1. Anatomy of
communicating
a plan
Maryland Department of Planning
Sustainable Attainable

2. Follow the State Growth Plan process at:
Plan.Maryland.gov
facebook.com/PlanMD twitter.com/SmartGrowthMD
Maryland Department of Planning
301 West Preston Street, Suite 1101
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Tel: 410.767.4500 Toll Free: 1.877.767.6272
TTY users: Maryland Relay
or visit: Planning.Maryland.gov
Anatomy of communicating a plan
August 2012 Publication No. 2012-004

3. Governor Martin O’Malley’s acceptance of PlanMaryland in December 2011 culminated four years of planning
and outreach. This booklet outlines the methods the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) used to
communicate the plan, before and after, from traditional community meetings to new media.
After taking office in 2007, Governor O’Malley instructed his new Secretary of Planning, Richard Eberhart Hall,
to create a state growth plan. The first-ever state plan for Maryland would fulfill a mandate that the General
Assembly originally laid out in 1959 but that had gone unmet.
The plan’s development reached every corner of Maryland. Local planners, GIS mapping and data analysts,
communications specialists, web and graphics designers were all closely involved with the effort. The ensuing
outreach campaign that was the most extensive in the half-century of Maryland state planning.
1
Start
with . . .
A dash of spice
“Reality Check” LEGO Building Exercise
Develop
the message
Refine the plan Governor O’Malley accepts
PlanMaryland with former
Governors Hughes and Glendening
on December 19, 2011
Meet with
3,000 stakeholders
Add a web app
Add social media
Deliver the plan
“GamePlanMaryland”
at Plan.Maryland.gov
Sustainable Attainable

4. MDP developed several publications to explain
the goals and objectives of a state plan
before the plan was drafted. The publications
shared a similar design, but were distinct in
communicating different facets of the plan and
the process.
“PlanMaryland: What is
it,” released in January
2010, was a simple
booklet that laid out the
case for creating a state
development plan.
“PlanMaryland: Why do
we need it?” a foldout
map that used charts
and maps to describe
the historic loss of
farmland, the rise in
long commutes and the
rising consumption of
land in recent decades,
followed in June 2010.
“PlanMaryland: What
we’re hearing” was a
42-page spiral bound
guide published
in August 2010 to
summarize the early
input MDP received.
2
Start with …
Before the first draft of the plan, MDP was involved
in a half-dozen community meetings to form a basis
of public opinion about communities and planning.
“Reality Check Plus: Imagine Maryland” was a series
of four “visioning” exercises held in Spring 2006 in the
state’s four regions -- central, western, southern and
Eastern Shore. The Urban Land Institute-Baltimore, the
National Center for Smart Growth at the University of
Maryland and 1,000 Friends of Maryland organized the
events. Participants from business, civic organizations
and the public sector placed Lego blocks on maps to
“envision” the best areas for growth.
Develop the message
Content is king. The development of the plan and the
communications for it rested on significant data and
analysis that showed the consequences of Maryland’s
growth trends. MDP developed maps, graphics
and analysis for two future scenarios through the
year 2035: one if the state developed under existing
trends and the other with a “smart growth” approach.
This analysis framed much of the discussion about
PlanMaryland.

5. 3
Meet with 3,000 stakeholders
Face-to-face meetings were essential to collect information, to interact with the public and to build credibility
for the planning effort. In probably the largest extended “road show” in its history, MDP met with approximately
3,000 people during the process – in 30 large meetings around the state and at scores of smaller meetings with
various stakeholder groups.
MDP held a series of nine “Listening Sessions” that drew more than 600 citizens, elected officials and other
community leaders in Fall 2008.
1. Lower Eastern Shore Region, Wicomico High School, Salisbury, MD, Sept. 16, 2008
2. Upper Eastern Shore Region, Queen Anne’s County High School, Centreville, MD, Sept. 17, 2008
3. Maryland Capital Region, James Hubert Blake High School, Silver Spring, MD, Sept. 18, 2008
4. Southern Maryland Region, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Hughesville, MD, Sept. 23, 2008
5. Central Maryland Region, Woodlawn High School, Woodlawn, MD, Sept. 24, 2008
6. Western Maryland Region, Bridge of Life Church, Hagerstown, MD, Sept. 25, 2008
7. Prince George’s County, Bladensburg High School, Bladensburg, MD, Oct. 22, 2008
8. Northeast Maryland Region, Aberdeen High School, Aberdeen, MD, Oct. 28, 2008
9. Far Western Maryland Region, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD, Dec. 11, 2008
Development of PlanMaryland accelerated in 2010 with 13 public forums throughout the state to get additional
input and to introduce the concept of a state development plan. More than 600 residents, planners, architects,
public and elected officials attended these meetings, which were broken down into smaller discussion groups.
Clicker devices were used to “poll” participants and visual maps were created from their responses with the web
tool Wordle. Seven other state agencies joined MDP in planning and staffing the events. Eleven NGO (non-
government organizations) and local governments were also represented. The colleges and universities that
hosted the events became integral partners in the effort and were pleased to be associated with the shared goal
of “sustainability.”
Sustainable Attainable

6. 4
10. Carroll Community College, Westminster, March 9, 2010
11. Coppin State University, Baltimore, March 18, 2010
12. USM Universities at Shady Grove, Rockville, March 24,
2010
13. College of Southern Maryland, La Plata, April 8, 2010
14. Community College of Baltimore County, Essex, April 14,
2010
15. Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, April 21, 2010
16. Salisbury University, Salisbury, May 6, 2010
17. Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, May 12, 2010
18. Frostburg State University, Frostburg, May 19, 2010
19. Cecil College, North East, May 26, 2010
20. Bowie State University, Bowie, June 3, 2010
21. Hood College, Frederick, June 9, 2010
22. Washington College, Chestertown, June 16, 2010
In Spring 2011, MDP and its partner state agencies
returned to the public on the eve of releasing the
first draft of PlanMaryland to provide information on
the plan’s framework and objectives. More than 500
people attended the eight Open Houses.
23. Salisbury University, Salisbury, May 5, 2011
24. Washington College, Chestertown May 11, 2011
25. Long Reach High School, Columbia May 19, 2011
26. Morgan State University, Baltimore May 25, 2011
27. Frostburg State University, Frostburg, June 2, 2011
28. Harford Community College, Bel Air, June 8, 2011
29. University of Maryland-College Park, June 16, 2011
(Sponsored by the National Center for Smart Growth Research
& Education and the University of Maryland Urban Studies &
Planning Program)
30. College of Southern Maryland, La Plata, June 23, 2011
MDP held scores of additional meetings with
smaller “stakeholder” groups, such as chambers of
commerce, NGOs, and ethnic commissions. The
presentations were more targeted to the audience and
reflected the wide range of groups involved in shaping
PlanMaryland.
1. Baltimore Metropolitan Council Sustainable grant partnership
2. Somerset Planning and Zoning staff
3. MD APA Regional Conference
4. BWI Business Partnership Inc.
5. Montgomery County Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board
6. Preservation Maryland Annual Conference
7. Southern AA County Chamber of Commerce (Council member
and County Exec staff)
8. Maryland Association of Housing and Redevelopment
Authorities
9. Baltimore North – Urban Land Institute
10. Baltimore County Planning & Zoning staff
11. Eastern Shore - ULI PlanMD Workshop
12. Maryland Association of Counties Planning Directors
13. MD American Planning Association Annual Meeting
14. State Highway Administration Interagency Managers Meeting
(Baltimore County)
15. Baltimore South – ULI PlanMD workshop
16. Montgomery and Prince George’s County Maryland-National
Capital Park and Planning
17. Western Maryland - ULI PlanMD Workshop
18. Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Planning staff
19. Frederick Municipal Planners meeting
20. DC Region - ULI PlanMD Workshop
21. Citizens for a Better Charles County
22. Greater Baltimore Economic Forum
23. Greater Baltimore Economic Forum
24. Charles County Green Symposium
25. Bainbridge Development Corp. Board
26. Maryland NAIOP
27. Maryland Municipal League
28. Maryland Library Administrators
29. Cecil County Delegates, Commissioners and Economic
Development staff and others
30. Carroll County Water Resources Coordination Council
31. Washington Council of Governments Planning Directors
32. Baltimore Downtown Partnership
33. Montgomery County Executive and Council staff
34. Caroline County Association of Municipalities
35. Baltimore County Planning Commission
36. Sustainable Community Application Training (Laurel)
37. Baltimore County Planning Commission
38. Southern Maryland Planning Commissioners - Calvert, St.
Mary’s, towns
39. Allegany County Planning Commission and Planning staff
40. Cumberland Mayor and Council
41. Caroline County Commissioners
42. Youghiogheny River Watershed Association (included Garrett
County elected officials)
43. Greater Baltimore Committee
44. Sustainable Community Application Training (Hagerstown)
45. Carroll County Times and Finksburg Planning and Citizens
Council joint public meeting
46. Commission on Environmental Justice at Howard Community
College

7. 5
47. Baltimore Regional Transportation Board Tech
Committee
48. Sustainable Community Application Training
(Cambridge)
49. Sustainable Community Application Training
(Crownsville)
50. Dorchester County Planning Commission
51. Charles County and La Plata planning staff
52. Mayor of Baltimore
53. Worcester County Commissioners
54. Hagerstown Planners
55. Westminster Mayor and Council
56. Washington County Commissioners
57. Cumberland-Allegany County Industrial
Foundation Annual Meeting
58. Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology
59. Dorchester County County Council
60. Homebuilders Association of Maryland
61. Garrett County Mayors Meeting
62. Tri-County Council - Western Maryland Regional
Summit
63. Garrett County Mayors meeting
64. Frederick County Land Use Council
65. Jerome Parks Companies (Annapolis)
66. University of Maryland Center for Environmental
Science (Cambridge)
67. Salisbury University Smart Growth Club and WET
68. WashCOG Planning Directors Technical Advisory
Committee
69. “PlanMaryland: At the Crossroads” (sponsored by
Carroll County)
70. Charles County Commissioners
71. BWI Partnership Executive Committee
72. Prince George’s County Council
73. Prince George’s County Executive
74. Maryland Planning Commissioners Association
Conference (Easton)
75. Washington County Council President & Council
Member
76. WYPR telecast (Baltimore)
77. 2011-2012 class of the Legacy Leadership
Institute on Public Policy, Univ of MD Riverdale
(Prince George’s County)
Add social media
MDP developed a special website in March 2010 to provide
information on PlanMaryland. The site has drawn more than
40,000 unique visitors. As part of the website, an “interactive
map” using geographic information systems (GIS) was
created at plan.maryland.gov/inputIMap.shtml
Users can type in any address in Maryland and see where
the property falls in areas defined by the draft plan for future
growth, maintenance or preservation. They can also comment
in the application.
The application
was designed
to help local
jurisdictions
identify their
“Planning Areas”
to coordinate with
the state plan
guidelines. It was
developed for use
in ArcGIS® by geographic information system (GIS) users.
MDP launched several social media outlets to amplify the
message about PlanMaryland:
Twitter @SmartGrowthMD, 2,200 followers
PlanMaryland on Facebook, 550 friends
MarylandPlanning on YouTube, 2,600 channel views
MDP also developed several online surveys to collect more
public input. Three received 260 responses:
1. PlanMaryland, December 2009-January 2010
2. What Does a State Growth Plan Mean to You? June-July
2010
3. Beyond the PlanMaryland Forums, August-September 2010
Sustainable Attainable

8. 6
A dash of spice
Sustainable planning is a complex topic, so MDP
sought out other, simpler ways to communicate the
objective. A series of bumper stickers and magnets
were printed with various slogans, such as “Here
Today, Here Tomorrow” and probably the most popular
one, “Less Sprawl, Y’all.”
Refine the plan
Applying what it had learning during several rounds
of outreach, MDP developed an initial draft of
PlanMaryland. It released it with an executive summary
on April 28, 2011. A “progress report” followed July,
in advance of the annual Maryland Association of
Counties conference, to publicize changes MDP was
already making to address comments it received.
A second draft of PlanMaryland was released on
September 7, 2011. More than 300 comments
were analyzed in total over six months. MDP
promptly posted them all online, positive and
negative, sorted by the month received. The
transparency was evident. The agency continued
to accept and post comments after the deadline.
In revising the plan, MDP also sought the
counsel of other state agencies and the Smart
Growth Subcabinet, a group of cabinet-level
secretaries or their assignees whose agencies
are involved in shaping smart-growth policy. A
workgroup of the Maryland Sustainable Growth
Commission, which is appointed by the governor
to represent a broad cross-section of interests
in state growth policy, met every few weeks over
nine months to help shape the final document.

9. Add a web app
In fall 2011, MDP developed
“GamePlanMaryland” to help people better
understand the long-term impact of planning
decisions on their communities. MDP also
modeled the concept on the Maryland
Genuine Progress Indicator, which was
developed and released in 2010. The sim
tool was launched the day Governor O’Malley
accepted PlanMaryland on Dec. 19, 2011.
More than 1,300 have “played” it so far on
Plan.Maryland.gov, half from Maryland, half
from around the U.S. and the world.
Deliver the plan
On December 19, 2011, MDP formally delivered
PlanMaryland to Governor Martin O’Malley in a
ceremony in the Governor’s Reception Room in the
State House. He accepted it before an audience of
about 100 people, including other state officials and
employees, local planners, environmental leaders
and other stakeholders. Former Maryland Governors
Harry Hughes and Parris Glendening attended the
ceremony because of their advocacy for Chesapeake
Bay protection and smart growth during their terms in
office. Both had also sent correspondence supportive
of PlanMaryland to MDP during the prior year. To
recognize that legacy, Governor O’Malley had the
former governors at the podium when he accepted
PlanMaryland. It was a rare occasion to have a trio of
Maryland governors together for an event. Also by
their side were Maryland Planning Secretary Richard
E. Hall and Jon Laria, chairman of the Sustainable
Growth Commission.
Sustainable Attainable
7

10. Media
PlanMaryland generated much coverage throughout
Maryland and beyond. Reporting reflected the
strong sentiments about the plan. Editorial-page
commentary on the plan was divided: opposition
in smaller newspapers, generally more supportive
in larger newspapers. The plan has also drawn
favorable attention in national and international
outlets such as The Atlantic and UK Independent
online
Excerpts
Washington Post: “[Governor] O’Malley is hoping
to succeed with a smart-growth plan where
Democratic governors before him have failed
over two decades. The state’s large and powerful
counties have repeatedly killed or weakened such
efforts in the past to maintain local control over
development decisions. The governor, however,
is invoking a 37-year-old law granting the executive
branch power to develop a plan without a new vote
by the General Assembly. He said it’s the only way
for Maryland, which is already the fifth most densely
populated state in the country, to pass along a
similarly beautiful landscape to future generations,”
August 19, 2011
Baltimore Sun: “Since 1973, the population has
grown 39 percent, but development has grown 154
percent. That’s just not a sustainable formula. …
PlanMaryland would move the state in the proper
direction.” Editorial, October 31, 2011
Bay Journal: “A proposal by Maryland’s Governor
O’Malley to cut state subsidies for schools, roads and
wastewater where counties allow sprawl development
could save billions. … Government accounting for
economic progress needs to start valuing the nature
we lose as well as the development that replaces it.”
Tom Horton, November 2, 2011
MDP Secretary Richard E. Hall and Governor O’Malley with the media at PlanMaryland forum at Maryland Association of
Counties Conference, August 2011
8

11. UK Independent, London: “Maryland, state of
salty cookies and The Wire, isn’t very big. It also
provides much of outlying areas of two huge cities
– Baltimore and Washington -- whose workers’
desire for suburban homes has fuelled an urban
sprawl into the countryside. In short, space is
running out. It’s for this reason that its Governor
Martin O’Malley has unveiled Plan Maryland. … It
sounds exactly like the kind of policy that planning
experts, environmentalists and thinkers like Edward
Glaeser (we recommend his book “Triumph of
the City”) have been extolling for years. … Rural
officials, worried about their planning power, have
already reacted angrily to the plan and, weirdly,
British climate change denier Lord Monckton, also
spoke against it at a forum on the plans on Monday.
If Monckton is dead against it, then O’Malley must
be thinking along the right lines,” “Will Dean’s Ideas
Factory,” Nov. 3, 2011
Urbanite Magazine: “By 2035, the state is projected
to lose another 226,000 acres of farmland and
176,000 acres of forest. These are deeply worrisome
numbers for a state that is already the fifth-most
densely populated in the country, and it is [Richard]
Hall’s job to stop, or reverse, these trends. His
signature sits atop a provocative new document
called PlanMaryland, which consolidates a variety
of ‘smart growth’ measures first adopted in 1997
and made official policy by Gov. Martin O’Malley
in December. The document, in remarkable detail,
raises deep questions about the future of the state
and makes plain the economic and ecological
benefits of building homes and businesses near
existing roads and sewer lines,” “Sprawltimore,”
March 30, 2012
DC.StreetsBlog.org: “Politically, you can’t give
enough credit to Governor Martin O’Malley for
Maryland’s new state-level smart growth plan,
PlanMaryland. O’Malley stood up to rural opposition
and muscled legislation through late last year to put
in place what may be the most progressive state-
level land use planning in the country. But you also
can’t separate the governor’s successes from the
man behind the scenes, turning policy positions into
reality: Richard Hall. With Hall’s help, for decades
Maryland has been laying the groundwork to be a
national leader in smart growth. … Hall and O’Malley
both recognize that for too long Maryland’s system
was already dividing the state into winners and losers,
as the interests of cities and existing communities were
supplanted by unplanned, sprawling development. It
will take strong leadership to change the dynamic. But
these two are up to the task.” April 16, 2012
Other media coverage
1. The Era of Suburban Sprawl Has to End. So, Now What?,
Urbanite, April 2012
2. Maryland pursues next phase in smart growth strategy,
Partnership for Sustainable Communities
3. Gov. Martin O’Malley discusses the Chesapeake Bay “pollution
diet” and PlanMaryland on WYPR’s “Maryland Morning with
Sheilah Kast”
4. PlanMaryland Stirs Opposition on the Eastern Shore, Secretary
Hall talks with Don Rush on Delmarva Public Radio WSDL
90.7FM Salisbury, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012
5. Secretary Hall talks PlanMaryland with Kojo on the Kojo
Nnamdi Show on WAMU 88.5FM, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012
6. “PlanMaryland” in Maryland Juice blog, Jan 3, 2012
7. Baltimore Sun editorial on PlanMaryland and Bay cleanup, Jan.
2, 2012
8. Maryland Governor Outmaneuvers Foes To Adopt New Master
Plan, Planetizen, Jan. 2, 2012
9. Secretary Hall on WYPR on PlanMaryland, November 21, 2011
10. Secretary Hall in the Washington Post on PlanMaryland,
November 13, 2011
11. Sprawl is the real enemy of rural living, Baltimore Sun,
November 2, 2011
12. Baltimore Sun editorial on PlanMaryland, October 31, 2011
13. Secretary Hall in the Carroll County Times on PlanMaryland,
October 31, 2011
14. Maryland’s Governor Explains his War on Sprawl, The Atlantic
Cities, October 27, 2011
15. Smart-Growth Efforts Lag, Look to Maryland Well-planned
development can save money, Hartford Courant, October 3,
2011
16. PlanMaryland: A easy sell to taxpayers, Baltimore Sun,
September 26, 2011
17. Former Governor Glendening on PlanMaryland in “Smart
Growth America,” Dec. 21, 2011
18. PlanMaryland on WAMU 88.5, Dec. 21, 2011
19. Secretary Hall on “Smart Investments in Smart Growth,”
Governor O’Malley’s Blog, Dec. 21, 2011
20. O’Malley Orders Implementation Of PlanMaryland As State
Policy, MarylandReporter.com, Dec. 20, 2011
21. PlanMaryland is official: O’Malley signs executive order on
growth plan, Cecil Whig,
Sustainable Attainable
9

12. 10
22. Dec. 20, 2011
23. Maryland governor signs land-use order, Washington Post,
Dec. 19, 2011
24. Hughes, Glendening turn out for Plan Maryland, Baltimore
Sun, Dec. 19, 2011
25. O’Malley growth control program PlanMaryland takes effect,
Baltimore Sun, Dec. 19, 2011
26. O’Malley signs executive order on PlanMaryland, Associated
Press, Dec. 19, 2011
27. Statewide lands plan garners O’Malley edict, Washington
Times, Dec. 19, 2011
28. O’Malley Plans Maryland, Governors Journal
29. O’Malley signs executive order on plan to control, sustain
growth as Md. population swells, The Republic, Indiana
30. Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Blog -
Region Forward and PlanMaryland: Sustainable Visions for
the Future” at Region Forward, December 12, 2011
31. Secretary Hall discusses PlanMaryland on MPT’s “State
Circle,” Dec. 9, 2011
32. Part 2: Rhetoric Running Hot And Heavy Over Plan Maryland,
Dec. 9, 2011
33. “Plan Wars,” 2-part series on PlanMaryland on WYPR 88.1
FM; Part 1: Plan Maryland Has No Shortage Of Critics, Dec. 7,
2011
34. Secretary Hall on WYPR on PlanMaryland, November 21,
2011
35. PlanMaryland Part 3: How it would work is still unclear,
MarylandReporter.com, November 16, 2011
36. PlanMaryland Part 2: Framework for smart growth or dramatic
policy shift?, MarylandReporter.com, November 15, 2011
37. PlanMaryland Part 1: Why is The State Land-Use Plan So
Controversial?, MarylandReporter.com, November 14, 2011
38. Secretary Hall in the Washington Post on PlanMaryland,
November 13, 2011
39. Sprawl is the real enemy of rural living, Baltimore Sun,
November 2, 2011
40. Baltimore Sun editorial on PlanMaryland, October 31, 2011
41. Secretary Hall in the Carroll County Times on PlanMaryland,
October 31, 2011
42. Maryland’s Governor Explains his War on Sprawl, The Atlantic
Cities, October 27, 2011
43. Smart-Growth Efforts Lag, Look to Maryland Well-planned
development can save money, Hartford Courant, October 3,
2011
44. Western Md. county seeks PlanMaryland exemption, WHTM
abc27, October 3, 2011
45. Commissioners Extend Media Contract, Put Aside Funds for
PlanMaryland Summit, Westminster Patch, September 29,
2011
46. County will join forces for lobbyist, Cumberland Times-News,
September 26, 2011
47. PlanMaryland: A easy sell to taxpayers, Baltimore Sun,
September 26, 2011
48. EDITORIAL: Summit won’t change state plan, Carroll County
Times, September 26, 2011
49. Secretary Hall to speak about PlanMaryland and the Eastern
Shore on Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at Salisbury University
50. Secretary Hall in the Baltimore Sun on Plan Maryland, Sept. 23,
2011
51. PlanMaryland designed to stifle us, Frederick News-Post,
September 23, 2011
52. County planners reject latest PlanMaryland revision, Cecil
Whig, September 23, 2011
53. Board looking to host environmental summit on PlanMaryland,
Caroll County Times, September 23, 2011
54. Smart Growth as a political plot? Please, Baltimore Sun,
September 21, 2011
55. O’Malley’s Smart Growth power grab; Frederick County
official sees an ulterior motive in Gov. O’Malley’s push for
PlanMaryland, Baltimore Sun, September 19, 2011
56. Secretary Hall on PlanMaryland on Midday with Dan Rodricks
on WYPR, Sept. 15, 2011
57. No PlanMaryland Lobbyist for Carroll County...Yet, Eldersburg
Patch, September 16, 2011
58. The Case for a D.C.-Baltimore Mega-Region , The Atlantic
Cities, September 16, 2011
59. Western Md. counties considering lobbyist ‘We want to
support the (comprehensive statewide growth plan), but we
want to make sure it’s fair for all of us’, Herald-Mail, September
15, 2011
60. Revised planning document gives local governments more
authority, Gazette.Net, September 12, 2011
61. Maryland gives smart growth another push, Switchboard -
Natural Resources Defense Council Staff Blog, September 7,
2011
62. County urges citizens to read PlanMaryland, Cecil Whig,
September 6, 2011
63. St. Mary’s Adds PlanMaryland Concern, The Baynet,
September 4, 2011
64. Dels. discuss issues affecting real estate community, Star
Democrat, Star Democrat, September 2, 2011
65. LETTER: PlanMaryland just a cover for socialism, Cecil Whig,
September 2, 2011
66. The Latest on Maryland’s Grand Anti-Sprawl Plan, The
Infrastructurist, August 30, 2011
67. County commissioners draft letter to state over concerns with
PlanMaryland, Caroll County Times, August 30, 2011

13. 68. MACo Releases PlanMaryland Comments, Maryland
Association of Counties, August 30, 2011
69. MACo Responds to 60-Day PlanMaryland Extension,
Maryland Association of Counties, August 30, 2011
70. Commissioners critique state smart-growth plan at meeting,
Frederick News Post, August 30, 2011
71. Board of Commissioners, residents discuss PlanMaryland at
forum, Carroll County Times, August 29, 2011
72. Members of the Carroll County delegation discuss the
governor’s PlanMaryland document in the Carroll County
Times, with an emphasis on local control, August 28, 2011
73. Councilman plans override effort on South County vetoes ,
Baltimore Sun, August 27, 2011
74. MACo Responds to 60-Day PlanMaryland Extension,
MarylandReporter.com, August 26, 2011
75. Howard, commissioners still want more time to review state
plan, Carroll County Times, August 26, 2011
76. Commissioners may join effort against land-use plan,
Frederick News-Post Online, August 24, 2011
77. State policy to get second look, The Daily Times, August 24,
2011
78. Counties cry wolf over development restrictions, Baltimore
Sun, August 23, 2011
79. Frederick County Commissioner predicts “uprising” against
O’Malley’s Plan Maryland, Potomac Tea Party Report, August
23, 2011
80. Flexibility needed in state plan, Carroll County Times, August
23, 2011
81. Calvert to Request Deferral of Plan Maryland, The Baynet.
com, August 22, 2011
82. Local officials should quit whining about PlanMaryland,
Baltimore Sun Letters to the Editor, August 22, 2011
83. MACo recap: Montgomery officials in sync with governor,
Leggett says Plan Maryland proposal right approach, Gazette.
Net, August 22 , 2011
84. Plan Maryland keeps rolling along despite local speed
bumps, Maryland Reporter, August 21, 2011
85. Plan Maryland Edges Toward Completion, Conflict with
Counties, Dundalk Patch, August 20, 2011
86. Sprawl and power, Hometown Annapolis, August 19, 2011
87. O’Malley discusses growth plan with locals, Ventura County
Star, August 19, 2011
88. O’Malley, Md. counties begin battle over development plan,
Washington Post
89. O’Malley faces tough sell to locals on land development, The
Baltimore Sun
90. O’Malley discusses Planmaryland with county leaders,
Cumberland Times-News
91. County Officials Skeptical About PlanMD Impact, The Dispatch
92. Plan Maryland Edges Toward Completion, Conflict with
Counties, Ellicott City Patch
93. Kent planning commission pans ‘PlanMaryland,’ The Star
Democrat
94. Commissioners waiting, seeing on O’Malley’s PlanMaryland,
Cecil Whig
95. MDP Planning Services Director Rich Josephson speaking
about “PlanMaryland” on Magic 100.5 FM, Cumberland, July
27, 2011.
96. Secretary Hall in Cumberland Times-News, “Planmaryland will
help area, not hinder it”, July 24, 2011
97. Secretary Hall on PlanMaryland in the Cecil Whig, June 21,
2011
98. Secretary Richard E. Hall: Smart planning helps communities,
Carroll County Times, June 7, 2011
99. Armory Marketplace Could Benefit from PlanMaryland, Patch.
Com, May 17, 2011
100. State ready for comment on draft of growth plan, Carroll
County Times, May 17, 2011
101. Fixing smart growth, Op-Ed by Maryland Secretary of Planning,
Baltimore Sun, April 19, 2011
102. Secretary Hall interviewed by “The Real Deal” about
PlanMaryland
103. Planning Services Director Rich Josephson on PlanMaryland in
“Maryland Planner” from the Maryland chapter of the American
Planning Association
104. Panel discussion, including MDP, about Sustainable Growth on
“Midday with Dan Rodricks”, WYPR, August 25, 2010
105. PlanMaryland aims for ‘smart growth’ on Baltimore Business
Journal, August 13, 2010
106. Maryland planning for less sprawl on Maryland Daily Record,
August 22, 2010
107. PlanMaryland is highlighted in Maryland Life magazine’s
“Maryland in 2030” supplement
108. Listen to Secretary Hall’s interview about PlanMaryland on
88.1 FM/WYPR’s Maryland Morning podcast. The Secretary
originally appeared on Tuesday, May 18, 2010
109. Executive Director of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program
David Wilson urging people to come out to the PlanMaryland
Public Forum
110. Director of Planning Services Richard Josephson on
PlanMaryland in the Carroll County Times, March 8
111. Maryland is making plans for future growth, Baltimore Sun,
March 8, 2010
Sustainable Attainable
11

14. 12
The communications effort for Maryland’s first plan for sustainable growth was challenging on several
fronts. The state had never conducted a statewide planning effort like it before even though state law
had required a plan since 1959. Numerous theories existed for why one had never been done, but the
strong reactions that this plan elicited likely revealed one reason it hadn’t been pursued before.
Outreach was essential, even before the state plan was developed. The amount of outreach,
particularly traditional face-to-face meetings in communities, brought the message credibility. MDP and
other state agencies invested thousands of staff hours and logged thousands of miles across every
county in Maryland to explain and promote a state growth plan. MDP was impressed from the start that
hundreds of people were willing to spend two or three hours at meetings to discuss growth impacts 20
or 30 years into the future.
While all citizens should be heard, planners refused to be daunted or intimidated by a small,
vocal opposition. PlanMaryland got swept into some of the same anti-planning demagoguery that had
surfaced nationally. Some opponents contended the plan was motivated by a United Nations mandate
for Agenda 21 or dismissed any attempt at planning for climate change. No rational explanation – such
as the fact that Maryland law requiring a state plan preceded Agenda 21 by decades – seemed to
suffice for some critics. But the plan’s extensive data on land use, housing and transportation gave it
authority with others in the public and media.
Mixing traditional and newer modes of outreach across meeting times, locations and settings
helped stimulate a diversity of input. Social media helped propel news about the process. And a “sim
game” and interactive mapping applications were developed to help people get a better sense of what
the plan might mean to them individually.
People need to know they have been heard. Summarizing the feedback received, publicizing it
and making it accessible to all was important. Recognition of the plan -- hard to come by at first --
grew markedly: A Google search turns up about 100 mentions of PlanMaryland in November 2010,
about 1,000 for the same month a year later. The outreach helped MDP meet its objective to deliver
Maryland’s first-ever state plan to Governor O’Malley by the end of 2011. By helping push planning and
land-use issues into the spotlight, the PlanMaryland outreach also laid the groundwork to help passage
of major Maryland legislation in 2012 to limit development on septic systems. Although Maryland has
a long history of innovation on land-use policy, the PlanMaryland outreach helped advance “Smart
Growth 2.0” to better prepare for a more sustainable future.major Maryland legislation in 2012 to limit
development on septic systems. Although Maryland has a long history of innovation on land-use policy,
the PlanMaryland outreach helped advance “Smart Growth 2.0” to better prepare for a more sustainable
future.

15. Sustainable Attainable

16. Planning.Maryland.gov
Richard Eberhart Hall, AICP, Secretary
Matthew J. Power, Deputy Secretary
410.767.4500 Toll Free: 1.877.767.6272
TTY users: Maryland Relay
Green.Maryland.gov
Martin O’Malley, Governor
Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor
Maryland Department of Planning