Planning Commissioner Training Course Upcoming on Sunday, June 25 at MML

Resources and Tools

Resources and Tools

The Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) and the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA), in conjunction with Maryland Municipal League (MML), invite you to attend the Planning Commissioners Training Course, either in-person or virtually, on Sunday, June 25 at the MML summer conference in Ocean City. 

Continue reading

MPCA Wishes to Thank Treasurer, Doug Wright, for Nearly 35 Years of Service to the Hagerstown Planning Commission

MPCA Corner

By Kristen E. Humphrey, MLA, Local Assistance and Training Planner

Fig. 1 – Photo: Doug Wright, courtesy of Doug Wright.

Doug Wright was born and raised in Hagerstown and has been a life-long resident of the western Maryland city. After graduating from North Hagerstown High School, he went on to earn a degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Beginning in 1988 he served on the City of Hagerstown’s Planning Commission and was chairperson since 1990. Recently, Doug moved outside Hagerstown and after 35 years of service, resigned from the planning commission.

Simply reciting the years of his service to Hagerstown and its surrounding communities, however, does not begin to reveal the breadth of his accomplishments.

Continue reading

MPCA 39th Annual Conference Session Recordings Now Available

MPCA Corner

For its 39th Annual Conference, hosted in Frederick in October 2022, the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) hired a videographer to produce a series of high-quality recordings of the conference.

The video recordings were recently posted on MPCA’s conference webpage, which includes presentation documents. If you were not able to join the MPCA last fall, or just want to go back and watch the videos as a refresher, please check out the recordings!  

MPCA Launches New Peer Leadership Network

Newer Commissioners and Board Members Invited to Learn from Experienced Leaders

MPCA Corner

by Kristen E. Humphrey, MLA, Local Assistance and Training Planner

The need for a peer/leader support network has been discussed within the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) for some time. There have been several approaches developed over the past couple of years – stalled, though never stymied by the pandemic – but the fundamental idea remains unchanged – to pair up incoming or only recently established planning commission and board members with seasoned members.

Continue reading

MPCA Hosts Southern Maryland Regional Workshop in La Plata

MPCA Corner

The Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) initiated the regional workshop program in the spring of 2019 to supplement its annual conference and bring citizen and professional planners together to learn from each other and share the unique joys and challenges of planning in their region. Since that time, the MPCA has hosted regional workshops in Hagerstown, Annapolis, Salisbury, Denton, and most recently on January 31, 2023, in La Plata, Charles County.

Continue reading