BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP Newsletter
December 9, 2000

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:
     *Route 32 Expert Panel Meetings Opened Under Pressure
     *Transportation Second Biggest Item in Household Budget
     *CBF Helps Lead Trainings for Watershed Leaders
     *1000 Friends Calls for Changes to Region's Clean Air Plan
     *Calendar of Events

2. AT THE STATE LEVEL
     *Glendening Announces Major Transit Initiative
     *Expanded Commuter Benefit Incentives to Take Effect January 1

3. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY
     *Partnership Calls for Phasing Plan for Parole Plaza

4. CARROLL COUNTY
     *Commissioners Delay Proposed Zoning Changes in Watershed

5. HARFORD COUNTY
     *County Passes Edgewood Zoning Bill, Acquires Key Site

6. HOWARD COUNTY   
     *County Launches Route 1 Revitalization Effort

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1.  I N   T H E  R E G I O N

ROUTE 32 EXPERT PANEL MEETINGS OPENED UNDER PRESSURE

Faced with growing citizen concern and unease among local elected
officials, State Highway Administration (SHA)officials have reversed an
initial decision to close meetings of a new panel considering the impact
of different plans for Route 32 in Western Howard County.  The nine-member
panel consists of two Carroll County developers, local real estate-related
consultants, the president of the Growth Management Institute, a
University of Maryland planning professor, and Baltimore Regional
Partnership director Dan Pontious.  As presented by SHA deputy
administrator Neil Pedersen at the panel's first meeting on November 13,
the group's charge is to evaluate potential land use impacts of three
alternatives for the segment of Rt. 32 from Rt. 108 to I-70.  The
alternatives are a four-lane freeway included in the region's 20-year
transportation plan and six-year Consolidated Transportation Program, a
"no-build" option, and a two-lane limited access road.  Pedersen
emphasized that the panel was simply to calculate development figures for
the different options, not determine how in or out of concert with smart
growth principles any of the alternatives might be. 

At the meeting Pedersen also stated his preference that future meetings be
closed to promote freer discussion among panel members.  In a November 28
letter to local officials, however, Pedersen changed his decision, while
also stating "we are concerned that we will not achieve as high a quality
result as we would have with the more frank and probing discussions that
would likely have occurred if the meetings were conducted as we had
proposed."  The next two panel meetings will be held December 12 and
January 16 at the Gateway Building in Columbia (see Calendar of Events
below).

For more information, contact Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional Partnership,
at adam@balto-region-partners.org, or Debbie Izzi, Citizens Alliance for
Rural Preservation, at Izzcool@aol.com.  November 30 Sun story available
at
http://www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150520202920.  
December 2 editorial "Let the sunshine in" available at
http://www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150520204244


TRANSPORTATION SECOND BIGGEST ITEM IN HOUSEHOLD BUDGET

A report released November 30 by the Surface Transportation Policy Project
(STPP) finds that households in the Baltimore region spend, on average,
14.7 percent of their budget, or more than $5,000 per year, on day-to-day
transportation.  That places transportation costs higher than health care,
education, food, or any other household expenditure except shelter.  The
report, "Driven to Spend," compiled data from the Consumer Expenditure
Survey of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and found that the poorest
fifth of Americans pays a significantly larger percentage of income -- 36
percent -- on transportation.   The report shows that 98 percent of
day-to-day transportation costs are associated with owning and operating
an automobile and that three quarters of those expenses, such as loan and
insurance payments, tend to be unrelated to how often or far the car is
driven.  The report points out that the most effective way to reduce
household transportation costs is to own fewer cars, but that such a
choice requires other transportation options to be available.  The report
also cautions families that seek so save money on housing by investing in
a cheaper house further out in a metropolitan area, pointing out that such
a choice may lead to unavoidably larger transportation costs.  Among the
report's recommendations is greater government investment in public
transportation, bicycle facilities, and walkable neighborhoods, rather
than increased highway capacity in outer suburban areas.  The report also
urges employers to provide free or subsidized transit passes to their
employees, taking advantage of federal tax incentives and local measures
such as Maryland's new Commuter Choice tax credits.

Full text of report available at www.transact.org.  Baltimore and other
metro fact sheets available at www.transact.org/Reports/driven/metro.asp. 


CBF HELPS LEAD TRAININGS FOR WATERSHED LEADERS

For two Saturdays in November, watershed associations from around Maryland
and Virginia learned about the impact of growth in watersheds, and tools
available to direct it to appropriately. Led by the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, Center for Watershed Protection, and Save Our Streams, the
workshops focused on the use of best management practices (BMPs) in site
design to control stormwater, and an opportunity to put them to work by
laying out a subdivision. Roughly 50 participants learned about the
effects of suburban growth patterns -- dependent on the automobile -- and
the importance of using alternate development patterns that promote
walking, bicycling and transit use, while also reducing pollution from
paved portions of the site.  The benefits of redevelopment in existing
communities and transit-oriented development were also explored, with a
session devoted to demystifying the decision-making process for spending
transportation dollars.  The sessions continue in December and January,
looking at the use of tools like Geographic Information Systems, to better
plan for growth and to measure its impact on local streams.

For more information, contact Terry Cummings, Chesapeake Bay Foundation,
at tcummings@cbf.org, or the Center for Watershed Protection at
pes@cwp.org.


1000 FRIENDS CALLS FOR CHANGES TO REGION'S CLEAN AIR PLAN

In comments submitted December 8, 1000 Friends of Maryland faulted the
Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) for not making sure its
proposed clean air plan for the Baltimore region would result in air that
meets federal health standards by 2005 and called for changes.  The group
filed its comments during the public comment period on MDE's propose State
Implementation Plan (SIP) for the Baltimore region, required under the
federal Clean Air Act.  In the comments, 1000 Friends noted that required
photochemical grid modeling, last performed on the Baltimore region SIP in
1998, showed a significant shortfall in reductions needed to meet federal
clean air health standards by the Clean Air Act deadline for Baltimore of
2005.  The group also noted that pollution from motor vehicles increased
significantly over the 1990s.  1000 Friends called on MDE to verify the
new proposed Baltimore region SIP through photochemical grid modeling and
to offset the increased emissions from automobiles over the 1990s without
resorting to the use of national measures like cleaner automobile, diesel
engine, and fuel standards.  EPA had mandated those measures before the
emissions increase was demonstrated.

For more information contact Dru Schmidt-Perkins, 1000 Friends of
Maryland, at dru@friendsofmd.org. 


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

December 12
*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 more information, contact Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional
Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.

December 19
*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, Baltimore Metropolitan Council, at
jgorsuch@baltometro.org

January 3, 2001
*Bicycle & Pedestrian Work Group meeting.  9:30 AM, BMC office.  For more
information, contact Barry Bergman, BMC, at bbergman@baltometro.org. 

January 4
*Emissions Mitigation Strategies Subcommittee.  10:00 AM, BMC office.  For
more information, contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org, or Earl Long, BMC, at
elong@baltometro.org. 

January 16
*MD 32 Land Use Expert Panel meeting.  4:00 PM - 6:00 PM.  The Gateway
Building, Columbia.  For more information, contact Adam Gordon, Baltimore
Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.

January 23
*Baltimore Regional Transportation Board monthly meeting.  9:00 AM, BMC
office.  It is anticipated that this meeting will include discussion of
the Federal Highway and Transit Administrations' review of the Board's
federal certification.  Federal transportation agencies must certify that
each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) meets requirements under
federal transportation law.  In past reviews the Baltimore Regional
Partnership has highlighted participation by local elected officials and
the public as important issues related to federal certification.  For more
information, contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org, or 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.

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2.  A T  T H E  S T A T E  L E V E L

GLENDENING ANNOUNCES MAJOR TRANSIT INITIATIVE

At a December 7 news conference, Governor Parris N. Glendening announced
that he is proposing a six-year, $750 million expansion of transit in
Maryland, as part of his proposed 2001 state budget.  Referring to it as
"the next step in our Smart Growth strategy," the governor outlined a
package that would reduce Baltimore-area base transit fares from $1.35 to
$1.10, with a day pass coming down from $3.00 to $2.50, and monthly passes
reduced comparably.  It would also add new services, such as Sunday Metro
service in Baltimore and new "neighborhood shuttle" routes recently
envisioned by the Maryland Mass Transit Administration and promoted by
transit advocates.  Funds would also be slated to purchase new buses,
reducing the fleet average age from 8.8 to 6.5 years.  In addition, the
initiative seeks to implement new technologies like "Smart Card," which
would enable transit riders to use one card to pay for transit statewide,
and it reduces fares by 25 percent for riders enrolled in welfare-to-work
programs.  In order to fund these initiatives, Governor Glendening is
proposing to expand the portion of two funding sources devoted to
transportation -- Maryland's corporate income tax and sales tax on rental
cars -- and to boost tolls collected on Maryland's roadways over the
Potomac and Susquehanna Rivers.  The proposal will be considered by the
2001 Maryland General Assembly, and, if approved, its measures would take
effect in the fall of 2001.

For more information, contact Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at
JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org, or Dru Schmidt-Perkins, 1000 Friends of
Maryland, at dru@friendsofmd.org.  December 8 Sun story available at
http://www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150520208026.



EXPANDED COMMUTER BENEFIT INCENTIVES TO TAKE EFFECT JANUARY 1

The Maryland Commuter Tax Credit will broaden in the New Year to give some
non-profit employers the same benefits already enjoyed by the private,
for-profit sector.  Non-profit 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) employers will be able
to take a 50% tax credit on their employee payroll withholding for the
first sixty dollars paid for employee commuting alternatives. For-profit
employers can already take this credit on their state income tax.  Transit
costs, vanpool expenses, already eligible under the Commuter Tax law will
be enhanced with cash-in-lieu-of-parking benefits and guaranteed ride home
program eligibility under the benefit program.  Thus, employers willing to
fund guaranteed rides home (usually a taxi or rental car service) for
transit users who work late or have emergencies can claim credit, as can
employers who pay their staff the value of a parking space benefit as an
incentive not to use it.  Many of these benefits are also eligible for
federal tax savings under TEA-21.

For more information, contact Scot Spencer, Environmental Defense, at
sspencer@environmentaldefense.org.  Information can also be found at
www.mtamaryland.com. 

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

PARTNERSHIP CALLS FOR PHASING PLAN FOR PAROLE PLAZA

In a December 6 letter, the Baltimore Regional Partnership urged Dennis
Canavan, Planning and Zoning Officer for Anne Arundel County, to adopt a
phasing plan for the redevelopment of the Parole Plaza shopping center
concurrently with any permits given for construction on the site.  In late
November, the owner and developer of Parole Plaza, Freedman & Company Real
Estate, had submitted an application to the County for a grading permit to
construct the first phase of the redevelopment and sketches of four
proposed phases of development on the site. These proposals include many
of the smart growth principles envisioned by the Parole Growth Management
Committee, a County-appointed task force which in 1994 published a
redevelopment plan calling for walkable development with a mix of uses in
the center of Parole. However, the first phase of the development includes
only a standard big-box Wal-Mart and 25,000 square feet of
automobile-oriented retail, and no guarantees exist to ensure that later
phases of the plan which would create a town center on the site will be
carried out. The Partnership's letter, drafted primarily by Partnership
and Chesapeake Bay Foundation staff, set out a possible strategy for the
County in which some basic infrastructure improvements needed for the town
center would be required in the first phase, and later transportation and
land use measures which would help create a town center would be required
as part of later phases of the project. The Partnership also expressed a
willingness to work with the County, developer, and community groups
further to help ensure that the site lives up to its potential as a
showcase for smart growth.

For more information, contact Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional Partnership,
at adam@balto-region-partners.org, or George Maurer, Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, at gmaurer@cbf.org.  Full text of the letter is available at www.balto-region-partners.org/canavan_letter.htm. 

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4.  C A R R O L L  C O U N T Y

COMMISSIONERS DELAY PROPOSED ZONING CHANGES IN WATERSHED

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners voted November 21 to table
requests for rezoning 424 acres in the Liberty Reservoir watershed for 60
days. The proposed rezonings would allow industrial development on rural
parcels in the southern part of the County, development proponents of the
rezonings claim is needed to boost Carroll's tax base. Citizens at the
November hearing opposing the rezonings argued that the County's failure
to attract industry is largely due not to lack of land availability, but
rather to lax zoning regulations allowing commercial uses in industrial
zones. The tabling comes in the midst of an impasse over watershed
development, with Baltimore City and Baltimore County strongly supporting
an agreement protecting the watershed from future development in order to
ensure a safe drinking water supply for the region, and Carroll
Commissioners Donald I. Dell and Robin Bartlett Frazier wanting to allow
more development in the watershed. Carroll Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge
favors signing the agreement. The tabled rezonings are just part of a
broader package of rezonings proposed for Carroll, including over 350
additional acres in the Finksburg and Westminster areas.

For more information, contact Neil Ridgely, Finksburg Planning Area
Council, at brooksbend@erols.com, or Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional
Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.  Strongly worded December
2 letter to the editor in support of watershed agreement from Baltimore
County Director of Environmental Protection and Resource Management
available at
http://www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150520204202

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5.  H A R F O R D  C O U N T Y

COUNTY PASSES EDGEWOOD ZONING BILL, ACQUIRES KEY SITE

Harford County took two big steps towards its goal of revitalizing the
Edgewood community last month. First, on November 14, the Harford County
Council passed a zoning ordinance creating new zoning districts and design
standards for much of Edgewood, bringing zoning in compliance with the
Edgewood Community Plan passed earlier this year. Dan Pontious, director
of the Baltimore Regional Partnership, testified in favor of the
ordinance, calling it "the best plan promoting smart growth on the
community level in the entire Baltimore region" and praising the zoning
ordinance's design aspects and responsiveness to community desires. Local
community groups  also praised the bill, including the Edgewood Community
Council and Friends of Harford.

Three days later, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
awarded a $3.5 million loan guarantee to Harford County to finance the
acquisition and demolition of Washington Court in Edgewood. The Washington
Court site is the key parcel in the County's plan for Edgewood
redevelopment. A former Army housing complex, the site will be redeveloped
into a mixed-use planned employment center, containing office and retail
space, along with a Job Training Center, all within walking distance of
Edgewood's residential communities, main street, and MARC commuter rail
stop. The County expects to move forward with finding a private firm to
carry out the redevelopment of Washington Court in the coming months.

For more information, contact Joan Morrissey Ward, Harford County
Department of Planning and Zoning, at jmward@co.ha.md.us, or Adam Gordon,
Baltimore Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.

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6.  H O W A R D  C O U N T Y

COUNTY LAUNCHES ROUTE 1 REVITALIZATION EFFORT

On a November 14 meeting at Savage Mill, Howard County kicked off its
process to examine the future of the Route 1 corridor. A 26-member
committee of local citizens, business owners, and developers, met for the
first time to hear presentations by county staff on the past, present, and
potential future of the Route 1 corridor, along with current
transportation issues and possible future sites for development and
redevelopment along the corridor. The corridor, currently home to a group
of communities struggling with the perception of neighborhood decline and
many underdeveloped commercial and industrial sites, appears to present a
prime opportunity for smart growth, especially considering its proximity
and ease of access to both Baltimore and Washington.

The committee will meet quarterly, but subcommittees of the committee
which are tasked with looking at specific geographic areas along the
corridor, along with a steering committee with representatives from each
subcommittee, will meet monthly. The new revitalization effort results
from an initiative by Howard County Councilman Guy Guzzone and citizens
groups and business owners interested in the corridor, which earlier this
year resulted in a $500,000 federal grant to improve the corridor.
Already, the effort is changing how the County sees development along
Route 1. The Howard County Planning Director and Planning Board
recommended rejection of a gas station proposed by local developer Donald
Reuwer due to concerns over how the station would fit in with
revitalization efforts.

For more information, contact Dace Blaumanis, Howard County Planning and
Zoning, dblaumanis@co.ho.md.us or Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional
Partnership, adam@balto-region-partners.org. December 6 Sun story on the
gas station recommendation is available at
www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150520206744

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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 Dan Pontious at danp@balto-region-partners.org.
Visit the Baltimore Regional Partnership website at:
www.balto-region-partners.org.