Bill Hersch

The Resilient Maryland Strategy outlines a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to address disasters and climate change impacts across the state. It aims to unify fragmented resilience efforts by breaking down silos and building capacity to withstand and recover from various hazards, including saltwater intrusion, extreme heat, and cyber disruptions. The strategy focuses on five key sectors: Environment and Natural Systems, Infrastructure, Community and Local Government Capacity, Food Systems, and Housing, with interventions prioritized through the lenses of economy, place-based resilience, and justice and equity. Comprising 20 goals and 50 actionable recommendations with varying timelines, this roadmap seeks to foster a resilient Maryland where communities thrive.

The Maryland Department of Transportation's Strategic Plan for Transportation Trails focuses on building connected multimodal transportation systems. It provides practical toolkits for building support, leveraging funding, and maintaining transportation trails, offering resources such as historical context, geographic information, and policy recommendations. The plan aims to foster sustainable growth by enabling people to walk and bike, reduce reliance on cars, and ensure accessibility for all residents across the state.

The public forum provided updates on the work of the Sustainable Growth Subcabinet, emphasizing cross-agency coordination. Key discussion areas included support for urban agriculture, such as the urban agriculture water and power infrastructure grant, and addressing land access challenges. The session covered regulatory issues and ongoing work on the Maryland Beautiful Act plan and report, Transitoria Development Designation criteria, and sustainable growth policy principles. There was a detailed discussion regarding agritourism as an economic asset, including efforts to resolve permitting and zoning challenges through the Intergovernmental Commission on Agriculture and the Permit Review Council. Updates were also provided on funding distributions within Priority Funding Areas (PFAs) and sustainable community designations.

The meeting focused on reviewing maps submitted for redistricting, including new submissions and revisions. The presentation categorized the submitted maps and detailed their population deviations and the designation of minority districts, particularly those with African-American majority populations, based on submissions from individuals such as Sarah Abin, Marian Stiffen, Riley Jeff, Shiv Shapyro, Steve Shapiro, Dio Costa, Dave Coons, and Harvard Gurel. Following the map presentation, the commission transitioned to hearing public testimony regarding the maps and the redistricting process. Key testimony focused on the urgency of redistricting in light of actions in other states, advocacy for specific maps like the David Coons map (Map 37), and concerns about political manipulation and transparency in the legislative process.

The meeting, identified as the first Sustainable Growth Network meeting of 2026, focused on 'The Reality of Local Permitting: Differences, Challenges, and Opportunities.' Discussion included perspectives from panelists representing the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the Maryland Association of Counties (Mako), the Maryland Building Industry Association, and the Department of Commerce. Key topics included debunking misconceptions about local permitting staff, sharing case examples of permitting improvements (such as those in San Diego, California focusing on shifting reviews to the community plan level and implementing objective design standards for ministerial review), and identifying timing and procedural delays as major barriers for developers. The session also covered updates on the Maryland Coordinated Permitting Review Council activities and proposed legislation.