The 2022 Legislative Session of the Maryland General Assembly will come to a close on Monday, April 11, 2022. After 90 days of championing key bills and testifying on many other pieces of important legislation, it is safe to say that Preservation Maryland had one of...
Elly Colmers Cowan
Session Update: Key Preservation Bills Crossover
We are closing in on the last few weeks of an extremely busy 90-day legislative session, and Preservation Maryland is staying engaged in Annapolis, with the organization championing several key bills and testifying on many other important pieces of legislation. With...
Governor Hogan’s FY22 Budget Increases Preservation Funding
Governor Hogan's newly released FY23 budget includes an increase in funding for the Historic Revitalization Tax Credit and level funding for several other essential preservation programs. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Governor's budget includes increased...
Priority Issues for the 2022 Legislative Session
The 444th session of the Maryland General Assembly begins today. This session still may not look like those of years past due to Covid-19 precautions, Preservation Maryland remains ready to be the voice of historic preservation in Annapolis. We are hitting the ground...
Year-In-Review: Spotlight on Advocacy
Preservation Maryland championed important legislation at the local, state, and federal levels in the past year. These preservation and smart growth policies invested in our communities and helped provide more equitable, sustainable, and livable opportunities for...
Smart Growth Victory: Designation of New Rural Legacy Area in Charles County
As a result of advocacy work by Smart Growth Maryland and our local smart growth and land conservation partners, the Maryland Board of Public Works voted on December 1, 2021 to approve the designation of 64,000 acres in Charles County to create the new...
Maryland State Historic Tax Credit to Support Six New Rehabilitation Projects
As a result of Preservation Maryland and its many partners’ ongoing advocacy, six projects across Maryland recently received over $9 million in historic tax credit funding. As a result, over $73 million worth of projects will move forward – underscoring the...
Action Alert: Call on the Senate to Support Federal HTC
Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee passed infrastructure budget reconciliation legislation that includes provisions to expand the federal Historic Tax Credit. Unfortunately, current negotiations with leadership to reduce the cost and scope of the bill...
Smart Growth Alert: Take Action to Protect the Mattawoman Creek
Smart Growth Maryland and our partners in the Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County are standing in opposition to a proposed Amendment to the 2016 Comprehensive Plan that would rezone 558 acres of protected land within the Watershed Conservation District...
Draft Sugarloaf Area Plan Available for Public Comment
The Livable Frederick Planning and Design Office recently announced that the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan First Draft is available for public review. The Plan seeks to preserve rural character and scenic features, protect environmental resources, and...
Sine Die 2021: State Legislative Advocacy Report
The 2021 Legislative Session of the Maryland General Assembly came to a close on Monday, April 12, 2021. After 90 days of championing key bills and testifying on many other pieces of important legislation, it is safe to say that Preservation Maryland had one of its...
National Park Service Releases 2020 Historic Tax Credit Economic Impact Report
The National Park Service recently released their Federal Tax Incentives for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings Annual Report for FY 2020, and it shows that despite the unprecedented year, the federal historic tax credit was able to have a positive impact for historic...
Mid-Session Advocacy Update: Providing Written and Virtual Testimony in Support of our Legislative Priorities
We are halfway through an extremely busy – and all virtual – 90 day legislative session, and Preservation Maryland is staying engaged in Annapolis, with the organization championing several key bills and testifying on many other important pieces of legislation. Since...
Poll: Significant Majority of Marylanders Support Program Open Space
In a recent statewide poll conducted of likely voters, 90% of Marylanders expressed support for Program Open Space, a state program that supports the acquisition, conservation, and improvements at Maryland's natural resources Additionally, 64% of Marylanders were...
Action Alert [HB865/SB659]: Maryland’s Small Commercial Historic Tax Credit Must Stay Active
Maryland's Small Commercial Historic Tax Credit program has run out of money and requires immediate funding. This week, Senate and House committees will hold hearings for HB865/SB659 that would extend the life of this vital program by increasing the authorized funding...
New Report: Economic Impact of the Maryland Heritage Areas
A newly released study that took a comprehensive look at the Maryland Heritage Area Authority and found that the 13 Heritage Areas across the state generated more than $2.4 billion in economic impact! The study was completed by the consulting firm of Parker Philips...
Essential Land Conservation Program Receives Full Funding in FY22 Budget
Governor Hogan's newly released FY22 budget includes full funding for Program Open Space, a program that actively underwrites open space conservation and community park amenities. Program Open Space funding has long been a tenet of Preservation Maryland and Smart...
Governor Hogan’s FY22 Budget Retains Level Funding for Preservation Programs
On January 20, 2021, Governor Hogan released his FY22 budget, which retains funding for several key preservation programs. The Governor's budget is a blueprint for spending that will next be taken up by the members of the Maryland General Assembly. In a tough budget...
Priority Preservation Issues for the 2021 Legislative Session
Today marks the start of the 442nd Session of the Maryland General Assembly. While this session may not look like those of years past due to Covid-19 precautions, Preservation Maryland stands ready to be the voice of historic preservation in Annapolis. We have a full...
Preservation Champion Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Resigns from Public Office
After 50 years of representing Maryland's 27th District, 33 years of which he spent presiding over the Senate, former Maryland Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. "Mike" Miller Jr. announced Wednesday he is retiring from the state senate. President Miller was a...
Smart Growth Victory: Charles County’s Zekiah Swamp Rural Legacy Area Exands Significantly
As a result of advocacy work by Smart Growth Maryland and our local smart growth and land conservation partners, the Maryland Board of Public Works voted on October 21, 2020 to approve the expansion of the Zekiah Swamp Rural Legacy Area in Charles County, essentially...
Advocacy Alert: Urge Your Baltimore Councilperson to Support the City’s Historic Tax Credit
In late August, the Taxation, Finance, & Economic Development Committee of the Baltimore City Council returned a favorable report on Council Bill 20-0552, which extends the city's historic tax credit through 2022. The bill now moves on to the full City Council,...
New City Council Bill Would Extend Local Historic Tax Credit Program
The City of Baltimore is currently considering a bill that would extend its historic tax credit through February 2022. City Council Bill 20-0552 Tax Credits – Historic Properties extends the period within which applications may be accepted for the tax credit for...
Three Smart Growth & Preservation Legislative Victories in Frederick County
Frederick County has recently passed three pieces of landmark legislation that puts the county at the forefront of smart growth and environmental policy in Maryland. Preservation Maryland is proud to have worked with our local partners through the Smarter Growth...
Draft Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan Available for Public Comment
The Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning has invited the public to read and comment on the draft Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan being prepared by lead firm, Mahan Rykiel Associates. Public Meeting: Join the Howard County Department of Planning and...
Legislative Victory: Sweeping Conservation & Preservation Legislation to Become Law
On the evening of July 22, 2020, the House of Representatives approved one of the most significant pieces of conservation legislation in a generation, the Great American Outdoors Act, with broad bipartisan support. Having passed the Senate in June, the legislation is...
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Designates Four New Sustainable Communities
Earlier this summer, the State of Maryland designated four new Sustainable Communities. This revitalization program provides local governments with a toolbox of state resources to support everything from bricks-and-mortar projects to tourism and now includes 121...
Nanjemoy-Mattawoman Rural Legacy Area Moves Toward Designation in Charles County
In an important step for land conservation in Southern Maryland, the Board of Charles County Commissioners recently unanimously approved plans to establish the Nanjemoy-Mattawoman Rural Legacy Area in the western region of the county. If designated, the...
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Announces House Vote on Great American Outdoors Act
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who represents Maryland's 5th District announced that the House would vote on the Great American Outdoors Act (HR 7092), the single largest investment in the preservation of historic, cultural, and natural resources for public lands...
Advocacy Alert: Land and Water Conservation Fund Essential Tool for Maryland’s Recovery
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is an essential tool for preserving America's vast and varied landscapes and cultural resources. Because of the Act's positive and proven impact, Smart Growth Maryland has joined with a number of national partners to call on...
Preservation Basics in Allegany County
November 21 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pmStatewide Smart Growth Workshop
December 10 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pmPreservation Basics with Talbot Historical Society
SAVE THE DATE! More information and registration page coming soon.
January 8, 2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pmHeritage Fund FY25 Information Session
Save the Date! Join Preservation Maryland on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, to learn more about the He...
January 22, 2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Events
Preservation Maryland participates in and hosts many events in and around Maryland. Take a look at our upcoming events to see where we’ll be next.