BALTIMORE REGIONAL
PARTNERSHIP Newsletter
April 20, 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:
Elected Officials Quietly Attend Panel
Meeting
The Regional Connection: April 30, 2:00 -
5:00 PM
Calendar of Events
2. GENERAL ASSEMBLY WRAP-UP:
Approved:
New Commuter Choice Tax
Incentives
Reduction in "Farebox
Recovery" Mandate
'Smart Codes' Bills
Transportation
Performance Goals
Modified
Bicycle/Pedestrian Measure
Not Approved:
Sales Tax &
Transportation Bill
3. BALTIMORE CITY:
Landowners, New Group Have Plans for
Charles St.
4. CARROLL COUNTY:
Commissioners Reveal 9-Page Outline of Plan
5. HOWARD COUNTY
Draft Plan Unveiled, Hearing Set for May 8
6. JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
Partnership Seeks Organizer
____________________________________
1. I N T H E R E
G I O N
ELECTED OFFICIALS QUIETLY ATTEND PANEL
MEETING
Most of the Baltimore region's top
elected officials attended their first
meeting of the region's Transportation Steering Committee of 2000
on
Tuesday evening, sitting silently as about 15 citizens offered their
ideas
on transportation and land use in the region and on the workings of
the
committee. Baltimore County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger,
Anne
Arundel County Executive Janet Owens, Howard County Executive James
Robey,
Harford County Executive James Harkins, and Annapolis Mayor Dean
Johnson
all sat around the large horseshoe of tables for elected officials
and
their designees on the committee. Baltimore City Mayor Martin
O'Malley
was at "Taxpayer Night," but Deputy Mayor Jeanne Hitchcock
attended in his
stead. Carroll County Commissioner Julia Gouge did not
attend.
Transportation Secretary John Porcari represented the Maryland
Department
of Transportation.
Speakers from the Citizens Planning and
Housing Association, the Baltimore
Regional Partnership, Environmental Defense, 1000 Friends of
Maryland,
Transit Riders League, League of Women Voters, and others presented
views
on land use and transportation opportunities around the region, reform
of
the committee, weighted voting by population in committee
decision-making,
Commuter Choice tax incentives, MAGLEV, and other issues facing
the
regional panel. Retired planner Gerald Neily and Robert Keith
spoke to
the mass transit ideas they articulated in their three-part op-ed
series
in the Baltimore Sun April 12-14. Committee Chair Craig Forrest,
from
Baltimore County, announced his preference that each citizen limit him
or
her-self to 3-4 minutes and at times hurried speakers along who began
to
speak longer. Afterwards, the committee members and elected
officials
made no response to the speakers and conducted no business.
County Executive Ruppersberger did
announce the beginnings of a "Vision
2030" regional planning process, an initiative for which the
Baltimore
Regional Partnership has long pushed. Mr. Ruppersberger also
announced
the formation of a new "Short-Term Opportunities Committee" to
make
recommendations before the 2001 General Assembly. That
subcommittee is an
apparent response to the substantial transportation construction
funds
awarded to the Washington region by the state of Maryland this year,
a
substantially larger sum than that awarded to the Baltimore
region.
For more information, contact Dan
Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at danp@friendsofmd.org,
Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org,
or Scot Spencer, Environmental Defense, at sspencer@environmentaldefense.org.
THE REGIONAL CONNECTION: APRIL 30,
2:00-5:00 PM
CPHA's Campaign for Regional Solutions
invites citizens of the Baltimore
region to join hundreds of neighbors from across the metropolitan area
at
The Regional Connection on April 30th from 2:00-5:00 p.m. The
event will
feature food, music, exhibits, and activities, plus speakers from
around
the region, and a special guest, Professor john Powell of the
University
of Minnesota, a leading national expert on the relationship between
sprawl
and racial disparities. The event seeks to help residents send a
message
to the public and elected officials that growing numbers of people
expect
to see regional policies that address the most pressing threats to
the
quality of life in the region's communities. The event takes place
at
Church of the Redeemer at 5603 N. Charles St.
For more information, to RSVP or to join
the list of over 50 cosponsoring
organizations, contact Matthew Weinstein at MatthewW@CPHARegionalCampaign.org,
or visit www.CPHARegionalCampaign.org.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
April 22:
*Gunpowder Watershed Festival - Earth Day 2000
Oregon Ridge Park, Hunt Valley, Baltimore County. 11:00 AM to 5:00
PM.
A regional event to celebrate the natural resources of the
Gunpowder
watershed and the 30th anniversary of the first Earth Day in
1970.
Free buses from the Hunt Valley light rail station.
For information - www.gunpowdervalley.org
or 410-448-5106
April 25:
*MAGLEV Public Meeting, 4:30-7:30, BMC, 601 N. Howard St.,
Baltimore.
April 26:
*Hearing on Draft 2001-2005 Regional Transportation Improvement
Program
(TIP): 5:30 PM, BMC office.
*MAGLEV Public Meeting, 4:30-7:30, Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Rm
A-5,
Washington, DC.
April 27:
*MAGLEV Public Meeting, 4:30-7:30, Laurel High School, Multi-Purpose Rm,
Laurel, MD.
More information on meetings above at www.baltometro.org.
April 30:
*The Regional Connection: Making Regional Decisions Work for Your
Community, 2:00-5:00 PM, Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N. Charles
St.,
Baltimore. For more information visit www.CPHARegionalCampaign.org.
May 6
*Transit Riders' League of Metropolitan Baltimore meeting, 10:00 AM to
12
noon. Public Justice Center, 500 E. Lexington St. Verify
location.
The Transit Riders League works for equity and justice in
transportation
planning and funding for current and potential transit users in
the
Baltimore region. The group is in the process of establishing
campaign
priorities and strategies. For more information, contact Cathy
Schap,
CPHA, at CathyS@CPHAbaltimore.org.
May 10
*Transportation Steering Committee Job Access and Reverse Commute
Transportation Plan Work Group meeting, 1:00 PM.
BMC, 601 N. Howard St., Baltimore
For more info, contact Lisa Minnick at (410) 333-1750
May 21-27:
*Clean Commute Week
For more information visit www.baltometro.org/CCW2000.htm
_____________________________________
2. G E N E R A L A S S E M B
L Y W R A P - U P
The Maryland General Assembly adjourned
at midnight April 10 having
approved many bills, rejected others, and leaving still others
stranded
with no time left for consideration. Governor Parris N. Glendening
now
has until late May to decide whether to sign or veto the bills passed
by
the legislature. For up-to-date bill information, bill text,
information
on legislators, tools to find out who your legislators are, and votes,
go
to http://mlis.state.md.us.
As described below, the 2000 Maryland
General Assembly approved several
bills addressing smart growth and transportation issues, some of
which
were initiated by Governor Glendening, and all of which are expected to
be
signed by him.
APPROVED BILLS:
NEW COMMUTER CHOICE TAX INCENTIVES
Bills to expand Maryland's Commuter
Choice tax incentives passed both
houses of the General Assembly unanimously. The new law will build
on the
50% tax credit now available to employers who pay for transit passes
or
van pools for employees. With Governor Glendening's expected
signature,
the new law will allow nonprofit organizations to take tax credits
from
their withholding taxes, extend the credit to employers who offer
employees a cash-in-lieu-of-parking benefit, and extend the credit
to
cover employer-sponsored guaranteed ride home programs.
The legislation also contains amendments
that call for a report to the
General Assembly on the program's success by December 1, 2005.
The
findings of the report will be used by the legislature to determine if
the
Transportation Trust Fund, funded by Maryland's gas tax and
vehicle
registration charges, will reimburse the General Fund, funded by
state
income and sales taxes, for the revenue loss. The report will also
assess
the program's success in achieving statewide air quality standards,
the
reduction of traffic congestion and increases in transit ridership.
For more information contact Scot
Spencer, Environmental Defense, at
sspencer@environmentaldefense.org.
REDUCTION IN "FAREBOX
RECOVERY" MANDATE
This measure, sponsored by Governor
Glendening and legislative leaders,
will reduce the Maryland "farebox recovery" requirement from
50% to 40%.
The bill was sought by transit advocates, environmentalists, work
force
development organizations, and others in an effort to boost the
quality
and ridership of Maryland's mass transit facilities. At 50%, the
Maryland
state requirement for the percentage of the state's mass transit
operating
cost that must be met by fares is second highest in the nation only
to
Chicago's 51% mandate. In the past it has forced cuts in service
and fare
increases.
For more information contact Jamie
Kendrick, CPHA, at
JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org.
'SMART CODES' BILLS
These measures, also initiated by
Governor Glendening, will require the
adoption of a Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code to encourage
the
rehabilitation of existing buildings and will require the Office
of
Planning to draft model land-use codes for infill and "smart"
neighborhood
redevelopment. Both bills are the result of a task force convened
by
Governor Glendening in 1999. The task force responded to
complaints from
developers, preservationists, and smart growth advocates that
existing
building and land use codes make it easier to develop in outlying
open
space areas than to rehabilitate older buildings and redevelop in
existing
neighborhoods.
For more information contact Dru
Schmidt-Perkins, 1000 Friends of
Maryland, at dru@friendsofmd.org.
Quick links to the bills available from
the Maryland Office of Planning at www.op.state.md.us/INFO/leg2000.htm
TRANSPORTATION PERFORMANCE GOALS
H.B. 1189 and S.B. 731, sponsored by
Del. Ron Guns (Cecil), Sen. Chris Van
Hollen (Montgomery) and others, direct the Maryland Department of
Transportation (MDOT) to establish measurable transportation
performance
goals by which the public, legislature, and state government can
determine
if transportation funds are yielding expected results in reducing
traffic
congestion. The bill also directs MDOT to create an advisory
committee to
assist in this process and to provide the General Assembly an
annual
report on goals and progress toward them. The bills seek to
support
growth in 'smart growth' areas while reducing the traffic associated
with
growth and increasing the availability of transportation alternatives
to
driving alone.
For more information contact George
Maurer, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at
gmaurer@cbf.org, or visit
www.cbf.org/action_center/speak_out/smart_trans/index.htm
MODIFIED BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN
MEASURE
H.B. 1147, sponsored by Del. Joan Pitkin
(Prince George's), and others and
S.B. 884, sponsored by Senator Gloria Lawlah (Prince George's)
were
approved by the General Assembly in significantly amended form.
Instead
of creating an Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Access and then a
Bicycle
and Pedestrian Program Account which would receive 3% of
Transportation
Trust Funds for bicycle and pedestrian projects, the amended bill
creates
a Director of Bicycle and Pedestrian Access in the Office of the
Secretary
of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The measure
instructs the
Director to set goals for bicycle and pedestrian access in state plans
and
instructs MDOT to budget funds sufficient to meet the goals, as
determined
by the Secretary.
For more information contact Dru
Schmidt-Perkins, 1000 Friends of
Maryland, at dru@friendsofmd.org.
More information also available at
http://ohbike.org/mbac/.
BILLS NOT APPROVED:
SALES TAX & TRANSPORTATION
BILL
House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr.'s
proposal to dedicate one-fifth of the
state sales tax to mass transit (HB 1) remained in the Senate
committee
chaired by Barbara Hoffman (Baltimore) an opponent of earmarking sales
tax
revenue for any purpose, as the General Assembly adjourned.
Advocates for
improved and expanded mass transit initially expressed skepticism over
the
bill, noting that it was chiefly backed by the highway industry and
fearing it
would be a first step toward reducing funding for public transportation
through
the Transportation Trust Fund. An amendment adopted on the House
floor,
however, required that the sales tax revenues be in addition to
currently-planned
transit expenses through at least 2005.
For more information contact George
Maurer, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at gmaurer@cbf.org,
or Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org.
_____________________________________
3. B A L T I M O R E C I T
Y
LANDOWNERS, NEW GROUP HAVE PLANS FOR
CHARLES ST.
Two major landowners and a new
revitalization organization, the Historic
Charles Street Renaissance Corporation, have ideas for big changes
along
Baltimore's Charles St. that business leaders believe would bring new
retail
life to the historic boulevard through Downtown and Mount Vernon.
Landowner
plans include Peter Angelos' idea to create a new park surrounded by
stores
instead of the cement Center Plaza at Fayette Street, and David
Hillman's
plans to replace the failing Charles Plaza with a new 100,000 sq. ft.
retail
complex at Saratoga Street. The new corporation, on whose
22-person
board of directors Angelos and Hillman sit, is also working to promote
shops
instead of new parking lots north of Read Street, a shuttle from the
Inner
Harbor to the Mount Vernon, and filling vacant buildings near the
Charles
Theater and the proposed Greyhound bus station at Lanvale
Street.
The organization will be housed at the Downtown Partnership offices
on
Charles Street and is being launched by $175,000 in start-up funds
from
the city, state, Peter Angelos, and Aegon/Monumental Life Insurance
Corp.
Allfirst bank Chairman Frank Bramble is also on the corporation's board,
which
includes community group leaders, university directors, a developer, and
a
restaurant owner.
For more information, contact Michelle
Whelley, Downtown Partnership, at
mwhelley@dpob.org, or Dan
Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@friendsofmd.org.
___________________________________
4. C A R R O L L C O U N T
Y
COMMISSIONERS REVEAL 9-PAGE OUTLINE OF
PLAN
This week Carroll County Commissioners
turned a proposed 125-page new
master plan for the county into a 9-page outline, which they have
sent
back to the county's Planning and Zoning Commission. Apparently
they
intend to add a list of non-binding strategies to the document, but
County
Planning Director Steve Horn told the Carroll County Times this week
that
those are not ready yet. Under state law the planning commission
must
approve any new plan before it is forwarded again to the commissioners
for
final approval, and a new public hearing may be required as well.
The
commissioners apparently objected to the previous attempt by the
commission, which included a substantial public involvement process
from
citizen volunteers. Several planning commission members have
apparently
indicated a desire to see the nonbinding attachment, and many
civic
leaders are expressing the same sentiment. The Finksburg Planning
Area
Council is assembling a group of citizens to review the new documents
for
discussion at its meeting later this month.
For more information contact David
O'Callaghan, Finksburg Planning Area
Council, at omac1@aol.com or visit www.finksburg.com;
or contact Dan
Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at danp@friendsofmd.org.
_____________________________________
5. H O W A R D C O U N T
Y
DRAFT PLAN UNVEILED, HEARING SET FOR MAY
8
At a recent meeting of the Howard County
Civic Association, County
Planning Director Joe Rutter talked with residents about the
county's
proposed general plan. Rutter discussed the plan’s proposals
regarding
market rate elderly housing; retention of affordable housing, provision
of
open space, and business development to serve employment needs of
existing
residents. The Plan recommends a biannual report on Plan
implementation
and offers a series of measurable goals with which the county can
measure
success. Residents raised two additional issues not directly
addressed in
the Plan—the establishment of two new positions in the county,
Peoples
Counsel and Hearing Examiner, to assist in plan review and
upholding
existing county law, and the need for improved environmental
enforcement.
Howard County Executive Jim Robey has included in the budget two new
staff
positions in the Sediment and Erosion Control division of Licensing
&
Permits, which is in charge of environmental enforcement.
The Howard County Planning Board will
hold a hearing on the Draft General
Plan 2000 on Monday, May 8, at 7:30 P.M., Banneker Room of the
Howard
Building, 3430 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City. Individuals
interested in
speaking at the hearing should arrive prior to 7:30 to sign up. If
necessary, the Planning Board will continue the hearing on May 11.
The
County Council will consider the document during the summer, with
opportunities for public comment tentatively scheduled for late June
or
early July. Formal Council action will not take place until
September.
For more information, the plan can be viewed at
www.co.ho.md.us/PZ/genplan.html
or at the library. Copies of the plan are
also available for $10 by calling the Department of Planning &
Zoning at
410-313-2357. For information about related Partnership
activities,
contact Kristen Forsyth, 1000 Friends of Maryland, at
kforsyth@friendsofmd.org.
______________________________________________
6. J O B A N N O U N C E M E
N T
PARTNERSHIP SEEKS ORGANIZER
The Baltimore Regional Partnership seeks
an organizer to work on
cutting-edge land-use and transportation issues with activists and
public
officials around the region. The Partnership seeks to curb sprawl
and
promote people-oriented land use and transportation policies at the
local
and regional levels. Such policies would help preserve open
space,
relieve traffic congestion, promote walkable and bikable communities
that
are accessible to transit, enable entry level workers to have access
to
jobs in the region, and improve air quality. Candidates should
have
excellent communications skills, strategic sense, and organizing
experience. Previous experience on land use and transportation
issues is
preferred. Ability to work well with a diverse group of people
is
required.
Send a cover letter and resume to Dan
Pontious, Director, Baltimore
Regional Partnership, 1209 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21202, or
email
Dan at danp@friendsofmd.org
with resume or for more information.
____________________________________
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,
Baltimore
Urban League, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Citizens Planning and Housing
Association, and Environmental Defense (formerly the Environmental
Defense
Fund).
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.
Send us information: 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@friendsofmd.org.
Visit the Baltimore Regional Partnership website at:
www.balto-region-partners.org
