At its May 23rd, 2016, meeting in Cumberland, the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission began charting a new course following a significant turnover in members due to expiring appointments. As previously reported on Conduit Street, the new Chair of the Commission is Susan Summers. Garrett County Planning and Land Management Director Deborah Carpenter and MACo Legal and Policy Counsel Les Knapp remain the MACo representatives on the Commission.
Commission members expressed interest in looking at: (1) small business growth and entrepreneurship; (2) infrastructure financing, tools, techniques, and policies; (3) tax policies to support reinvestment; (4) transportation policies; and (5) the Commission’s previous recommendations from its Reinvest Maryland report. The Commission will also continue its existing focus on rural economies and land use and education and outreach.
Released in 2014, the Reinvest Maryland report included over 60 recommendations to encourage infill, revitalization, and redevelopment within a subset of the Priority Funding Areas (PFAs) and discourage new development outside of the PFAs. The Commission has appointed a workgroup, including Knapp and Carpenter, to review and suggest updates and revisions to the previous report.
The Commission also heard from Allegany County, Garrett County and Cumberland planning and elected officials and toured the proposed Baltimore Street revitalization site in downtown Cumberland.
The Commission’s next meeting is scheduled for July 25 in Denton.
Useful Links
Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission Website
Reinvest Maryland Report – Fast Download Version (4 MB)
Reinvest Maryland Report – Full Resolution Version (22 MB)
Reinvest Maryland Report Appendices
Prior Conduit Street Coverage of Sustainable Growth Commission