BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP Newsletter
January 16, 2001

Land Use and Transportation Issues Around the Region
___________________________________

Welcome to the electronic newsletter on smart growth issues in the
Baltimore region.  See the end for more information about the Baltimore
Regional Partnership and this newsletter.

Website: www.balto-region-partners.org

I N   T H I S   I S S U E

1. IN THE REGION:
     *Federal Agencies to Weigh Transportation Board's Certification
     *MDOT to Hold Workshops on Variable Pricing Study
     *MD 32 Panel Tentatively Rescheduled to January 31
     *Workshops Aim to Strengthen Watershed Groups
     *Calendar of Events

2. AT THE STATE LEVEL
     *Report Shows Links Between Highways and Sprawl

3. AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL
    *EPA releases Land Use and Air Quality Guidance

4. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY
     *Meeting on Annapolis Transit Vision Draws Diverse Crowd
     *Calendar of Events

5. BALTIMORE CITY
     *West Side Agreement, East Side Redevelopment Ideas Emerge
     *Calendar of Events
     
6. BALTIMORE COUNTY
     *Calendar of Events
    
7. CARROLL COUNTY
     *Calendar of Events
    
8. HARFORD COUNTY
     *Calendar of Events
    
9. HOWARD COUNTY
     *Calendar of Events

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1.  I N  T H E  R E G I O N

FEDERAL AGENCIES TO WEIGH TRANSPORTATION BOARD'S CERTIFICATION

With two upcoming public meetings scheduled for January 23, the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
will soon begin their process of reviewing federal certification for the
Baltimore Regional Transportation Board.  Under federal transportation
law, each major metropolitan area must convene a metropolitan planning
organization (MPO) to qualify for federal transportation funds, and
ordinarily federal authorities recertify those MPOs as meeting federal
legal requirements every three years.  At the last certification, the
Baltimore Regional Partnership protested that the Baltimore MPO had
effectively no participation from local elected officials or the public,
two requirements of federal transportation law.  At the time, federal
agencies recertified the Baltimore MPO for only one year -- 1999 -- until
the MPO promised to improve its public participation procedures and vowed
in a November 1999 letter that elected officials would participate in its
meetings at least four times per year.  After federal authorities extended
certification, the MPO revised its bylaws in July to require a public
participation plan and to require elected official attendance at no fewer
than four meetings per year.  The Partnership has continued to be
frustrated, however, that elected officials met only three times in 2000,
and that a draft public participation plan has been circulated only in the
last few weeks.  The January 23 public meetings, scheduled for 12:45 AM
and 5:00 PM at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council offices, reflect an
early start to the new recertification process, which must be completed by
2002 for the MPO to remain federally certified.

For more information contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership,
at danp@balto-region-partners.org, or Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at
JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org.  Meetings also listed under "Calendar of Events"
below.


MDOT TO HOLD WORKSHOPS ON VARIABLE PRICING STUDY

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), which has been
conducting a study of possible variable pricing strategies on ten Maryland
highway corridors since fall 1999, will present its results to date and
ask for input at four upcoming public meetings.  Many transportation
advocates, including the Baltimore Regional Partnership, see variable
pricing as a promising tool to help manage traffic congestion in the
Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas and to improve equity in
transportation investments. By imposing tolls on people driving alone at
peak times, a road's overall efficiency can be improved and congestion can
be relieved by encouraging people to find carpools, use mass transit, or
drive at other times.  In addition, devoting the funds from these tolls to
expanding transit along congested corridors, as has been done along I-15
in San Diego, can improve the appeal of alternatives to driving alone and
provide better options to lower-income people without cars.  By shifting
travel patterns, variable pricing has the ability to forestall highway
widenings, which are often carried out solely to accommodate increased
traffic during peak travel hours.

MDOT has identified three possible pilot projects to test the
effectiveness of variable pricing in Maryland. Two of these pilot projects
would allow people who drive alone to buy a monthly "hang tag" that would
serve as a pass allowing them to travel in High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)
lanes, which are free to carpools and transit vehicles.  The lanes
included in the pilot projects are the existing HOV lanes on I-270 in
Montgomery County and soon-to-be-constructed HOV lanes in Prince Georges
County on US 50.  The third proposed pilot project is to vary the tolls on
the eastbound Bay Bridge -- raising them during peak summer travel hours
and lowering them during off-peak hours to encourage alternate travel
times.  Part of the function of the upcoming public meetings will be to
explain these potential pilot projects to the public and gauge support for
their possible implementation.  Baltimore-region facilities that are part
of the current study, but not immediately proposed pilot projects, include
I-95 and all three tolled harbor crossings. 

For more information on the MDOT study, see www.mdotvaluepricing.com.  For
more information on the upcoming public meetings, see the "Calendar of
Events" below, or contact Michelle Hoffman, State Highway Administration,
mhoffman@sha.state.md.us, or Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional Partnership,
at adam@balto-region-partners.org.


ROUTE 32 PANEL MEETING TENTATIVELY RESCHEDULED TO JANUARY 31

Citing possible scheduling conflicts and the need for additional time to
gather pertinent information, the State Highway Administration has
tentatively rescheduled the next meeting of a panel looking at the land use
implications of widening Route 32 in western Howard County from January 16
to January 31, 2001.  Similar to the Route 32 Land Use Expert Panel's
December session, the January 31 meeting will be held from 4:00 PM to 6:00
PM at the Gateway Building in Columbia.  The panel, which met twice in
2000, is working to examine the possible development impacts of three
options for the two-lane stretch of Maryland Route 32 that snakes from Rt.
108 in Clarksville up to I-70 just south of the Carroll County line.  The
options include widening the road to a four-lane freeway, modifying it to
a two-lane controlled access road, and doing nothing.  In its first two
meetings the panel has struggled to assemble useful data and solidify its
charge relative to state smart growth policies.  Originally conveners of
the panel anticipated wrapping up its work in three meetings, but it now
seems clear work will need to extend beyond the group's January 31
session.

For more information, contact Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional Partnership,
at adam@balto-region-partners.org.


WORKSHOPS AIM TO STRENGTHEN WATERSHED GROUPS

Leaders from the Gwynns Falls, Jones Falls and Herring Run watersheds
gathered at UMBC January 9th to take part in a workshop on geographic
information systems, and better target their education restoration
activities. The workshops, lead by staff from the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, the Center for Watershed Protection and NASA, are the latest
in a continuing series intended to strengthen watershed groups around the
region. Two more are scheduled in January, on stormwater retrofitting,
January 20, and education and outreach, January 25.

For more information, contact Michael Lester, Chesapeake Bay Foundation,
at MLester@cbf.org.


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January 17
*Public Presentation on the Gunpowder Watershed Project, a three-year
study of water quality in the Gunpowder watershed.  7:00-9:00 PM.  Dulaney
High School - Satellite Cafeteria, 255 Padonia Road (1 mile east of York
Road).  Researchers from the Maryland Department of the Environment and
other agencies intensely monitored streams and the Loch Raven and
Prettyboy Reservoirs for three years to determine impacts from different
land-uses.  For more information contact Renee Olver, Gunpowder Watershed
Coalition, at n12bpa@aol.com.

January 20
*Stormwater Retrofitting Workshop for Local Watershed Groups. Carrie
Murray Nature Center, Gwynns Falls-Leakin Park, Baltimore. For more
information, see story under "In the Region" above, or contact Michael
Lester, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at MLester@cbf.org.

January 23
*Baltimore Regional Transportation Board monthly meeting.  9:00 AM,
Baltimore Metropolitan Council offices, 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite
310, Baltimore (on Boston St. near O'Donnell St., in Canton).  For more
information, contact Joan Gorsuch, BMC, at jgorsuch@baltometro.org.

*Federal Recertification Public Participation Opportunity.  12:45 AM and
5:00 PM.  BMC offices.  For more information see story under "In the
Region" above, or contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org or Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at
JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org.

January 24
*Public workshop on MDOT Variable Pricing Study. 5:30-9:00 PM, Dundalk
Armory, 2101 North Point Blvd., Dundalk. Snow date February 7. The latest
project information on the Variable Pricing study will be presented in an
open house/workshop format. Project representatives will be available for
individual questions and comments. Public feedback is encouraged and will
used by the Study Team as the project progresses.  More information under
"In the Region" above, or contact Michelle Hoffman, State Highway
Administration, mhoffman@sha.state.md.us, or Adam Gordon, Baltimore
Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org

January 25
*Public workshop on MDOT Variable Pricing Study. 5:30-9:00 PM, Kenmoor
Middle School, 2500 Kenmoor Drive, Landover. Snow date February 22.  More
information under "In the Region" above, or contact Michelle Hoffman,
State Highway Administration, mhoffman@sha.state.md.us, or Adam Gordon,
Baltimore Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org

*Education and Outreach Workshop for Local Watershed Groups. Center for
Watershed Protection, 8391 Main Street, Ellicott City. For more
information, see story under "In the Region" above, or contact Michael
Lester, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at MLester@cbf.org.

January 29
*Public workshop on MDOT Variable Pricing Study. 5:30-9:00 PM, Aberdeen
Middle School, 111 Mount Royal Avenue, Aberdeen. Snow date February 21.
More information under "In the Region" above, or contact Michelle Hoffman,
State Highway Administration, mhoffman@sha.state.md.us, or Adam Gordon,
Baltimore Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org

January 30
*Public workshop on MDOT Variable Pricing Study. 5:30-9:00 PM, Rockville
High School, 2100 Baltimore Road, Rockville. Snow date February 27. More
information under "In the Region" above, or contact Michelle Hoffman,
State Highway Administration, mhoffman@sha.state.md.us, or Adam Gordon,
Baltimore Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org

January 31
***TENTATIVE*** MD 32 Land Use Expert Panel meeting.  4:00 PM - 6:00 PM. 
The Gateway Building, 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia.  5th Floor Conference
Room.  For updates on any rescheduling of this meeting, or for more information, contact Adam
Gordon, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.

February 1
*Emissions Mitigation Strategies Subcommittee.  10:00 AM, BMC offices.
For more information, contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership
and chair of the subcommittee, at danp@balto-region-partners.org, or Earl
Long, BMC, at elong@baltometro.org.

February 7
*Public Meeting on Public Involvement Plan for Baltimore Regional
Transportation Board.  5:30 PM, BMC offices.  Draft Public Involvement
Plan is available at www.baltometro.org.  Click on "Transportation
Planning." Written comments are due by February 20.  For more information,
contact Lisa Minnick, BMC, at lminnick@baltometro.org.

February 20
*Baltimore Regional Transportation Board monthly meeting, with elected
officials. 8:00 AM, BMC offices.  This will be the local officials'
opportunity to comment on the federal transportation agency
recertification process begun in January. For more information, contact
Joan Gorsuch, BMC, at jgorsuch@baltometro.org.

March 15
*The Natural Step -- A Framework for Sustainability Workshop, at Ten Oaks,
Howard County.  A workshop on sustainable development for business,
government, and community leaders, as well as architects,
designers, and planners.  The Natural Step is a science-based approach
designed to enhance strategic planning and bottom-line benefits. For more
information contact Mare Cromwell, Cirque Sustainability, at
mcromwell@toad.net.

_____________________________________

2.  A T  T H E  S T A T E  L E V E L

REPORT SHOWS LINKS BETWEEN HIGHWAYS AND SPRAWL

A report released January 3 by the Maryland Public Interest Research Group
(MaryPIRG) documents the historic correlation between an aggressive rate
of highway construction and sprawling development in Maryland.  The study,
"Paving the Way," draws from detailed state databases of developed
residential and commercial properties in central Maryland and the Eastern
Shore and indicates that highways act as magnets, drawing development
outward from urban areas. The report finds that finds that highways were
not built where people lived and worked so much as people moved to where
the highways were built. In Central Maryland, 80% of properties within
five miles of a highway were built after the highway. On the Eastern
Shore, 87% of all properties within 5 miles of Route 50 were built after
the adjacent section of Route 50 was already in place.  Much of this
property development followed within five years of the nearby highway
construction or expansion.  In the Baltimore region, the analysis found
that 94 percent of currently developed Howard County properties within
five miles of an adjacent multi-lane highway were built after that highway
was constructed.  85 percent of developed Carroll County properties within
five miles of I-70 were developed after that highway was in place, and 86
percent of currently developed Baltimore County properties within five
miles of I-83 were built after the highway.  The report recommends more
investment in transit, curtailed investment in highway expansion, and
greater coordination of land use and transportation planning.

Full text and maps of the report are available at www.marypirg.org.  For
more information, contact Gigi Kellett, MaryPIRG, at gigikellett@juno.com.
January 4 Sun story available at
www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150520222440

_____________________________________

3.  A T  T H E  F E D E R A L  L E V E L

EPA RELEASES LAND USE AND AIR QUALITY GUIDANCE

On January 10 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new
guidance, "Improving Air Quality Through Land Use Activities," (EPA
420-R-01-001) that should help state and local planners and other
government officials quantify the air quality benefits of smart growth
land use strategies and take credit for them under their federal Clean Air
Act requirements.  Under the guidelines states can account for reductions
in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and pollution from motor vehicle due to
certain land use activities in their State Implementation Plans (SIPs),
documents that show how states will reduce air pollution to meet federal
health standards.  Examples include urban or "brownfield" redevelopment,
development in areas with existing infrastructure, and traditional town or
"Main Street" style development that encourages walking and other
less-polluting alternatives to the automobile.  The Maryland Departments
of the Environment, Transportation, and Planning have been exploring ways
the Baltimore region could potentially quantify air quality benefits of
development in pedestrian and bike-friendly neighborhoods and around
transit stations.  The new EPA guidance should assist those state agencies
and Baltimore-area local governments as they explore taking credit in
federally-mandated plans for the air quality benefits of planned and
potential smart growth projects in the region.

Full text of the EPA guidance is available at
www.epa.gov/oms/transp/traqsusd.htm.  For more information, contact Dan
Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org, or Tracie Jackson, U.S. EPA, at
jackson.tracie@epa.gov.

_____________________________________

4.  A N N E  A R U N D E L  C O U N T Y

MEETING ON ANNAPOLIS TRANSIT VISION DRAWS DIVERSE CROWD

A town meeting held on the Annapolis Transportation Board's "Draft Goals
and Vision for Transportation" on January 11 drew over 50 Annapolis
residents from many of the city's neighborhoods. Many of these residents
voiced their opinion on the plan, and on the current and future state of
transportation in Annapolis. One sentiment was practically unanimous:
praise for the Board's undertaking of what Annapolis Planning Commission
Chair Robert Waldman called the "yeoman" task of coordinating the bits and
pieces of transit planning going on in the city for decades. Speakers also
generally agreed that now was a critical time for solving the age-old
questions of parking and transit in Annapolis because of the additional
travel demand created by rapid redevelopment of areas like Inner West
Street. Speakers differed mainly over specific proposals such as whether
to put an interceptor parking lot along Rowe Blvd. or in Parole and how
best to tie new transit services into the existing Annapolis Transit and
MTA systems. Board members pointed out that their Draft Goals do not
endorse one particular project over another; rather, they set up
performance-based goals that any projects done need to meet.

After refinement of the plan based on public input, a bill to fund the
city's share of a study to define possible methods of achieving the
Board's goals will go before the Annapolis City Council next month. Anne
Arundel County and the state government are also expected to contribute
funds to complete the study. As this study and other important steps in
developing an improved transportation system in Annapolis progress, many
further opportunities for public participation are planned.

For more information, contact Andy Chase, Chair, Annapolis Transportation
Board at achase@m-c-inc.com or Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional
Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January 27
*Communities Under Fire: A Forum Focused on Quality of Life Issues And
Environmental Protection. 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Conversation Room, Mellon
Hall, St. John's College, Annapolis. Forum sponsored by the Maryland Green
Education Fund on the challenges of balancing quality of life issues and
environmental protection under the pressure of growth and development,
with a focus on issues facing the greater Annapolis area.  Speakers will
include representatives from local and state environmental and smart
growth organizations including the South River Federation, Kent Island
Defense League, and 1000 Friends of Maryland. There is a recommended
donation of $7.50 per person. Space is limited. For reservations or more
information, contact Ralph Young, 410-544-1482, or Erik Michelsen,
410-990-9905.

February 1
*Environmental Issues Forum.  7:30 PM, C-1 Tawes State Office Building (at
the corner of Rowe Blvd and Taylor Ave).  Information on environmental
issues facing the 2001 Maryland General Assembly and  opportunities for
citizen involvement.  For more information, contact Joan Willey at
herbals@erols.com.

_____________________________________

5.  B A L T I M O R E  C I T Y

WEST SIDE AGREEMENT, EAST SIDE REDEVELOPMENT IDEAS EMERGE

On January 8, Mayor Martin O'Malley signed an agreement with the Maryland
Historical Trust that broke an impasse between preservationists and
developers over plans for major revitalization in the Howard Street
corridor.  The agreement means that more than half the buildings in a
26-block area targeted for revitalization on the west side of downtown
Baltimore will be preserved, with another 100 buildings subject to
case-by-case negotiation.  It effectively halts plans for widespread
demolition to make way for suburban-style steel and glass malls in the
Howard Street corridor, a plan known as "Howard Street USA," favoring
instead renovation of century-old buildings into apartments and
ground-floor retail with a historic flavor.  The agreement was a major
victory for preservationists, who had deplored the planned destruction of
buildings that dated to when Howard Street was a bustling commercial hub
for the region and who had argued for a large-scale revitalization effort
for the area based on the existing historic structures.

Just days later, much more preliminary ideas surfaced for large-scale
redevelopment in the East Baltimore neighborhood near Johns Hopkins
Hospital when a Pittsburgh-based design firm known for innovative
approaches to low-income housing met with city planners, Hopkins
officials, and community leaders.  The possible initiative targets 87
acres near the hospital for revitalization, and includes demolition of
about 20 blocks of blighted housing in a 35-block residential area.  The
effort would be anchored by a Hopkins "bioscience park" and include
mixed-income housing, businesses, and open space.  The idea has drawn fire
from some community leaders in East Baltimore, but the city insists
discussions on the plan are in their beginning stages, and some residents
support sweeping action.

January 9 story on West Side agreement available at
www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150520225193.  January 11 and 16 stories on East Baltimore plans and
community reaction available at
www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150540202182 and
www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150540205122.  For more information contact Dru Schmidt-Perkins, 1000
Friends of Maryland, at dru@friendsofmd.org.


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January 17
*Environmental Issues Forum.  7:30 PM, Govans Presbyterian Church, 5820
York Road (across from Staples Office Supply and next to Senator Theater).
Information on environmental issues facing the 2001 Maryland General
Assembly and opportunities for citizen involvement.  For more information,
contact Dru Schmidt-Perkins at dru@friendsofmd.org.

_____________________________________

6.  B A L T I M O R E  C O U N T Y

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January 18
*Town Meeting on Proposed Owings Mills Town Center Development.  7:00 PM.
Owings Mills High School.  Snow date January 24.  For more information,
contact Calvin Reter at CReter1523@aol.com.

_____________________________________

7.  C A R R O L L  C O U N T Y

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

February 8
*Environmental Issues Forum.  7:30 PM, call or email for location.
Information on environmental issues facing the 2001 Maryland General
Assembly and opportunities for citizen involvement.  For more information,
contact Greg Becker, (410)-876-2182 or (410)-386-4490 ext. 714 or
gregb@ccpl.carr.org

___________________________________

8.  H A R F O R D  C O U N T Y

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

February 8
*Environmental Issues Forum.  7:30 PM, Isaac Walton League Chapter House,
Woodsdale Rd.  Information on environmental issues facing the 2001
Maryland General Assembly and opportunities for citizen involvement.  For
more information, contact Terry Cummings at tcummings@cbf.org, or Gary
Nordman at (410)-569-0227.

______________________________________________

9.  H O W A R D  C O U N T Y

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

February 14
*Environmental Issues Forum.  7:30 PM, County Police conference room,
Route 216/29 in Public Service complex behind Cherry Tree Plaza.
Information on environmental issues facing the 2001 Maryland General
Assembly and opportunities for citizen involvement.  For more information,
contact Dennis Luck at  drl1@erols.com or Nancy Davis at nancyld@erols.com

______________________________________________

ABOUT THE BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP AND NEWSLETTER

The Baltimore Regional Partnership is an alliance of five civic,
environmental, and anti-sprawl groups: 1000 Friends of Maryland
(www.friendsofmd.org), Baltimore Urban League (www.bul.org), Chesapeake
Bay Foundation (www.savethebay.cbf.org), Citizens Planning and Housing
Association (www.CPHARegionalCampaign.org), and Environmental Defense
(www.environmentaldefense.org).

This newsletter explores current issues, recent and upcoming events, and
ongoing deliberations that affect the region's quality of life through
transportation, economic development, and land use policy and planning.

We hope to link citizens in the region who are working to fight sprawl,
promote clean and efficient transportation, protect valuable farm and
forest lands, and revitalize urban areas, older suburbs, and historic
towns.

Has this newsletter been forwarded to you, and you would like to receive
it yourself?  Visit our web site at www.balto-region-partners.org/news.htm
to sign up and to view past issues.

Send us information, too.  Let us know about your work on land use and
transportation decisions that are affecting the Baltimore region.

Email information to Adam Gordon at adam@balto-region-partners.org.  Visit
the Baltimore Regional Partnership website at:
www.balto-region-partners.org.