message from MPCA President Danny Winborne:

Over the course of three days (Oct 25 – 27), the Maryland Planning Commissioners (MPCA) and its partners conducted nine educational sessions, an annual meeting, and a recognition ceremony celebrating the vital work of Maryland’s citizen planners.

In September the MPCA decided to convert the originally scheduled in-person conference to a virtual format, which presented numerous challenges. Combining teamwork, communication, and more than a touch of patience, we were able to move forward with an excellent event; one which would not have been successful without the dedication of the MPCA membership.

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In each newsletter, we highlight the most relevant and timely upcoming events. Our website does include many additional events, so please visit it regularly for updates. Listings are searchable by subject.

Year 15: Transition Strategies for Expiring LIHTC Properties
Monday, Nov 3 @ 1 p.m.
AICP CM Approved 
For More Information

Keep Maryland Beautiful Grants
Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Deadline: November 15
For More Information

Maryland Health Resources Act: Pathways for Health Equity Call for Proposals 
Maryland Department of Health

Deadline: December 7
For More Information