At the December 7, 2022, Board of Public Works (BPW) meeting, Governor Hogan honored the Maryland Department of Planning’s (Planning) David Cotton with a citation recognizing his diligent leadership of Maryland’s Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) program in 2022. Earlier this year, the ARC selected Governor Hogan as the states’ co-chair for 2022. As the first Maryland co-chair since 1992, Governor Hogan collaborated with the 13 states that compose the ARC, in partnership with the ARC federal office, to advance the program’s priorities. Maryland also hosted the annual ARC conference at Rocky Gap Resort and Casino from October 17 – 19.

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On November 17, 2022, the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) presented Maryland Sustainable Growth awards for leadership, preservation, and community planning at its 10th annual awards ceremony. The awards recognize individuals, organizations, and programs that exemplify well-planned economic and community development initiatives throughout the state.

"Sustainable growth is key to the future of Maryland. Our administration takes great pride in these awards and celebrates the perseverance of the recipients to change Maryland for the better,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “These awards recognize people and projects from across the state that bring creativity, innovation, and resourcefulness to our communities.”

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The Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) would like to extend its sincerest thanks to the many participants, presenters, brownfields site tour leaders, and advisory committee members who made our 2022 brownfields conference a terrific success!

The virtual conference, entitled Brownfields: A Walk in the Park for All, held on November 16, also offered opportunities for in-person site tours—one at The Packing House in Cambridge, and a second at The Footer Building in Cumberland, with networking opportunities after the tours.

Recordings of the sessions can be found here:

Watch 2022 Conference Sessions

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Starting January 1, 2023, per Land Use Article §3-114 (d)(2) and as a result of 2021’s HB 90, all comprehensive plan housing elements adopted by non-charter counties and municipalities “shall include an assessment of fair housing to ensure the local jurisdiction is affirmatively furthering fair housing”.

The Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) introduced HB 90 to Planning Practice Monthly readers in our July 29, 2022 edition. That article summarizes the bill, defines affirmatively furthering fair housing (AAFH), and describes the coordination between Planning and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to develop resources that will help jurisdictions meet the new requirements.

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Right before Marylanders settled in for a well-earned Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends, the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) published the Maryland Military + Community Compatible Use Handbook. Earlier this year, Planning updated Planning Practice Monthly readers about the Compatible Use Website and Handbook User Experience Survey, and introduced the project in 2021.

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Applications Due January 16, 2023

The National Association of Counties (NACO) reports that, “the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $55 million in funding under the new Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grant Program, with $40 million available exclusively for political subdivisions of states. The program was authorized in the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act and funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)…which has provided a total of $275 million for the program from FY22 through FY26. Counties are eligible to apply directly to EPA for funding under the program.” (Read more of NACO’s summary of the SWIFR Grant Program here.)

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Applications Due March 8, 2023

The Chesapeake Bay Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Grant Program is funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region III, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

This grant program supports design and implementation of green streets, community greening, and urban tree canopy projects that enhance livability in cities and communities, in addition to white papers that address these topics.

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In 2020, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) joined the Mid-Atlantic Planning Collaboration (Collaboration), a consortium that also includes American Planning Association state chapters, the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association, the West Virginia Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic, the Virginia Rural Planning Caucus, and the Chesapeake Bay Program.

On December 8, 2022, Planning staff and local representatives from Rising Sun and Kent County presented a Collaboration webinar called The Zoning CheckUp: A Performance Guide for Small and Rural Jurisdictions. Planning is developing the Zoning CheckUp as an on-demand resource for Maryland jurisdictions. The webinar introduced it to the Collaboration audience and allowed attendees to provide feedback to Planning staff.

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A division of the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning), the Maryland State Data Center (MSDC) is the state’s primary liaison with the U.S. Census Bureau.

MSDC provides Maryland residents, businesses, and local governments with demographic and socioeconomic statistics. It also produces the state’s official population and household projections and develops school enrollment forecasts.

Each fall, the Maryland State Data Center hosts an annual meeting in collaboration with the Census Bureau to highlight new Census data products. At this year’s virtual event, held on October 19, 2022, subject matter experts from the Census Bureau gave presentations to an audience of 60 representatives from Maryland state and local government agencies. In the opening presentation, the Assistant Division Chief of Census Programs, Mr. Jason Devine, discussed the upcoming release of new data from the 2020 Census and how that data would be presented considering increased concerns about privacy in the digital age.

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Cara Curran joined the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) staff as a GIS Planner in July of this year and is currently updating Queen Anne's County tax maps.

Prior to coming on board, Cara worked for as a contractor for National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the Marine Charting Division. Her responsibilities included updating NOAA’s nautical charts.

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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.

MACo Winter 2023 Conference
Cambridge, MD
January 4 - 6 
For More Information

2023 Maryland Mayors Assoication Winter Conference
Annapolis, MD
February 2 - 3 
For More Information

Historic Preservation Capital Grants Informational Workshops
Tuesday, January 17 @ 1 p.m.
For More Information

Combating Climate Change through Sustainable Development
Friday, February 3 @ 12 p.m.
For More Information

Information Session for Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Grant Program

Tuesday, December 20 @ 5 p.m. Virtual
For More Information

Public Comments Sought for proposed Chesapeake National Recreation Area (CNRA)

Comments due Sunday, February 12
For More Information

Coal Communities Action Challenge
National Association of Counties
Deadline: January 13, 2023
For More Information

Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3)
Chesapeake Bay Trust
Deadline: March 8, 2023
For More Information