BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP NEWSLETTER
Land Use and Transportation Issues Around the Region
August 3, 2001
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CONTENTS:

*Harford Makes Key Changes in Transportation Plan
*Partnership Criticizes Analysis of Air Measures
*CPHA Hosts Dinner on "Reinventing the Region"
*BRIDGE Summit Features Rusk, Orfield on Disinvestment
*City Hires New Transportation Director
*MTA Administrator Steps Down
*State Seeks Changes to Resolve Carroll Water Dispute
*Anne Arundel Adopts Mixed-Use Zoning Categories
*Harford Planning for Perryman Peninsula Begins
*Howard Rt. 1 Revitalization Effort Moves Forward
*Calendar of Events

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HARFORD MAKES KEY CHANGES IN TRANSPORTATION PLAN

Responding to concerns from several local citizen organizations, Harford
County has decided to remove two proposed road widenings that extended
well beyond the county's designated Priority Funding Areas from the draft
2001 Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan.  County planner Pete Gutwald
announced the deletion of widenings of Rt. 22 and the portion of Rt. 152
from I-95 to Rt. 1 at a regional transportation board worksession on the
plan on July 24.  Together the projects would have cost over $100 million
in taxpayer funds.  County officials have expressed interest in using some
of those funds for more innovative ways of managing transportation demand,
including boosted transit service and expanded park-n-ride facilities.
Citizen groups in the county hailed the decision as a model of responsive
government. 

For more information, contact Gloria Moon, Little Gunpowder Improvement
Association at agmoon@magnus.net.  For maps of the projects and more
information on the transportation plan, go to www.baltometro.org, click on
"What's New" and "2001 Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan."  For the
latest Baltimore Regional Partnership comments on the overall regional
plan, go to www.balto-region-partners.org/july2001_comments.htm.

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PARTNERSHIP CRITICIZES ANALYSIS OF AIR MEASURES

Submitting comments as part of a 30-day public review period, the
Baltimore Regional Partnership has objected to Maryland's analysis of
measures to clean the Baltimore area's air.  The Maryland Department of
the Environment (MDE), working with the Maryland Department of
Transportation and the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, has
analyzed over 100 potential "Reasonably Available Control Measures" (RACM)
and found that not a single measure meets the RACM test.  The Partnership
believes the test used is based on an inaccurate reading of the Clean Air
Act and that the analysis in the document is inadequate.  The 30-day
comment period ends on Monday, August 6, when a public hearing will be
held.  (See Calendar of Events below.) 

Full text of the comments available at
www.balto-region-partners.org/clean_air_comments.htm.  Text of MDE's RACM
analysis available for download at
www.mde.state.md.us/arma/Programs/Aqplan/sip.html.  For more information
contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org.

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CPHA HOSTS DINNER ON "REINVENTING THE REGION"

Over 200 civic leaders, activists, and elected officials came together
June 22 for a dinner sponsored by the Citizens Planning and Housing
Association to highlight recent accomplishments and future challenges.
The dinner, "Reinventing the Region," featured 30 awards for leaders
around the region and talks by regional visioning consultant Gianni Longo
and local religious leader Rev. Johnny Golden.  July 28 Daily Record
article available at
www.mddailyrecord.com/archives/2_23_statewide/saturdaycolumns/47332-1.html.  For more information, go to www.CPHARegionalCampaign.org, or contact
Matthew Weinstein, CPHA, at MatthewW@CPHAbaltimore.org.

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BRIDGE SUMMIT FEATURES RUSK, ORFIELD ON DISINVESTMENT

BRIDGE, a new organization of religious congregations and other groups
concerned about the impact of regional development trends on communities
throughout the region brought David Rusk and Myron Orfield, nationally
known experts on regional disinvestment, to Baltimore June 26. Rusk and
Orfield encouraged the 100-plus attendees to continue to bring more
congregations together to examine and develop strategies to combat
disinvestment trends. Rusk focused on the success of Montgomery County's
Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) program in expanding homeownership
opportunities for working families, while Orfield discussed how
disinvestment is hurting communities, and especially children, in urban
and older suburban areas of the region.  The organization, Baltimore
Regional Initiative Developing Genuine Equity, has brought together
congregations from Eldersburg to Turners Station, and plans to continue to
reach out to more congregations. For more information, contact Adam
Gordon, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org
or Rev. Robert Walker, BRIDGE Steering Committee, at rewboobear@juno.com.

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CITY HIRES NEW TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR

After a long national search, Baltimore City Mayor Martin O'Malley
announced July 16 that he had hired Col. Alfred H. Foxx Jr. to fill the
new cabinet-level position of transportation director.  With substantial
supervisory and public works experience in Foxx's military career, Mayor
O'Malley said he he is the person to "take command of a very complex
system and bring order and leadership."  Foxx stated, "The mayor's mandate
to me is clear, and that is a regional transportation vision and to seek
support and resources to implement it."  Foxx will oversee 1,700 city
staff in the new Office of Transportation and will begin September 1.
Mayor's office press release available at
www.ci.baltimore.md.us/news/press/010716.html. 

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MTA ADMINISTRATOR STEPS DOWN

After four years at the helm of the Maryland's Mass Transit
Administration, Ronald L. Freeland is leaving MTA to become vice president
of Parsons Transportation Group, a private consulting firm.  Transit
advocates praised Freeland's responsiveness to concerns about service and
willingness to take action toward solutions.  July 31 Sun story available
at www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.mta31jul31.story.

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STATE SEEKS CHANGES TO RESOLVE CARROLL WATER DISPUTE

After rejecting a permit application for a controversial new water
facility at Piney Run, the Maryland Department of Environment has offered
to permit other water facilities if Carroll County will agree to
preservation tied to future development in the Liberty Reservoir
watershed.  The offer is the latest effort to resolve a long-running
dispute over protection of the drinking water reservoir.  Two Carroll
commissioners, a majority of the three-member panel, have steadfastly
refused to sign a regional watershed protection agreement that would
prevent them from rezoning agricultural land for development.  They
immediately rejected the state's latest offer as well.  August 1 Sun story
available at www.sunspot.net/news/local/carroll/bal-ca.piney01aug01.story.
August 2 story on contoversial project at
www.sunspot.net/news/local/carroll/bal-ca.hearing02aug02.story?coll=bal%2Dlocal%2Dcarroll.

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ANNE ARUNDEL ADOPTS MIXED-USE ZONING CATEGORIES

On July 16, the Anne Arundel County Council voted 6-0 to adopt new zoning
requirements for four types of mixed-use development. This decision
implements a recommendation originally made in the County's 1997 General
Development Plan to concentrate development around transit stops and other
areas appropriate for mixed use development, thereby reducing pressure to
develop in areas without existing or planned roads, sewer and water and
other infrastructure. The four mixed use zones that were approved are
MXD-T, Transit Mixed Use; MXD-E, Employment Mixed Use; MXD-C, Commercial
Mixed Use; and MXD-R, Residential Mixed Use. Specific locations for each
type of development will be designated as part of the County¹s Small Area
Plans, sixteen plans for different areas of the County being developed by
citizen committees. For more information, contact Adam Gordon, Baltimore
Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org or Rich Josephson,
Anne Arundel County Planning and Code Enforcement, at
Rjosephs@mail.aacounty.org.

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HOWARD RT. 1 REVITALIZATION EFFORT MOVES FORWARD

Following through on a 2000 General Plan central goal of revitalizing
Howard County's aging Rt. 1 corridor, a task force has finished the first
phase of its study.  Those first findings outline the corridor's six
greatest challenges and offering short-term solutions, including improving
the corridor's appearance and transportation.  Panel members envision
improved bike and pedestrian access, boosted transit service, and new
development focused around transit stations.  In the fall the group plans
to tackle longer-term issues such as updating zoning codes and creating
economic development incentives.  July 27 Daily Record article available
at www.mddailyrecord.com/archives/2_22_friday/coverstory/47354-1.html.
For more information, contact Brad Rogers, 1000 Friends of Maryland, at
brogers@friendsofmd.org.

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HARFORD PLANNING FOR PERRYMAN PENINSULA BEGINS

A workshop on development options for the Perryman peninsula on June 28
drew over 150 Harford County residents. The meeting was the first in a
series of meetings to discuss the future of approximately 3,000 acres of
land on the peninsula. The land, historically zoned for a mix of
residential and non-residential development, was rezoned mainly for
warehouse/light industrial development following the county's 1996 General
Plan process. The county and state are reexamining that decision because
of the high cost of roads needed to serve warehouse development and the
growing  market for other types of economic development in the County.
Many citizens spoke up during the Visual Preference Survey conducted to
gauge views on future peninsula development, saying that they wanted
farmland on the peninsula to remain agricultural instead of being
developed. The next meeting, to be held in Aberdeen on August 9, will
focus on planning principles and the history of the peninsula, followed by
another meeting on August 23 to discuss the results of the Visual
Preference Survey. For more information, contact Adam Gordon, Baltimore
Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org or Joe Kocy,
Director, Harford County Department of Planning and Zoning, at
jkocy@co.ha.md.us.


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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

August 6
*Hearing on Clean Air Planning, 10:00 AM, 300 W. Preston St., 1st floor
auditorium.  Last opportunity for public to comment on state analysis of
"reasonably available control measures" (RACM) for cleaning up the
Baltimore region's ozone smog pollution problem.  For more information,
contact Brian Hug, Md. Dept. of the Environment, at bhug@mde.state.md.us
or Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org.

August 9
*Perryman Peninsula Planning Process, 6:30 PM, Aberdeen Middle School, Mt.
Royal Avenue, Aberdeen. Second meeting of process, with Harford County
Planning Director Joe Kocy speaking on history of Perryman Peninsula and
planning and land use policy in Harford County. For more information,
contact Joe Kocy, Director, Harford County Department of Planning and
Zoning, at jkocy@co.ha.md.us.

August 13
*Release of 2001 Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan final draft.
Release will begin a public comment period until September 24, where a
public hearing will be held.  Comment period also includes September 11
regional transportation board meeting with region's elected local
executives.  More information available at www.baltometro.org (click on
"What's New" and "2001 Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan") or by
contacting Regina Aris, Baltimore Metropolitan Council, at
raris@baltometro.org.

August 15
*Public Hearing on the Draft Baltimore Region Bicycle, Pedestrian, and
Greenways Transportation Plan, 6:00 PM, Baltimore Metropolitan Council
office, 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310, Baltimore (on Boston St.
near O'Donnell
St., in Canton).  More information available at www.baltometro.org (click
on "Calendar of Events"), or contact Barry Bergman at
bbergman@baltometro.org.


August 21
*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.

August 23
*Perryman Peninsula Planning Process, 6:30 PM, Aberdeen Middle School, Mt.
Royal Avenue, Aberdeen. Third meeting of process, with an opportunity for
participants to look at the results of the Visual Preference Survey for
the peninsula and use the results to shape a plan for the peninsula. For
more information, contact Joe Kocy, Director, Harford County Department of
Planning and Zoning, at jkocy@co.ha.md.us.

September 11
*Baltimore Regional Transportation Board monthly meeting with local
elected officials, 5:30 PM, 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.

September 15-16
*Jones Falls Valley Celebration.  A weekend series of events and
activities that focus on the natural and recreational highlights of the
Jones Falls Valley.  More information available at www.jonesfalls.com.

September 24
*Final Public Hearing on 2001 Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan, 7:00
PM, BMC offices, 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310, Baltimore (on
Boston St. near O'Donnell St., in Canton).  For more information, contact
Regina Aris, BMC, at raris@baltometro.org.

October 23
*Baltimore Regional Transportation Board monthly meeting, 9:00 AM, BMC
offices.  The Board anticipates approving the 2001 Baltimore Regional
Transportation Plan at this meeting.  For more information, contact Joan
Gorsuch, BMC, at jgorsuch@baltometro.org.

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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.
With this issue, we introduce a new, more concise format designed to make
the newsletter more informative and reader-friendly.

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
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Send us information, too.  Let us know about your work on land use and
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Email information to Adam Gordon at adam@balto-region-partners.org.  Visit
the Baltimore Regional Partnership website at:
www.balto-region-partners.org.