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BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP
Newsletter
March 29, 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:
Regional panel approves transportation plan
over objections
Hopkins center to host housing segregation talk
March 30
MAGLEV public meetings announced
2. IN OTHER REGIONS:
Atlanta faces continued freeze on highway
building
3. IN THE STATE HOUSE:
Commuter Choice tax incentives pass both houses
Reduction in farebox recovery mandate passes
House
'Smart Codes' bills pass each house of Assembly
Transportation goals bill passes House and
Senate
Bicycle/pedestrian project bills in Senate
committee
4. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY:
Citizens, City of Annapolis wrangle over
parking, growth issues
5. BALTIMORE CITY:
"Stadium Place" development wins
national award
6. BALTIMORE COUNTY:
Transit-oriented development planned for Owings
Mills
7. CARROLL COUNTY:
Citizens looking for written commissioner
comments on plan
8. HARFORD COUNTY:
Partnership explores transportation assoc. for
Rt. 40 area
9. HOWARD COUNTY:
New plan will not expand public service
boundary
Land use experts to study proposed widening of
MD 32
10. JOB ANNOUNCEMENT:
1000 Friends seeks organizer for Frederick-area
project
____________________________________
1. I N T H E R E G I O N
REGIONAL PANEL APPROVES TRANSPORTATION PLAN OVER OBJECTIONS
At their monthly meeting on March 28, the transportation planning panel
for the Baltimore region approved their 5-year plan for the region and
their analysis of compliance with Clean Air Act requirements despite
protests from the Baltimore Regional Partnership that their actions did
not follow current federal guidance from the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). EPA regulations published in 1992
require metropolitan planning organizations, such as Baltimore's
Transportation Steering Committee (TSC), to consider all
"reasonably
available" clean air measures and to delineate why they are
included or
excluded from the plan. The TSC's plan approved Tuesday includes
only
four modest programs which were inserted late in the planning
process.
The Partnership is further concerned because the TSC has scheduled a
public hearing for the upcoming 2001-2005 Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP) for April 26 before any possible improvements can be made
from the previous TIP. Despite scheduling the new TIP hearing, no
first
meeting has been scheduled for a much-discussed new TSC subcommittee to
consider additional clean air measures, and Baltimore Metropolitan
Council
staff claim not to be able to prepare a new public involvement plan
until
the fall.
Scheduled Upcoming TSC Meetings and Hearings:
Monthly TSC Meeting: April 18, 5:30 PM, BMC office, 601 N. Howard
St.,
Baltimore. County Executives and Baltimore City Mayor will be
present and
extended public participation opportunity will be offered.
Draft 2001-2005 TIP Hearing: April 26, 5:30 PM, BMC office.
For more information, contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional
Partnership, at danp@friendsofmd.org.
More information on scheduled
meetings available at www.baltometro.org
or by contacting Harvey Bloom,
BMC Transportation Planning Director, at hbloom@baltometro.org.
HOPKINS CENTER TO HOST HOUSING SEGREGATION TALK MARCH 30
The Johns Hopkins Center for the Study of Civil and Human Rights and the
Program in Comparative American Cultures will host a panel discussion on
"Housing and Patterns of Segregation in Baltimore" on
Thursday, March 30
at 6:00. The featured speakers, Vinnie Quayle from the St. Ambrose
Housing Aid Center, Tracy Gill from Baltimore Neighborhoods, Inc., and
Barbara Samuels from the Maryland ACLU, will discuss historic patterns
of
housing segregation in Baltimore, historic causes, and current efforts
to
promote fair housing in Baltimore. The discussion will be held in
Room
315 of Gilman Hall on the Homewood Campus of the Johns Hopkins
University.
Refreshments will be served.
For further information, contact Francois Furstenberg, Department of
History, at francois@jhu.edu.
MAGLEV PUBLIC MEETINGS ANNOUNCED
Three MAGLEV project public meetings have been scheduled in the
Baltimore-Washington area:
April 25: Baltimore, World Trade Center, Maryland Room, 21st floor,
4:30-7:30.
April 26: Washington, DC, Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Rm A-5,
4:30-7:30.
April 27: Laurel, MD, Laurel High School, Multi-Purpose Rm, 4:30-7:30.
For more information and for the Citizen Planning and Housing
Association
(CPHA) comments on the MAGLEV project, contact Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at
JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org.
Official project information available at
www.bwmaglev.com.
_____________________________________
2. I N O T H E R R E G I O N S
ATLANTA FACES CONTINUED FREEZE ON HIGHWAY BUILDING
Atlanta's prospects of getting back to road building by summer are in
serious doubt following a USDOT letter voicing concerns about a now
draft
transportation plan for the region to pass air quality review. The
Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) received the letter on the eve of a
long-anticipated vote on a plan that was supposed to end the region's
air
quality "conformity lapse" and allow road building to
resume. With only
one dissenting vote, the ARC Board approved the Long Range Plan and the
Transportation Improvement Program in spite of USDOT's concerns.
During the "conformity lapse" federal transportation funds
have been
redirected to locally-selected transit, HOV, pedestrian, bicycle,
traffic
safety, and smart traffic management investments that help or are
neutral
with respect to air quality. The US DOT comments expressed concern about
the lack of commitments to back up the land use and financial
assumptions
in the plan, as well as the its use of 10-year-old vehicle speed data.
The
comments also say the ARC plan needs to better reflect environmental
justice concerns.
For more information visit the Surface Transportation Policy Project at
www.transact.org or call
202.466.2636.
_____________________________________
3. I N T H E S T A T E H O U S E
Below are updates on several of the bills in the 2000 Maryland General
Assembly which address smart growth and transportation issues. 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.
COMMUTER CHOICE TAX INCENTIVES PASS BOTH HOUSES
Bills to expand Maryland's Commuter Choice tax incentives have passed
both
houses by wide margins, but in different forms. S.B. 244 sponsored
by
Senator Ida G. Ruben (Montgomery) and others passed the Senate March 20
43-3, and H.B. 310, sponsored by Delegate Paul Carlson (Montgomery) and
others passed the House early this week 139-0. The bills build on
the 50%
tax credit now available to employers who pay for transit passes or van
pools for employees, which took effect January 1, 2000. The new
bills
would allow nonprofit organizations to take tax credits from their
withholding taxes, extends the credit to employers who offer employees a
cash-in-lieu-of-parking benefit, and extends the credit to cover
employer-sponsored guaranteed ride home programs. The two versions
must
be reconciled before final passage.
For more information contact Scot Spencer, Environmental Defense, at
sspencer@environmentaldefense.org.
REDUCTION IN FAREBOX RECOVERY MANDATE PASSES HOUSE
On Monday, March 27th, by a vote of 100 to 39, the House of Delegates
approved HB 1248, sponsored by the Glendening Administration and
Appropriations Chairman Pete Rawlings, which would reduce the Maryland
"farebox recovery" requirement from 50% to 40%. The bill
is being 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. The Senate is expected to
take
preliminary action by the end of the week. 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.
For more information contact Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at
JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org.
'SMART CODES' BILLS PASS EACH HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
Four bills sponsored by the Glendening administration to promote
"smart"
redevelopment in existing neighborhoods have passed their respective
houses in slightly different forms. S.B. 207 and H.B. 284 would
require
the adoption of a Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code to encourage the
rehabilitation of existing buildings. S.B. 208 and H.B. 285
require the
Office of Planning to draft model land-use codes for infill and
"smart"
neighborhood redevelopment. The bills are the result of a task
force
convened by the governor in 1999. Differences in the versions
approved by
each house must be reconciled before final passage.
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
PERFORMANCE GOALS BILLS PASS HOUSE AND SENATE
H.B. 1189 and S.B. 731, sponsored by Del. Ron Guns (Cecil), Sen. Chris
Van
Hollen (Montgomery) and others, each passed its respective house of the
General Assembly with minor amendments. The bills would 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
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. Differences in the two bills must
be
reconciled before final passage.
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
BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN PROJECT BILLS IN SENATE COMMITTEE
H.B. 1147, sponsored by Del. Joan Pitkin (Prince George's), and others,
achieved final passage in the House of Delegates on March 20 by a vote
of
131-6. As amended, the bill creates a Bicycle Pedestrian Program
Account
within the Maryland Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) and establishes a
state Office of Bicycle and
Pedestrian Access which would develop a state Bicycle-Pedestrian Master
Plan. Other bills, including S.B. 436 and S.B. 884, are still
pending in
the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, which is exploring language in
the state budget which would promote pedestrian and bicycle projects
without the 3% mandate included in all of the bills as originally
drafted.
For more information contact Dru Schmidt-Perkins, 1000 Friends of
Maryland, at dru@friendsofmd.org.
More information also
available at http://ohbike.org/mbac/.
_____________________________________
4. A N N E A R U N D E L C O U N T Y
CITIZENS, CITY OF ANNAPOLIS WRANGLE OVER PARKING, GROWTH ISSUES
As the City of Annapolis struggles to address growth, parking, and
traffic
congestion issues, a number of local civic leaders are urging the city
to
tackle issues through a comprehensive plan for land use and
transportation, rather than the current trend of project by project
review. Proposals now facing the city include a proposed parking
garage
at Colonial Avenue and West Street, the proposed Park Place development
on
Westgate Circle, and a third project known as the Madison Homes project.
This last project is an effort to transform the current Anne Arundel
Medical Center site near Church Circle into a mixed-use hotel,
residential, and retail complex. Civic leaders have submitted
comments
concerning all three projects, and several different meetings are being
planned to address the Madison Homes project specifically and Annapolis
regional transit issues more generally.
For more information, contact Sandy Hillyer, President of the Murray
Hill
Residents' Association, at shillyer@aol.com,
or Amy Menzer, 1000 Friends
of Maryland, at amenzer@friendsofmd.org.
____________________________________
5. B A L T I M O R E C I T Y
"STADIUM PLACE" DEVELOPMENT WINS NATIONAL AWARD
The plan to redevelop Baltimore's Memorial Stadium site into a mixed-use
community for low income seniors, including a YMCA, stores, and medical
facilities, recently received a national award, as reported in the
Baltimore Sun. The National Council on Seniors Housing and the
National
Association of Home Builders presented the award for "Best of
Seniors'
Housing," to Marks Thomas & Associates the design and
architecture firm
for the project. The award commended the integration of the YMCA,
stores
and medical offices with the area and the preservation of the stadium's
playing field as recreational space in the center of the
development. The
project was developed by Govans Ecumenical Development Corp. (GEDCO), a
church-based organization that has already developed and currently
manages
several smaller residential projects in the area. Stadium Place, a
$45
million project with 404 residences, is scheduled to begin construction
in
the summer of 2001.
For more information, contact Rev. John Sharp, GEDCO President, at
jsharp@govanspres.org, or Dan
Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@friendsofmd.org.
Sun story available at
www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150300203285
___________________________________
6. B A L T I M O R E C O U N T Y
TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLANNED FOR OWINGS MILLS
In a new effort to create a town center for Owings Mills Baltimore
County
officials are proposing the phased transformation of a 47 acre MTA
parking
lot into a walkable, transit-oriented center with mixed-use residential
and commercial development. The proposed project, originally
suggested by
area community leaders and recently pursued by the County's Department
of
Business and Economic Development and the state Mass Transit
Administration (MTA), would begin with construction of a parking garage
for current users of the lot, followed by development of a central
greenspace flanked by offices, apartments, and ground-level retail.
Suggested uses for the complex include a public library and community
college classrooms to enhance the civic character of the project.
The new
development would be located immediately adjacent to the Owings Mills
Metro station, mall, movie theater, and existing offices. Overall,
$13
million in State funds will be involved, to be matched by the
County. A
Request for Development Proposals (RFDP) has been issued, with a
selection
scheduled to be announced in May.
To obtain a copy of the RFDP for $25, call the MTA Office of Real Estate
at 410 767-3903. Additional information can be obtained from
Robert
Hannon, Baltimore County Department of Economic Development, at
rhannon@co.ba.md.us, or Amy
Menzer, 1000 Friends of Maryland, at
amenzer@friendsofmd.org.
___________________________________
7. C A R R O L L C O U N T Y
CITIZENS LOOKING FOR WRITTEN COMMISSIONER COMMENTS ON PLAN
At a monthly meeting March 23, members of the Finksburg Planning Area
Council heard from their leaders that no written copy of comments from
the
Carroll County commissioners on a proposed master plan seemed to be
available. Despite news reports of a commissioners' decision to
"revamp
the proposed master plan," group leaders said they had been told by
the
county that no written version of the revised plan was available for
citizen review. It appears that the county planning commission
must now
consider the commissioners' comments and send a revised plan back to
them
for approval or rejection. Because the commissioners' recommended
changes
appeared to be substantial, it appears that a 60-day review period for
any
new plan as well as at least one more public hearing would be required.
For more information contact Dave O'Callaghan, Finksburg Planning Area
Council, at omac1@aol.com, or Dan
Pontious, Baltimore Regional
Partnership, at danp@friendsofmd.org.
March 19 Sun story available at
www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150290205054
_____________________________________
8. H A R F O R D C O U N T Y
PARTNERSHIP EXPLORES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ASSOC. FOR RT 40 AREA
Given the obstacles between available workers in urban parts of the
region
and available jobs in suburban area, the Baltimore Regional Partnership
is
exploring the potential application in Harford County's Rt. 40 corridor
of
one solution currently used in Anne Arundel County: a Transportation
Management Association. Such an association, like the BWI Business
Partnership or the Annapolis Regional Transportation Management
Association, would be a partnership between local government and the
business community. It could provide van service, guaranteed ride
home,
and ride share programs in the short term, and advocate for systemic
changes to the existing transportation system in the long run.
Partnership member organizations have begun discussions with business
leaders and elected officials to explore the creation of such an
association.
A 1999 study by the Citizens Planning and Housing Association, Access to
Jobs in the Baltimore Region, found that more than 35% of all
entry-level
jobs in the Baltimore region are inaccessible by public transportation,
yet 98% of all welfare recipients in Baltimore City live within
one-quarter mile of public transportation and 100% live within1/2 mile
of
public transportation.
For more information or a copy of the report, contact Michelle
Wirzberger
at mwirzber@friendsofmd.org.
____________________________________
9. H O W A R D C O U N T Y
NEW PLAN WILL NOT EXPAND PUBLIC SERVICE BOUNDARY
The Howard County director of Planning and Zoning announced to the
county's General Plan Task Force on March 21 that the county will not
consider extending the water and sewer public service boundary in the
plan
currently being drafted through public meetings and county work with the
task force. The 34-member citizen task force had overwhelmingly
opposed
the service boundary's extension, fearing it would be filled by rapid
growth. The county projects that under current zoning, the County
will
reach full build-out somewhere between 2010 and 2020, but some advocates
are concerned that lower density residential areas and little
consideration
of infill development potential in the county's growth areas contribute
to
the projected quick build-out scenarios. Activists have expressed
skepticism about projected growth rates, and said slower growth
scenarios
were not sufficiently considered. Revitalization of older
areas has
emerged as a significant new issue in the General Plan since its last
update in 1990.
See "Making Smart Growth Smarter" by Chesapeake Bay
Foundation and 1000 Friends of Maryland for more analysis of Howard
County's growth plans, http://www.cbf.org/gmla_report/gmla_frames.htm.
For more information contact Geoff Silberman, Howard County Civic
Association, at geoff.silberman@jhuapl.edu,
or Cheryl Cort, Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, at ccort@cbf.org.
March 22 Sun story available at
http://www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150300202820
LAND USE EXPERTS TO STUDY PROPOSED WIDENING OF MD 32
Following a March 1999 public hearing and in the face of strong
opposition
by area residents and the Baltimore Regional Partnership, the State
Highway Administration delayed its proposals to widen Maryland Rt. 32 to
a
four-lane freeway in rural western Howard County. Since that
time, State
Highway has decided to create a land use experts panel to examine the
long-term growth implications in Howard, Carroll and other counties
resulting from expanding and upgrading Route 32 to a four lane limited
access freeway. One of the objectives of the panel would be to
assess how
much new traffic would be induced due to new available capacity versus
merely a shift in travel routes due to less congested conditions on a
widened and access controlled Rt. 32.
For more information contact Cheryl Cort, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at
ccort@cbf.org, or Debbie Izzi,
Citizens' Alliance for Rural Preservation,
at izzcool@aol.com. For more
information about the land use panel,
contact: Heather Murphy, State Highway Administration, at 410-545-8571.
____________________________________
10. J O B A N N O U N C E M E N T
1000 FRIENDS SEEKS ORGANIZER FOR FREDERICK-AREA PROJECT
1000 Friends of Maryland, a member of the Baltimore Regional
Partnership,
seeks a project coordinator to provide citizen participation in an
analysis of Alternate Route 40 in Frederick and Washington Counties.
This
project will thoroughly examine the land use and transportation issues
facing both the Rural Legacy Areas and communities and the impact of
increased vehicular traffic on the communities and agricultural areas
along this corridor. The goal is to develop implementation strategies to
lesson the growing impacts of traffic while preserving the quality of
life
in the communities along this historic road. Applicants must have
excellent organizing and communication skills, ability to work well with
a
very diverse group of people, and ability to translate technical
information into compelling information for the public.
Please send cover letter and resume to Alt 40 Search Committee, 1209
North
Calvert Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, or to Dru Schmidt-Perkins at
dru@friendsofmd.org.
Deadline March 31, 2000.
____________________________________
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.
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