MPCA Corner

Do you know a citizen planner, or an entire planning board (planning commission, board of zoning appeals, historic district commission), that deserves recognition for their work in 2020 or 2021? Maryland’s citizen planners volunteer endless hours to their communities. 

Unfortunately, this civic dedication often goes overlooked. The Maryland Planning Commissioners Association is recognizing the great work of our citizen planners at its upcoming annual conference in Solomons, Calvert County on October 27. Efforts deserving praise include, but are not limited to:  

• Comprehensive planning 
• Zoning code update or rewrite  
• Engaging the community in planning efforts or education  
• Economic development initiatives  
• Focused neighborhood revitalization  
• Historic preservation   
• Collaboration with professional planners and the planning community  
• Interjurisdictional coordination   Please consider the important contributions of your colleagues and citizen planners this year and submit suggestions to Joe Griffiths, Local Assistance and Training Manager for the Maryland Department of Planning, at joseph.griffiths@maryland.gov by September 17. In your submission, please include the following information, as applicable. 

Please consider the important contributions of your colleagues and citizen planners this year and submit suggestions to Joe Griffiths, Local Assistance and Training Manager for the Maryland Department of Planning, at joseph.griffiths@maryland.gov by September 17. In your submission, please include the following information, as applicable. 

• Name of nominator 
• Name of jurisdiction 
• Name or names of citizen planners to be recognized, as well as the name of any board or commission on which they sit 
• Title of plan or project for which they deserve recognition 
• Brief abstract (no more than 200 words) about why the citizen planner(s) deserve recognition 
• Attachment or link to any product resulting from the citizen planner(s) work 

The MPCA will dedicate a portion of its fall conference to recognizing the volunteers that give so much of their energy to the quality of life, community development, and sustainable growth of Maryland’s jurisdictions. 

And don’t forget to register for the 38^th Annual MPCA Conference. This year’s theme is Let’s Get Back To It! and the agenda will be filled with sessions on timely topics that Maryland’s citizen planning boards continue to face.  

The MPCA believes citizen planners will play a central role in building a more resilient Maryland!