MPCA

MPCA Holding Its 36th Annual Conference in November

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MPCA Corner

Registration is now open for the 36th Annual Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) Conference in Aberdeen, to be held November 6-7, 2019. The theme for this year is Meeting the Trends, Embracing the Future, and the agenda will be filled with sessions on timely topics that Maryland’s citizen planning boards currently face and will likely face in the future. The MPCA decided on this theme following two regional workshops this year (Hagerstown, Annapolis), at which participants expressed an interest in learning more about strategies to address emerging trends in the areas of housing, redevelopment, and public engagement.  See the recently posted notes from the Hagerstown and Annapolis meetings on the MPCA webpage. These are exciting areas for both growth and enhanced education. Continue reading →

MPCA Adds A New Member to Its Team

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MPCA Corner

Granny flat

The MPCA would like to welcome Sarah Lipkin Sularz to the Maryland Department of Planning (see Meet the Staff article on this blog).  We are excited that she will be working with the organization. Sarah has been conducting housing research for the department and uncovered the following examples of how communities around the country are dealing with another emerging housing trend, Accessory Dwelling Units. Perhaps this is a future topic of conversation and research for the MPCA!  Continue reading →

MPCA Corner

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Thank You

The Maryland Planning Commissioners Association warmly thanks everyone who attended and contributed to its 35th annual conference in Gaithersburg on October 25 and 26, with a special appreciation for the hard work of the City of Gaithersburg, Mayor Jud Ashman, and the City’s exceptional staff! The MPCA has never felt so welcomed. The tour of new urbanist neighborhoods was fantastic, and Planning Director John Schlicting inspired attendees with his welcome during Thursday night’s reception. One of Gaithersburg’s own, Planning Commissioner Danny Winborne, was elected MPCA President. Well deserved it was, as Danny tirelessly contributes to his community, his alma mater (Morgan State), and to the MPCA. Congratulations Danny and to the other MPCA Officers: Bill Butts (Mt. Airy) Vice President; Roxanne Hemphill (Mt. Airy) Secretary; and Doug Wright (Hagerstown) Treasurer. Continue reading →

Article: Planning working with Statewide Planning Commissioners to Reinvent an Effective Association

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In a July 17th article in Maryland Matters, the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association’s (MPCA) Outreach Project was highlighted. This project is an effort to listen to stakeholders so that Maryland’s planning community can best meet the needs of local jurisdictions. The MPCA is a statewide, nonprofit educational organization of municipal, county and regional planning commissioners and boards of zoning appeals members.

MPCA members work to improve the quality of life for all Marylanders through planning, environmental protection, historic preservation, and growth management. Continue reading →

The Maryland Planning Commissioners Association Wants to Hear from the Planning Community

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Planning Assistance in Action

The State of Maryland is famous for its forward-thinking planning and integrated community of professional and citizen planners. Dating back multiple decades, state leaders have worked tirelessly to preserve and build upon the Maryland we all cherish. One of the essential means to accomplish this is through outreach and education. Communities best understand the assets that they can build upon, the barriers that must be overcome, and the assistance needed to meet their goals and objectives. This is an essential reality of good planning practice, and one the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) is embracing with an outreach project in the Summer of 2017. Continue reading →