Planning in Progress

by Sarah Diehl, AICP, Southern Maryland Regional Planner

Right before Marylanders settled in for a well-earned Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends, the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) published the Maryland Military + Community Compatible Use Handbook. Earlier this year, Planning updated Planning Practice Monthly readers about the Compatible Use Website and Handbook User Experience Survey, and introduced the project in 2021.

Maryland is home to numerous Department of Defense bases, forts, and laboratories that contribute significantly to the state, regional, and local economies.

The handbook is the result of the culmination of a two-year collaboration between Planning, the Maryland Department of Commerce (Commerce), and a stakeholder advisory group to develop guidance, resources, and examples supporting mutually beneficial development for Maryland’s communities and military installations. It summarizes the military in Maryland, the military planning framework, local government planning tools to support compatible development, state and federal resources to improve compatibility and resiliency, and case studies of best practices around the state.

The handbook represents only one portion of Planning’s and Commerce’s partnership. Planning will publish the full Maryland Military & Community Compatibility Website soon, and readers are encouraged to follow Planning Practice Monthly for updates on Commerce’s Compatible Energy Siting Study and mapping tools.  

To learn more about the state’s compatible use planning efforts, please contact Sarah Diehl, AICP, Southern Maryland Regional Planner for the Maryland Department of Planning, at sarah.diehl@maryland.gov.