1000 Friends of Maryland
1209 North Calvert
Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
May 13, 2000
Planning Commission
City of Annapolis
Municipal Building
160 Duke of Gloucester Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
Dear Members of the Commission:
On behalf of 1000 Friends of Maryland, a
statewide organization dedicated to the
revitalization of established communities and protection of the natural
environment as an
alternative to continued sprawl development, I commend the Jerome J. Parks
Companies
and the City of Annapolis for the Park Place development proposal. The Park
Place
development proposal embodies the basic tenets of smart growth. Located on
underused
land in proximity to planned transit, this compact, mixed-use development will
help to maintain
the fabric of an older urban area and reduce the tendency for individuals and
businesses to flee to
the hinterlands.
We support the concept of an integrated shuttle
system that serves the downtown and State Office
Complex. To further reduce travel demand in the area, we encourage the City of
Annapolis to either
require or encourage tenants of Park Place to take advantage of commuter choice
tax incentives. Through
the use of federal and state tax incentives, employers can either allow
employees to purchase transit
passes with pre-tax income; offer free transit passes; or allow employees to
receive cash in lieu of a parking
space. The location of the development, coupled with access to reliable transit,
translates into a prime
opportunity to successfully reduce travel demand by offering employees transit
incentives.
Thank you for your consideration. If you have
any questions regarding commuter choice, contact
Scot Spencer at the Environmental Defense Fund at 202-387-3500. If you have any
other questions,
please call me at 410-385-2910.
Sincerely,
Kristen Forsyth
Program Manager
