A Big Year for Maryland Planning at National Awards in Seattle

March 31, 2015

David T. Whitaker, AICP Planning, Smart Growth , , , 1 Comment

Two Maryland planning agencies to receive American Planning Association national awards for planning excellence

APAlogoFor many decades Maryland has supported and fostered sound community and regional planning. This long term commitment to sound planning principles and planning innovation in the “Old Line State” will be recognized by the American Planning Association (APA) in April at their National Conference in Seattle, WA.   For the first time, APA will bestow national awards for planning excellence in the same year to two Maryland planning agencies. The Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) and the Montgomery County Planning Department will be the recipients of the awards announced today and to be presented in mid-April at the APA’s National Planning Conference in Seattle. More

Al Feldstein, retired MDP planner and ARC Program Manager, honored with John D. Whisman Vision Award

March 30, 2015

Maryland Department of Planning Inside MDP , , , Leave a comment

ARC-release

Maryland Regional Development Advocate and Historian Al Feldstein Receives 2015 DDAA John D. Whisman Vision Award

March 2015 More

MDP Participants in 2015 TUgis Conference: Observations & Reflections

March 27, 2015

Jim Cannistra General , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

March 17 marked the 26th annual conference

28th annual conference

Last week, multiple MDP staff attended and participated in the Towson University Geospatial Information Sciences (TUgis) conference.  Some of us have been going to this conference for over 20 years while others went for the first time.  This is the third year for their new one-day format and, with over 600 attendees and 100 different sessions, was an excellent conference.  It provided a great opportunity to obtain detailed technical information, enhance our understanding of where the industry is heading, learn about activities underway in Maryland, and connect with colleagues and friends. More

Everything Was Illuminated! Neon Sign for Arts Center Symbolizes the Energy of the “Next Baltimore”

March 6, 2015

John Coleman Planning Leave a comment

MD DHCD: Maryland for the better...

MARCH 3

SAM_2684-(1)Baltimore – The city  celebrated an important achievement on the evening of March 3, by lighting up the marquee of the Centre Theatre, the newest rehabilitated building in Baltimore’s Station North Arts and Entertainment District.

The blue neon of the letters on the distinctive facade instantly illuminated an otherwise dark corridor, acting as a symbolic beacon of the kind of development momentum currently re-energizing the district.

The $18 million project will be “a center for arts and innovation in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District,” according to developer Jubilee Baltimore’s website. The project converts a 67,000 square foot building that has been vacant for more than 20 years into restaurant space, film centers for Johns Hopkins University and Maryland Institute College of Art programs, the Baltimore Jewelry Center, and the Center for Neighborhoods, a nonprofit hub of community development-focused nonprofits including Central Baltimore Partnership, Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore and…

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Popup Stores Increase Retail Options in Hagerstown’s City Center, part 2

March 3, 2015

Kristen Mitchell Redevelopment and Revitalization, Smart Growth Leave a comment

couple-with-baby-at-popup

Part 2 of a 2-part series (see Part 1)

In this blog series, we present tips and strategies for creating successful pop-up store events, spotlighting the efforts of Hagerstown, Maryland. This post features information about selecting dates, preparing a budget, raising money and marketing, and it closes with a list of additional helpful hints from Hagerstown.  The first post {link} discussed securing and preparing spaces, and recruiting vendors and encouraging regulatory compliance.

Local leaders interested in filling vacant storefronts in historic downtowns and older commercial districts – to increase community livability and stimulate economic growth – might consider cultivating locally owned businesses. More

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