Planning and Zoning Archives

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

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

Housing and Community Development / Planning and Zoning / Summer Conference

States Explore Relaxing Building Codes to Help Housing Affordability

As housing affordability continues to be a national issue, states are export how certain building may be relaxed in the name of affordability. States and local governments are increasingly looking at building and fire code changes as one way to lower construction costs and make smaller multifamily projects more feasible. Some of the most debated proposals involve allowing certain apartment buildings to be built with a single stairway, easing elevator requirements, pausing code update cycles,…

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June 30, 2026

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

Data Centers in Maryland: Opportunity, Pressure, and Policy

Data centers are a growing and complex issues, policymakers need to make decisions about balancing energy, growth, and environmental concerns. Regulating data centers presents a difficult balancing act for counties. While these facilities can bring significant investment and economic development opportunities, they also raise complex local concerns around energy demand, infrastructure capacity, environmental impacts, and community compatibility. Counties are often on the front lines of managing these impacts, but many of the key decisions are…

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June 29, 2026

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

Judge Quashes Frederick Data Center Referendum Petition

A state judge ruled against a petition seeking to put Frederick County's data center ordinance to a referendum. Last week, a state judge ruled against a petition seeking to put Frederick County’s newly enacted data center ordinance before voters in a public referendum. The dispute centers on broader concerns about data center development and its potential impacts on the surrounding community. County officials spent months studying data center growth nationally, with particular attention to neighboring…

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June 24, 2026

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

Maryland Lawmakers: Don’t Stick Ratepayers with Data Center Costs

A bipartisan group of state legislators is urging FERC to not stick Maryland ratepayers with infrastructure costs associated with out-of-state data centers. Last week, a bipartisan group of 80 State Senators and Delegates sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission urging federal regulators to reject efforts to saddle Maryland ratepayers with billions of dollars in out-of-state infrastructure costs. Transmission projects tied to data center development and already approved by federal regulators are projected…

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June 22, 2026

Housing and Community Development / Planning and Zoning

HUD Opens Grants for Automated Permits to Boost Housing Construction

HUD is awarding grants for counties looking to implement automated permitting as part of their housing strategy. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has opened a new funding opportunity offering grants between $300,000 and $1,500,000 for jurisdictions that will deploy automated building code permitting systems and partner with HUD to evaluate their applicability and effectiveness within real-world operating conditions. Applications are due July 13, 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT. The Automated Permitting…

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June 16, 2026

Energy / Planning and Zoning / Transportation and Public Works

Feds Greenlight PJM’s Fast-Track for Large Projects

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the PJM's fast-track process, paving the way for faster approvals for certain projects. Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved PJM Interconnection’s request to create a new Expedited Interconnection Track (EIT). The temporary process is meant to help move large energy projects through the interconnection queue more quickly. Under the new track, PJM may consider up to 10 projects per year. To qualify, projects must provide at…

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June 15, 2026