Page 2 – Conduit Street

Seattle Limits Environmental Appeals to Streamline Housing Development

Seattle’s reforms offer lessons for streamlining housing reviews while preserving key safeguards. Seattle eliminated an administrative appeals process that had delayed major zoning reforms and housing development. Environmental reviews remain in place, but challenges must now proceed through the courts or the state’s growth management process. Supporters argue that the former system added months to project timelines while rarely producing meaningful changes, increasing costs and uncertainty as the city works to expand housing supply. Maryland…

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August 3, 2026

Energy / Environment / Planning and Zoning / Transportation and Public Works

Exelon Cuts Data Center Demand Forecast After Stricter Review

Exelon sharply reduced its projected data center demand after applying stronger financial and contractual standards. Exelon reduced its estimate of highly probable data center demand from 18 GW to approximately 11 GW after applying stricter financial and contractual standards to proposed projects. The company’s broader data center interconnection pipeline also declined from about 43 GW to 25 GW, indicating that a significant portion of previously proposed demand may have been speculative or insufficiently developed. Transmission…

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August 3, 2026

Planning and Zoning / Summer Conference / Transportation and Public Works

Moving at the Speed of Need: Permitting for Maryland’s Future

Hear how the state and counties are working to improve permitting in Maryland. The pressure on counties to perfect permit review continues to grow as counties work to meet rising constituent expectations for housing, infrastructure, affordability, and responsive government services. Clear requirements, predictable timelines, and strong coordination across agencies can reduce delays, provide more certainty, and help projects move forward faster. At the same time, counties must carefully balance a complex mix of federal, state,…

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August 3, 2026

Board of Public Works / Parks and Recreation / Summer Conference

State Awards $1.2M for Local Parks and Recreation

Earlier this month, the Board of Public Works approved more than $1.18 million in grants to support parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, and recreational facilities in six counties through three Maryland Department of Natural Resources programs. The July 1 approvals include funding through Program Open Space - Local, the Local Parks and Playgrounds Infrastructure Program, and the Community Parks and Playgrounds Program, helping counties and municipalities improve recreational amenities and expand outdoor opportunities for residents. Approximately…

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July 28, 2026

County News / Education / Environment / Parks and Recreation

Wicomico County To Gain First State Park

When Wetipquin Creek State Park opens, Wicomico County will become the final Maryland county to have a state park, marking a statewide milestone in access to public lands. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently celebrated the acquisition of the 445-acre Wetipquin Creek property, which will become Maryland's newest state park. Located along Wetipquin Creek near the Nanticoke River, the property includes marshland, forests, and the historic Long Hill house, a mid-18th century home…

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July 23, 2026

Parks and Recreation / Summer Conference

The Funding of Fun: Parks, Partnerships, and Public Value

At the 2026 MACo Summer Conference, county leaders will explore how public-private partnerships and other innovative guidelines are helping expand parks, recreation facilities, and community amenities while managing long-term costs. As demand for parks, trails, athletic fields, and recreational programming continues to grow, counties are finding new ways to leverage private investment, nonprofit organizations, community groups, and other partners. These partnerships can create opportunities to deliver projects and services that might otherwise be out of…

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July 20, 2026

Housing and Community Development / Planning and Zoning / Transportation and Public Works

MACo Hosts Meeting to Address Housing Needs in Rural Maryland

MACo hosted a meeting of the Rural Maryland Council's Housing Working Committee to discuss legislative ideas for the upcoming 2027 legislative session. Earlier this week, MACo hosted the Rural Maryland Council’s Housing Working Committee for a discussion on potential legislation for the 2027 General Assembly session. Although housing policy has remained at the forefront in Annapolis, many of the solutions considered to date have focused primarily on urban and suburban communities, leaving rural jurisdictions with…

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July 16, 2026

Energy / Environment / Planning and Zoning / Summer Conference / Transportation and Public Works

The Electric Slide – AI, Data Centers, and Counties #MACoCon

Explore how AI and data center growth is reshaping energy demand, infrastructure, affordability, land use, and economic development for Maryland counties. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence and data centers presents important opportunities and challenges for counties. These facilities can support economic development and expand the local tax base, but they also create significant demands on critical infrastructure. Counties must balance competing considerations to ensure development occurs responsibly and that surrounding communities share in the…

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July 13, 2026

Housing and Community Development / Planning and Zoning / Policy Deep Dive

Deep Dive: Breaking Down the Housing Certainty Act

2026 will likely be remembered as the first session of affordability, with cost-of-living issues at the very top of the General Assembly’s legislative agenda. The two main focus areas were energy and housing policy, as costs in both areas have been growing faster than inflation and taking up an increasingly larger share of household budgets. On the housing front, the central bill passed by legislators was the Housing Certainty Act or HCA (HB548/SB325), which made…

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July 8, 2026

Planning and Zoning / Summer Conference / Transportation and Public Works

Building the Bigger Picture at #MACoCon

Infrastructure policy remains a core focus for counties, especially at the intersections of affordability, environmental policy, growth management, and quality of life concerns. Infrastructure is a key concern for counties because it affects how communities function day to day and how they prepare for the future. From transportation and utilities to public facilities and basic services, strong infrastructure helps support residents, businesses, and local economies. As needs change over time, counties must continue working to…

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July 6, 2026