Achieving Smarter, More Sustainable Growth in Maryland

MDP/Office of Smart Growth

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

Protect our resources

Invest in our communities

Use our State’s money more efficiently

SMART GROWTH GOALS

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

Unfortunately…

Executive support waned before the program could be fully implemented

and…

MORE, a lot more, NEEDS TO BE DONE…

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%

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

35.0%

98.0%

-25.0%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Population Developed Land Farm andForest Land

% of Residential Growth within PFAs

76.5%

71.6%

68.4%

64%

66%

68%

70%

72%

74%

76%

78%

1990-1996 (PreSmart Growth)

1997-2003 (PostSmart Growth)

2004

Number of Parcels and Acres Developed Inside and Outside of PFAs in Maryland, 1990 – 2004

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Parcels Acres

Inside PFAs Outside PFAs

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.

74%

26%

75%

25%

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)

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.

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

(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)

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Thank You

Questions?