UMD, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES AND THE MARYLAND MUNICIPAL LEAGUE - THE ASSOCIATION OF CITIES AND TOWNS. It has now been more than 25 years since the state adopted its pioneering approach to Smart Growth. At...
Smart Growth
Smart Growth Maryland Roundtable: Recap & Action Items
Last week, Preservation Maryland and its statewide program, Smart Growth Maryland, convened in Brunswick, Maryland for a first-of-its-kind roundtable discussion on the intersection of smart growth, historic preservation, and affordable housing. The roundtable was...
Maryland’s Preliminary FY24 Budget Recommends Replenishing Program Open Space
The State of Maryland recently announced the preliminary FY24 budget, including $102 million to fully replenish Program Open Space, eight years ahead of schedule to accelerate land conservation projects. Although still preliminary, Preservation Maryland is pleased to...
Guest Blog: Del. Brooke Lierman on the Role of Historic Preservation in Winning the Battle for Smart Growth in Maryland
Today we are revisiting Maryland Comptroller-elect Lierman's words from a 2020 guest blog as she makes a powerful case for the important role historic preservation can play in helping Maryland grow smarter. The Role of Historic Preservation in Winning the Battle for...
New Report Calls for Smart Growth Policy to Prevent Farmland Loss
The American Farmland Trust has just released its "Farms Under Threat 2040: Choosing and Abundant Future" report, an ambitious modeling effort to project how climate change and development will affect agricultural land, which clearly demonstrates the need for smart...
Smart Growth Candidate Forums
Much of Smart Growth Maryland’s work involves advocacy at the local level. In Maryland, where and how a jurisdiction grows – and does not grow – is decided locally through a comprehensive planning process. Public involvement is a critical part of that process, with...
Sine Die 2022: State Legislative Advocacy Report
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...
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...
Preservation Maryland Co-Hosts the 28th Annual Environmental Legislative Summit in Annapolis
On January 25th more than 500 Marylanders from around the state virtually attended the 28th Annual Environmental Legislative Summit in Annapolis, co-hosted by Preservation Maryland, in support of the environmental community’s legislative agenda for the 2022 general...
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 Smart Growth
In 2021 our team advocated for preservation and smart growth policies that invest in our communities and help provide more equitable, sustainable, and livable opportunities for Maryland residents. Read more about our Smart Growth victories here. Local Smart Growth...
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...
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...
Spotlight on Smart Growth: Main Streets in Frederick County
One of the most popular community engagement activities in Smart Growth is the Main Street Program. In 1998, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development created a comprehensive downtown revitalization program called Main Street Maryland. For more than...
Paid Internship Opportunity: Smart Growth Summer Intern
Internship Details Preservation Maryland seeks applicants for its Smart Growth Summer Internship. It is a temporary, part-time intern position for at least 3 months at approximately 10-20 hours per week. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, but we are currently working...
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...
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...
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...
Webinar Recap: Post-War Suburbs: Balancing Car-Focused Design with New Planning Goals
As more suburban communities become eligible for historic designation what considerations should preservationists consider as we weigh the balance of preservation and adaptation in these neighborhoods? Preservation Maryland convened a panel of experts to discuss. That...
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...
Legislation Introduced to Designate Parts of Southern Maryland as a National Heritage Area
Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman Steny Hoyer, with Senator Chris Van Hollen as an original co-sponsor, have introduced federal legislation that would designate the existing Southern Maryland State Heritage Area known as Destination Southern Maryland as a National...
New Rural Historic Preservation Grant Program Announced for Frederick County
Frederick County has recently announced the creation of the Rural Historic Preservation Grant Program that would provide grants up to $50,000 to individual land owners and non-profits for the restoration or rehabilitation of historically significant houses, barns, and...
Webinar Recording: Creating a Protective Conservation District in a Rural Small Town: Case Study from Brunswick, Maryland
How does a conservation district differ from a historic district - and it is right for your town? The City of Brunswick, Maryland, a town in rural Frederick County, is undertaking an initiative to create protections for their historic communities in the form of a...
Best of Maryland: Cultural Landscape Assessment of Kent County earns Smart Growth Excellence Award
Kent County, Maryland’s picturesque historic and natural resources were the subject of a model report which confirmed the unique and unparalleled opportunities for preservation in this eastern shore county. For their inspired and innovative undertaking of the...
Partners for Open Space Launches #MDopenspaces Social Media Campaign
Partners for Open Space is launching a social media campaign to generate statewide support for Maryland's parks, nature, outdoor spaces, as well as its rural and historic heritage, all with a strong nod toward Maryland's Program Open Space. Preservation Maryland and...
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...
Webinar Recap: Increasing Intentional & Meaningful Public Input in Planning
The municipal planning process can intimidating and inequitable, but many of the most critical decisions that impact a community are made in the planning process. In order to create new resources for Maryland communities, planners, and citizens, Preservation Maryland...
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.