Theodore Cozmo

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.

The meeting served as a listening session to review maps submitted by members of the public regarding redistricting. The commission focused on hearing input on these maps, which were categorized based on the accompanying data (maps with data, maps with block equivalency files but no linked data, and maps with no accompanying data). The presentation reviewed the current congressional district map enacted in April 2022, which featured four minority districts, and detailed the minority districts and racial distribution for each public submission. The session proceeded to public testimony, with speakers allotted three minutes each to comment on the presented maps. Procedural ground rules regarding testimony promotion, time limits, and the disabling of chat and raise hand features were outlined.

This document outlines the strategic direction for land conservation in Maryland, detailing the ambitious goals of conserving 30% of the state by 2030 and 40% by 2040, as mandated by the Maryland the Beautiful Act. The plan emphasizes collaborative efforts with state agencies, local governments, federal partners, and non-profit land trusts. Key focus areas include fostering partnerships, refining data and reporting procedures, optimizing federal grant utilization, expanding park equity analysis to advance environmental justice, reviewing procurement limits for real estate due diligence, and examining statutory provisions to increase efficiency and operational parity among conservation easement programs. The intended outcome is to achieve long-term sustainability in land management and ensure public access to protected lands.