BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP Newsletter
May 25, 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.

Also, visit our web site, recently updated with new information and our
new logo!  www.balto-region-partners.org


I N   T H I S   I S S U E

1. IN THE REGION:
     Panel Considers Regional Commuter Choice Plan
     Partnership and CPHA Address Transportation Program
     1000 Friends Sues EPA over Air Pollution Plan
     Calendar of Events

2.  IN OTHER REGIONS
      Clinton Orders Incentives for Federal Commuters

3. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY
     CBF Objects to New Impacts of Roads for Mall
     Park Place Development Proposal Gains Support

4. BALTIMORE CITY:
     CPHA and Partnership Offer Changes to Parking Bill
     City Launches "Main Streets" Initiative
     Citizen Guidelines for Belvedere Square Proposed

5. BALTIMORE COUNTY
     Officials Hold Meeting on Proposal for Owings Mills

6. CARROLL COUNTY
     County Plan, Water Decisions Still Unclear

7. HARFORD COUNTY
     Shpritz Briefs Harford Leaders on TMA Possibilities

8. HOWARD COUNTY
     1000 Friends Comments on Draft General Plan
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1.  I N   T H E  R E G I O N

PANEL CONSIDERS REGIONAL COMMUTER CHOICE PLAN

At their May 23rd meeting, members of the Baltimore metropolitan planning
organization began to consider a proposed regional action plan to promote
traffic and pollution reducing Commuter Choice benefits. Marsha Kaiser,
representing the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) urged local
agencies to join in a cooperative regional Smart Commute effort and to
support additional local funding and action to complement the efforts of
MDOT. Michael Replogle, Environmental Defense's Transportation Director,
presented a proposal for the Baltimore metropolitan planning organization
to take action on Commuter Choice at both the regional and local level,
and he praised MDOT’s current efforts to promote Commuter Choice. Replogle
called on local agencies to join in adopting an action plan and timetable
to help assure that employer-paid transit benefits and
"pay-me-not-to-drive" incentives will soon be available to all employees
in the region. Combining recent federal and Maryland state tax law
changes, employees can purchase transit passes with pre-tax income through
their employer, and employers can offer their employees a free transit
pass worth $65 per month at a net cost to the employer as small as $8 per
month .  In addition, the federal government is now leading by example,
offering transit benefits to its employees in Washington and across the
country (see related story below).

At the meeting Replogle outlined several measures promoted by the
Baltimore Regional Partnership in a May 11 letter, such as promoting
Commuter Choice incentives to the region's employers, offering benefits to
local government employees, and requiring recipients of government
contracts to offer such benefits (full text of letter available at
www.balto-region-partners.org/5_11_00_ratcm.htm).  While Annapolis
representative Jon Arason and Baltimore City representative Jeff
Drinkwater expressed interest in taking advantage of the incentives,
Howard County representative Carl Balser and chairman Craig Forrest of
Baltimore County balked at the suggested timelines in the Partnership
letter, suggesting that any near-term action by local governments was
unreasonable.  The Interagency Consultation Group, which advises state and
local agencies in the region on air quality and transportation
coordination, is expected to take up the proposal for a Commuter Choice
action plan at their June 14th 8:30am meeting, as they consider additional
air quality transportation control measures and financial commitments to
these. The Partnership intends to continue to press for action at the
local and regional level.

For more information contact Scot Spencer, Environmental Defense, at
sspencer@environmentaldefense.org, or Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional
Partnership, at danp@balto-region-partners.org.


PARTNERSHIP AND CPHA ADDRESS TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM

At the April 26 Transportation Steering Committee (TSC) public hearing on
the draft 2001-2005 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), both the
Baltimore Regional Partnership as a whole and the Citizens Planning and
Housing Association (CPHA) offered formal comments.  While speaking
specifically on several projects in the five-year transportation program,
the partnership did offer three general comments as well: 1) Various
tools, such as Commuter Choice tax incentives, ridesharing, parking
management, and land use measures should be employed regionally to reduce
traffic congestion and manage travel demand; 2) the scope of planning
studies in the program should be expanded to include related land use and
community issues; and 3) bridge and bridge deck reconstruction projects
should be used as opportunities to improve pedestrian and bicycle
networks.  In addition to offering similar comments, CPHA released a draft
report on ridesharing in the region.

Led by chair Craig Forrest, the Transportation Steering Committee offered
a more interactive format for the April 26 public hearing, enabling TSC
members to offer their own comments and questions in response to testimony
and leading to a lively discussion.  A second hearing on the 2001-2005 TIP
will likely be held later in the summer.

To see the full text of the Partnership's comments, visit:
www.balto-region-partners.org/2001_TIP_Comments.htm
Additional information about the Transportation Improvement Program and
transportation planning in the Baltimore region is available at:
www.balto-region-partners.org/advocate.htm.  For additional information,
contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org.  For more information on CPHA's draft
report on ridesharing, contact Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at
JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org.


1000 FRIENDS SUES EPA OVER AIR POLLUTION PLAN

On Monday, April 24, 2000, 1000 Friends of Maryland filed suit against the
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the federal Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeals, charging that EPA violated the Clean Air Act when it
approved revised automobile pollution budgets for the Baltimore region
this year.  Regional transportation plans and projects in regions in
"nonattainment" of federal clean air health standards must demonstrate
"conformity" with the region's plan under the Clean Air Act.  The lawsuit
charges that EPA allowed an assortment of judgmental and subjective
"tests" specifically rejected by the Clean Air Act, rather than stricter
photochemical grid modeling which may well have shown the region would not
attain federal health standards in 2005, as stipulated in the Clean Air
Act Amendments of 1990.  Briefs will be filed this summer.  

For the full text of the 1000 Friends of Maryland press release, visit
www.friendsofmd.org/lawsuit.htm. or contact Kristen Forsyth, 1000 Friends
of Maryland, at kforsyth@friendsofmd.org.


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May 21-27:
*Clean Commute Week
For more information visit www.baltometro.org/CCW2000.htm

June 14:
*Interagency Consultation Group, 8:30 AM, Baltimore Metropolitan Council
(BMC)

June 20:
*Transportation Steering Committee meeting with elected officials, 5:30
PM, BMC

***Note: The Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) is moving.  The new BMC
office as of June is: 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310, Baltimore (on
Boston St., in Canton).  Confirm meeting times and locations, however,
since the conference room at the new location is not expected ready before
mid-June.  Contact Joan Gorsuch at the BMC at (410) 333-1750  x 237.

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2.  I N  O T H E R  R E G I O N S

CLINTON ORDERS INCENTIVES FOR FEDERAL COMMUTERS

Putting the federal government in the lead in offering "Commuter
Choice"-type incentives to employees, President Clinton signed an
executive order April 21 that will give many federal employees substantial
financial incentives to use transit or vanpool rather than drive alone to
work.  The landmark order offers three incentives to federal government
employees: 1) The opportunity for federal employees nationwide to deduct
the cost of a transit or vanpool pass from their federal taxes, as
provided in the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21); 2)
Free transit passes of up to $65/month value for all federal employees in
the Washington, DC region; and 3) A nationwide, 3-year pilot program of
free transit passes for employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Department of Transportation, and Department of Energy.  The pilot
will include an analysis of the program's success in reducing single
occupancy vehicle use and local traffic congestion before possible
expansion to all departments nationwide.

For more information contact Scot Spencer, Environmental Defense, at
sspencer@environmentaldefense.org.

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

CBF OBJECTS TO NEW IMPACTS OF ROADS FOR MALL 

Reacting to new revelations that road capacity for serving the new Arundel
Mills Mall will have additional environmental impacts, the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation (CBF) has written to the Maryland Department of the Environment
raising concerns about proposed State Highway Administration (SHA) changes
to the access plan.  According to a recent announcement, SHA proposed
interchange modifications will result in adverse impacts to an additional
11,594 square feet of wetland, 9,238 square feet of regulated stream
buffer and 1,689 linear feet of stream.  The announcement implies that the
Mills Corporation underestimated the mall's traffic generation, and it
contains no information that Mills has done all it can to avoid traffic
generation with demand management measures and alternative transportation.
The CBF letter questions the belated announcement of these new water
quality impacts after the project and its associated road expansions have
been submitted to public comment, analysed, and approved by county,
regional, and state officials.  CBF also expresses concern that
justification for the changes is not included in the notice.  The letter
from CBF Maryland executive director Theresa Pierno requests a public
hearing and additional information from the Maryland Department of the
Environment and the State Highway Administration.

For more information, contact George Maurer, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at
gmaurer@savethebay.cbf.org.


PARK PLACE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL GAINS SUPPORT

At a May 13 hearing before the Annapolis Planning Commission, residents,
the Annapolis Chamber of Commerce, and 1000 Friends of Maryland all
expressed support for an ambitious development proposal at West Street and
Taylor Avenue.  The Park Place development is a compact, mixed use
development located on underused land in proximity to a planned transit
shuttle linking the site to downtown and the Navy Stadium satellite
parking facility.  To be built by the Jerome J. Parks Companies, the plan
envisions two office buildings with ground-floor retail space; a 208-unit,
7-story residential building; a 225-room hotel with ground-floor
restaurant and retail; a 950-seat theater for performing arts with ground
floor retail; and parking facilities included underneath the various
structures.  According to Annapolis Planning and Zoning Director Jon
Arason, Park Place is the largest and most complex project ever proposed
for development in the city.  In the group's comments, 1000 Friends of
Maryland recommended efforts to require or encourage Park Place tenants to
offer Commuter Choice benefits to their employees in order to manage
parking demand.

For more information contact Kristen Forsyth, 1000 Friends of Maryland, at
kforsyth@friendsofmd.org, or Sandy Hillyer, Murray Hill Residents'
Association, at SHillyer@aol.com.

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4.  B A L T I M O R E  C I T Y

CPHA AND PARTNERSHIP OFFER CHANGES TO PARKING BILL

In an effort to promote a vibrant pedestrian downtown and alternatives to
single occupancy vehicle commuting, CPHA and the Baltimore Regional
Partnership are proposing amendments to new city legislation to create a
Baltimore City Parking Authority.  The new ordinance reflects a concerted
attempt by the administration of new mayor Martin O'Malley to address a
perceived shortage of parking in Downtown Baltimore.  A 1997 report by the
Downtown Partnership of Baltimore found a slight surplus of parking in the
overall Downtown area, but a shortage of over 3,600 spaces in the central
business district, an area roughly five blocks by six blocks.  The
proposed amendments from CPHA and the Baltimore Regional Partnership
direct the new Authority to employ various strategies, such as pricing and
use of new Commuter Choice tax credits, to manage and reduce the demand
for existing and new parking. 

The amendments are motivated out of concern that poorly designed garages
and excessive parking capacity could detract from a lively pedestrian
atmosphere in Downtown Baltimore, additionally clog downtown streets with
traffic, worsen the region's already-poor air quality, drain ridership
from transit serving Downtown, and detract from needed efforts to upgrade
the Baltimore region's transit system.  The Baltimore Regional Partnership
has proposed several strategies to city officials for managing parking
demand, and several Partnership representatives will be meeting with
Deputy Mayors Laurie Schwartz and David Scott on Friday, May 26 to explore
some of those strategies.  A hearing on the Parking Authority legislation
(Council Bill 00-0086), originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 30, has now
been postponed.

For more information contact Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at
JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org, or Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership,
at danp@balto-region-partners.org.


CITY LAUNCHES "MAIN STREETS" INITIATIVE

On May 2 Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Housing Commissioner Patricia
Payne announced the launch of a city and state-funded "Main Streets"
program designed to revitalize shopping districts in several city
neighborhoods.  Adapted from the National Trust for Historic
Preservation's Main Street Center, the program seeks to improve
streetscapes and signage in declining commercial corridors, coordinate
with groups having a stake in the neighborhoods, strengthen the areas'
existing economic base, and promote the areas to customers and new
businesses.  The program was originally designed for rural and small town
main streets, but has been remarkably successful in Boston and is now
spreading to other cities.  Baltimore has identified about 30 potential
commercial districts for the program, such as Highlandtown, Waverly,
Cherry Hill Shopping Center, the Reisterstown Road corridor, and the
Govans section of York Road.  The city has held two workshops for
potential applicants in anticipation of the June 16 deadline.  Selections
will be announced July 27.

For more information contact, David Garza, Acting Coordinator of Baltimore
Main Streets Program, at (410) 545-7367, or Amy Menzer, 1000 Friends of
Maryland, at amenzer@friendsofmd.org.


CITIZEN GUIDELINES FOR BELVEDERE SQUARE PROPOSED

A working group of representatives from residential and business
communities in north Baltimore City has released a response to the Planned
Unit Development (PUD) amendment authored by Belvedere Square landlord
James Ward.  The document sets out criteria the participants believe
necessary for revitalizing the  declining commercial center near York Road
and Northern Parkway.  The authors, including representatives of the
Belvedere Improvement Association, Govanstowne Business Association, and
Greater Homewood Community Corporation, state that they intend their
proposed PUD guidelines to serve as a "foundation for future discussions
about how to revive Belvedere Square while preserving our vibrant urban
environment."  The collaborative work is also an effort to rise above an
atmosphere of distrust that has developed between the Belvedere Square
landlord and nearby community.  The center has declined in recent years
with the expiration of city subsidies and Mr. Ward angered community
residents with a May 1999 proposal that included demolition of nearby
houses and new large retail stores in his effort to revive the site.  The
citizen effort also follows a fall 1999 community meeting hosted by the
Neighborhood Design Center at which urban planner Seth Harry submitted
design ideas in an attempt to accomodate both retail market needs for the
site and community concerns.

The full text of the document and an invitation to comment can be found at
http://go.to/Belvedere_Square_PUD.  For more information, contact Adrienne
Bell, Baltimore City Planning Dept., at (410) 396-5933, or Dan Pontious,
Baltimore Regional Partnership, at danp@balto-region-partners.org.

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4.  B A L T I M O R E  C O U N T Y

OFFICIALS HOLD MEETING ON PROPOSAL FOR OWINGS MILLS

On Thursday, May 18, representatives of the Baltimore County Department of
Economic Development (DED) and the state Mass Transit Administration held
a meeting for about 30 interested county residents to outline plans to
transform what is now about 40 acres of surface parking near the Owings
Mills Metro station into new pedestrian- and transit-oriented development
with residential, commercial, civic, and parking facilities.  The meeting
came after community leaders expressed concern about their lack of
involvement in the plans and the non-public selection process for a
developer.  County DED representative Sharon Klotz and MTA consultant Al
Copp outlined the the MTA's and county's Request for Development
Proposals, which envisions 425-450 units of residential housing, retail
and office space, a library, college facility, outdoor town square-like
civic space for community events, and 200-room hotel.  They also described
their anticipated process for future action on the project, which would
include selection of a developer; focus groups conducted by MTA, the
county, and the developer in fall 2000; development of a "concept plan" in
2000-2001; and then a community input meeting in spring 2001.  Residents,
led by Calvin Reter, head of an umbrella community group for Reisterstown,
Owings Mills, and Glyndon, expressed concerns about lack of involvement
thus far, impact on existing businesses on Reisterstown and Liberty Roads,
traffic from people who choose to drive to the new site, and adequate
school facilities for new residents.

For more information contact Amy Menzer, 1000 Friends of Maryland, at
amenzer@friendsofmd.org.  Full text of May 12 Baltimore Sun article
available at
www.sunspot.net/content/cover/story?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150340207657

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5.  C A R R O L L  C O U N T Y

COUNTY PLAN, WATER DECISIONS STILL UNCLEAR

More than a month after the Carroll County Commissioners reduced a
125-page proposed Master Plan into a 9-page "tentative outline" to be sent
back to the Planning and Zoning Commission, community leaders are still
waiting for more detail on the plan and are still watching pending
water-related decisions that have implications for growth in the county.
The Commissioners recommended changing the name from "Master" Plan to a
more generic, "General" Plan.  The Planning and Zoning Commission has been
conducting internal meetings to review the County Commissioners'
substantial deletions from the Planning Commission's original draft,
recently provided to the Planning Commission in a red-lined version. The
Commissioners would like the Planning Commission to approve the red-lined
changes as a non-binding strategy document rather than part of the actual
Master Plan.   Meanwhile, community leaders are urging Baltimore City to
stand firm against granting an additional 3 million gallons of water per
day from the City-owned Liberty Reservoir unless the County Commissioners
ratify a strong Watershed Protection Agreement, something the
Commissioners have so far refused to do.  Civic leaders are also watching
a permit now pending at the Maryland Department of the Environment for a
large new well just outside of Sykesville.  Community leaders are
concerned that the county will use water from the proposed well and
Liberty Reservoir to attempt to accomodate uncontrolled new development.

For more information contact Neil Ridgely, Finksburg Planning Area
Council, at brooksbend@erols.com, or visit www.finksburg.com; or contact
Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org.

___________________________________

6.  H A R F O R D  C O U N T Y

SHPRITZ BRIEFS HARFORD LEADERS ON TMA POSSIBILITIES

At an April 27 breakfast co-sponsored by the Susquehanna Human Resources
Association and the Baltimore Regional Partnership, BWI Business
Partnership executive director Neil Shpritz spoke to over 20 Harford
County business people, county officials, and human resource professionals
about the potential for forming a Transportation Management Association
(TMA) in Harford County.  Service employers in Harford County, with its
low unemployment rate, are currently experiencing "job access" problems,
where available entry-level workers in and around Baltimore City often
cannot find convenient public transportation to available jobs in Harford
County.  Shpritz related how a TMA can help organize and advocate for
solutions to worker transportation problems such as shuttles and improved
transit service.  He noted that the BWI Business Partnership helped
arrange an experiment with lower MARC fares to the BWI MARC train stop and
has organized a "guaranteed ride home" program for its members that helps
promote increased transit use.  The breakfast resulted in substantial
interest in the project from large employers such as Rite-Aid, Clorox,
Quality Inn, and Saks Fifth Avenue.  Since the breakfast, the Citizens
Planning and Housing Association (CPHA) has led the Baltimore Regional
Partnership's efforts to facilitate follow-up meetings with interested
businesses and to explore a more formal proposal to form a Harford County
TMA.

For more information, contact Michelle Wirzberger, CPHA, at
MichelleW@CPHAbaltimore.org, or Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at
JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org.  For more information on the BWI Business
Partnership, visit their web site at www.bwipartner.org.

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7.  H O W A R D  C O U N T Y

1000 FRIENDS COMMENTS ON DRAFT GENERAL PLAN

Earlier this month 1000 Friends of Maryland, with input from other members
of the Baltimore Regional Partnership, submitted comments to the Howard
County Planning Board on the county's General Plan 2000 Draft.  1000
Friends warned that planned highway expansion on I-70, I-95, US 29, and MD
32 would not solve the county's traffic problems, citing congestion
following the opening of Route 100 as well as 2010 traffic volume
projections on I-270 in Montgomery County that were exceeded in 1997.  The
group recommended more serious consideration of transportation control
measures, both locally and regionally through the Transportation Steering
Committee.  Such policies could include land use measures, use of Commuter
Choice tax incentives, and coordinating with the state's "value pricing"
highway study.  1000 Friends praised the plan's emphasis on revitalizing
the county's Rt. 1 and Rt. 40 older corridors and urged the county to
seize the opportunity to promote compact communities with both residential
and commercial activity that support pedestrian, bicycle, and transit
activity. 

Formal Howard County Council action on the General Plan is anticipated in
September.  Before then, the Council will hold three public hearings in
June.  All hearings start at 7:00 PM:

June 15: Atholton High School, 6520 Freetown Rd,
June 22: Hammond High School, 8800 Guilford Rd.
June 29: Glenelg High School, 14025 Burntwoods Rd.

For more information, contact Kristen Forsyth, 1000 Friends of Maryland,
at kforsyth@friendsofmd.org.  The draft General Plan can be viewed at
www.co.ho.md.us/PZ/genplan.html or at county libraries. Copies of the plan
are also available for $10 by calling the Department of Planning & Zoning
at 410-313-2357.

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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.

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