by Joseph Griffiths, AICP, Local Assistance and Training Manager
Starting in the mid-2010s, the Maryland Departments of Planning and Commerce, as well as local and military stakeholders, began partnering on planning efforts and resource development aimed to enhance collaboration between Maryland’s military installations and jurisdictions.
Continue readingby 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.
Continue readingby Joseph Griffiths, AICP, local Assistance and Training Manager
In March 2019, staff representatives for every Maryland state agency on the Commerce Subcabinet (Subcabinet) met in Lanham to discuss a new initiative titled Regional Resources. The Subcabinet established interagency staff teams representing five regions (Eastern Shore, Baltimore Metro, Southern Maryland, Western Maryland, and Washington Metro) to collaborate in business and community development across the state.
The Maryland Department of Commerce announced that the Board of Public Works recently approved Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) as a new fund manager to provide loans through the state’s Small, Minority and Women-Owned Business Account, which receives 1.5 percent of video lottery terminal revenue from Maryland casinos. Since 2013, the account has approved more than 860 loans for a total of $92.3 million, projecting to create more than 4,000 jobs and retain nearly 6,000 more in Maryland.
Continue readingby Kristen E. Humphrey, MLA, Local Assistance and Training Planner
Governor Larry Hogan announced in February that $50 million in grant funds will be made available to boost economic development activity, stimulate private sector investment, and grow jobs in the state’s rural regions. Five rural regional councils, representing the Upper, Mid and Lower Eastern Shore, Southern Maryland, and Western Maryland, will submit proposals to the Maryland Department of Commerce (Commerce) outlining how they plan to use up to $10 million available through the Rural Maryland Economic Development Fund.
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