Sustainable suburbia?
All but one of the state's new "sustainable communities" are towns or cities or county seats. The lone exception: 50 square miles of Montgomery County.
Richard Eberhart Hall: Why smart growth strengthens rural areas
Maryland is a great, compact and diverse state — some call it “America in miniature.” It is important that we work together and celebrate that diversity as one Maryland, not to opportunistically pit one region of the state against the other.
Top planning official to head StateStat
A top official at the Maryland Department of Planning has been named director of StateStat, the performance measurement and management program that Gov. Martin O’Malley brought statewide after initiating a similar program during his tenure as Baltimore’s mayor.
Senior housing opening on Memorial Stadium site
Rising four stories over what once was home plate at Memorial Stadium, a new senior housing and skilled nursing care facility is set to open Thursday at 1 p.m. The $12.6 million Green House Residences at Stadium Place will mark the latest addition to the massive redevelopment of the stadium site on 33rd Street, including […]
TIF use could grow in Maryland with new legislation
Legislation to expand the use of tax increment financing in certain growth areas of the state is expected to be introduced in the General Assembly next week, according to Jon Laria, chair of the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission. During a hearing before the House Environmental Matters Committee on Tuesday, Laria said the bill would allow […]
O’Malley’s land-use plan to move forward
ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration will move forward with Maryland’s first statewide land-use plan despite calls from opponents on Monday to slow the process or scrap it altogether. “This is an issue between the legislative branch and the executive branch,” said Senate Minority Leader E.J. Pipkin, R-Upper Shore, during a briefing on the plan. […]
4 rural counties join in opposing PlanMaryland
ANNAPOLIS — Four rural Maryland counties say they’re joining forces against a proposed statewide development plan called PlanMaryland. Allegany, Carroll, Frederick and Washington counties said Monday they have formed the Maryland Rural Counties Coalition, largely to lobby against the plan. They say they hope to expand the group to include other rural counties, including those […]
Pipkin demands Maryland transportation head step down
State Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-Upper Shore, has turned his sights on another branch of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration. The top Republican in the upper chamber, Pipkin called Friday for the resignation of Transportation Secretary Beverley K. Swaim-Staley in the wake of a highly critical review of the State Highway Administration. Swaim-Staley “has presided over a […]
Maryland releases land use analysis
A Maryland analysis has found that developed lands in the state increased 8.4 percent between 2002 and 2010. The latest version of the state’s Land Use/Land Cover map was released on Thursday. The analysis found that the rate of development since 2002 was twice the rate of population, which increased 4.8 percent. Richard Hall, Maryland’s […]
UM BioPark looking to expand
While new development in much of Baltimore has slowed, a plan to expand the geographic boundaries at the University of Maryland BioPark and clear the way for a total of up to 2 million square feet of lab, hotel and office space will be considered by the City Council on July 18. Officially, the move […]
Md. agencies release precinct population counts
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland agencies have released a report on precinct population counts for redistricting and reapportionment. The report contains population counts based on the 2010 Census for the state’s 1,849 voting districts in 23 counties and Baltimore city. It was released Tuesday by the Department of Planning, the Department of Legislative Services and the Department […]
City panel set to weigh new designs for Superblock site
New designs for the controversial Superblock development are scheduled to be unveiled next Tuesday before the Baltimore Commission for Historical & Architectural Preservation. The project, a $150 million redevelopment of a decrepit and vacant West Side block, has been under scrutiny by historic preservationists and is the subject of a lawsuit filed last month by […]