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Achieving Smarter, More Sustainable Growth in Maryland

Achieving Smarter, More Sustainable Growth in Maryland. MDP/Office of Smart Growth.

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Achieving Smarter, More Sustainable Growth in Maryland

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  1. Achieving Smarter, More Sustainable Growth in Maryland MDP/Office of Smart Growth

  2. Suburban sprawl has consumed valuable open space, devoured huge amounts of public funds for new infrastructure, spawned unrelenting traffic congestion, contributed to poor air and water quality, and destroyed our sense of community

  3. SMART GROWTH GOALS Invest in our communities Use our State’s money more efficiently Protect our resources

  4. Maryland’s 1997 Smart Growth Laws • Sought to Balance economic growth and environmental protection • Used State budget to encourage local governments and developers to build in a more sustainable, quality of life enhancing manner • Emphasized incentives over regulations

  5. Unfortunately… Executive support waned before the program could be fully implemented and… MORE, a lot more, NEEDS TO BE DONE…

  6. Trends and Challenges • Maryland is currently the 5th most densely populated state in the nation • By 2030, the State’s population is expected to add 1.4 million people, an increase of roughly 25%

  7. Changes in Maryland’s Land Use and Population: 1973 to 2002

  8. % of Residential Growth within PFAs

  9. Number of Parcels and Acres Developed Inside and Outside of PFAs in Maryland, 1990 – 2004 75% 74% 26% 25% Prepared by the Maryland Department of Planning, Planning Data Services, August 2006. Source of data is MdProperty View. Data is for improved residential single-family parcels of $1,000 or more on parcels of 20 acres or less.

  10. Transportation Trends • Maryland’s failure to deter low density sprawl has limited travel choices and increased traffic congestion. • Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) have increased by 26% since 1995—compared to a 10.5% increase in the state’s population over the same period. • 10,170 Vehicle Miles Travelled per resident in 2006 • Maryland’s Average commute: 30.2 minutes (2nd in nation)

  11. Development Impacts • New development and the accompanying increase in impervious surface cover contribute to increased sediment and nutrient loading from stormwater run-off; currently at rates faster than all efforts aimed at reducing nutrient and sediment loading (and Saving the Bay) in Maryland.

  12. (Assumes that current programs (zoning, sewer plans, protected land, etc.) remain the same)

  13. (Assumes that at least 80% of future population growth be located within the PFA, that the zoning outside the PFA is no more than 1 unit to 20 acres, and that the zoning inside the PFA is at least 4 units per acre)

  14. Smart Growth Revitalized In the summer of 2007, Governor Martin O’Malley directed his Smart Growth Sub-Cabinet (SGSC) to review the State’s existing Smart Growth programs and policies and develop a comprehensive, inclusive, forward-leaning strategy to more effectively spur and manage growth and conservation in Maryland.

  15. Achieving Smarter Growth Mission: Work with local governments and community partners to foster economic growth and the development of more compact, livable and sustainable communities in Maryland – while preserving and enhancing the state’s natural and cultural resources.

  16. Principle Growth Objectives • Curb sprawl by better defining where growth should occur and by aligning state resources (programs and funds) accordingly • Support and revitalize existing communities in Maryland by: • Increasing transportation choices, particularly mass transit within and between targeted growth areas; • Expanding workforce and affordable housing opportunities across the state • Fostering healthy, attractive and environmentally sensitive mixed use communities with a strong sense of history and place; and • Improving public education and safety, and increasing job opportunities and per capita incomes within targeted growth areas.

  17. Principle Conservation Objectives • Develop Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs) to limit growth and target land preservation resources based on ecological priorities • Expand the Critical Area program and fully implement tributary strategies to mitigate stream/watershed degradation and reduce the flow of pollutants into the Chesapeake Bay • Foster conservation and the sustainable use of water and energy resources • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance air quality in Maryland • Expand support for agriculture and other resource-based industries in the state • Preserve and enhance Maryland’s historical and cultural resources

  18. Means to Achieving Smarter Growth • markedly improving interagency, inter-jurisdictional and public/private sector growth and conservation related coordination; • strengthening existing smart growth programs and providing new resources; • enhancing and enforcing growth and conservation laws and regulations; • expanding smart growth outreach and education; and • establishing a SmartSTAT system to ensure program effectiveness and accountability.

  19. Improved Coordination • Establish a review process/Smart Growth Scorecard to prioritize projects for state funding and support • Align state resources to better support growth and conservation efforts in targeted areas • Establish a system of incentives and disincentives for local governments and developers to achieve smart growth • Establish multi-disciplinary/cross-agency teams to provide localities with technical and policy assistance

  20. New and Expanded Resources • Strategically invest in the principal drivers of growth: transportation, schools, jobs and a range of housing opportunities • Emphasize mass transit and mixed use TOD development in targeted areas • Expand and better target existing, effective community revitalization programs

  21. Enhanced Regulations • Maryland’s past reliance on incentives alone has proven insufficient • The State is exploring ways to strengthen waste water management, agricultural conservation and land use planning

  22. Expanded Outreach and Education • Soliciting ideas from stakeholder groups • Rebranding Smart Growth in Maryland • Establishing a statewide coalition • Educating local officials and public with workshops, publications and interactive websites

  23. Strengthened Accountability • Establish Smart Growth Stat (SmartStat) to monitor: • Development inside and outside targeted growth areas • Economic and employment growth within growth areas • Preservation of natural and cultural resources • Air and water quality • Smart Growth development and conservation projects • Infrastructure investments and congestion • Utilize SmartStat findings to adjust policies and programs

  24. Thank You Questions?

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