Dear Community Member,

Following the positive feedback we received for the inaugural edition of our DPZ newsletter, we are excited to bring you the second issue of the DPZ Digest.

We are proud of all our department has achieved this year and look forward to sharing more of our important work with you in 2023.

DPZ Partners with Howard County Conservancy on Conservation Easement Program

DPZ recently partnered with the Howard County Conservancy to pilot a new land preservation program that will provide financial incentives to non-profit property owners to permanently protect environmentally sensitive areas.

Howard County has committed $2 million towards the Purchased Conservation Easement program, the first of its kind in Maryland, which will be managed by the Conservancy and overseen by DPZ. The program specifically targets non-profit properties that support Howard County’s Green Infrastructure Network or feature considerable wetlands, streams, or forest cover. Private schools, cemeteries, religious facilities, and other non-profits are encouraged to submit an expression of interest to the Conservancy.

The new program is modeled after the County’s Agricultural Land Preservation Program, which has been the driving force in preserving nearly 23,000 acres of farmland over the past 40 years. Non-profit properties will be ranked for qualification based on several factors, including the value of their environmental resources, their adjacency to existing protected land and their degree of public access. Easement purchases will be made by the Conservancy, which will monitor easement properties for compliance with environmental protection goals.

Any non-profit that owns property in Howard County is eligible to apply here to the program.

DPZ Launches DPZNotify, a One-Stop Notification Platform

This month, DPZ launched a new notification platform, DPZNotify, to keep the public informed and updated on pre-submission meetings, capital budget hearings, and other planning-related initiatives.

A “one-stop map-based platform,” DPZNotify allows residents, community associations, village associations, neighborhood groups, and civic associations to register once to receive all relevant DPZ updates. Registrants can customize what type of information they would like to receive from DPZ: pre-submission meeting notifications, Planning Board hearing information on the capital budget, and general DPZ planning initiatives like the General Plan update, the Comprehensive Re-zoning effort, and other community planning efforts.

Those who are already registered in the prior Community Notification system will be automatically transferred to the new system. However, they are encouraged to log in to the new system and verify that they are signed up for all their preferred notifications.

DPZ Secures Sustainable Community Designation Renewal for Ellicott City

This fall, DPZ's application to renew the Sustainable Community designation for Ellicott City was approved by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's (DHCD) Smart Growth Coordinating Committee. The state designation has been extended for five years, until August 22, 2027.

As a result, Ellicott City remains eligible to apply for funds from several state agencies that may be used to enhance the historic downtown area, including DHCD programs like the Community Legacy Program, which provides funding for business retention and attraction, home rehabilitation, and streetscape improvement projects, and the Strategic Demolition Fund, which supports economic development and job production.

Information regarding other state programs and incentives available to Sustainable Communities and Sustainable Community maps can also be found here. 

DPZ Awarded State Grant for Roving Radish Shared Kitchen Project at Long Reach Rising

Last month, Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) awarded DPZ the 2023 State Revitalization Programs grant for the Roving Radish Commercial Shared Kitchen Project at Long Reach Village Center (LRVC).

The grant will allow LRVC to complete architecture and engineering drawings and an interior demolition for a new shared kitchen space that will serve as a vital resource for food entrepreneurs at the Village Center.

This project is part of Howard County’s "Long Reach Rising" program, a renovation strategy to revitalize the Village Center through cleaning and beautification, improved maintenance, and enhanced security to attract and retain small businesses and non-profits with a focus on education, arts and culture, and economic empowerment. 

The development of the shared kitchen is in partnership with the Roving Radish and is an important step in continuing to build the food related resources at Long Reach Village and will further activate the Village Center as an accessible destination for the surrounding community.

DPZ's Releases HoCo By Design Public Draft for Review and Feedback 

Since the summer of 2020, DPZ's HoCo By Design team has been working on Howard County's 2040 General Plan, which sets the long-term vision for how the County will develop and grow as it adjusts to evolving economic, environmental, and social conditions over the next 20 years. Throughout the process, the HoCo By Design project team has synthesized and incorporated public input, data, and best practices to produce the General Plan.

On December 1, the HoCo By Design team released the General Plan Public Draft for public review and comment. Now through January 16, you can read the General Plan draft and share your thoughts in the Comment Form here. HoCo By Design has also created a General Plan graphic summary that provides an overview of the plan's most significant goals.

Following public input, the plan will be reviewed at the Planning Board in February 2023 and presented to the County Council for adoption in March 2023. To stay informed about HoCo By Design and opportunities to get involved, register at HoCoByDesign.com.

DPZ Participates in Walk Audit in Downtown Columbia

This fall, DPZ, the Office of Transportation (OOT), and the Department of Public Works (DPW) joined with the Downtown Columbia Partnership and others to assess walkability in Downtown Columbia.

Participants reviewed areas in which the County may be a potential coordinating entity to upgrade existing facilities. Ahead of on-site evaluations of existing pedestrian conditions, the project team created a short survey and interactive map to allow residents the opportunity to share existing issues and concerns in Downtown Columbia. The feedback helped the project team identify walking routes for their on-site visits.

Office of Transportation Launches Transit Development Plan Process

The Office of Transportation is beginning the process of updating Howard County’s Transit Development Plan (TDP), a short-term plan to guide transit system development and funding requests. The TDP process reviews and assesses current transit services, identifies unmet transit needs, and develops a recommended plan for improvements (with phased implementation), including capital and operating budget projections, in the short‐range future, typically a five‐year horizon.

The completed TDP serves as a guide for our local transit system, providing a roadmap for implementing service improvements, and/or potential expansion during the five‐year period. Opportunities for the public to provide comment include three surveys (fixed-route, paratransit, and community) and five public meetings. More information on the process, future meeting dates, and previous plans can be found here.

DPZ Staff Members Recognized at Howard County Employee Awards

This October, Howard County's Employee Recognition Ceremony honored two DPZ staff members. Susan Overstreet, DPZ's environmental planner, won second place for the Green Initiative Award for her coordination of the environmental assessment used in the HoCo By Design General Plan Update. Her expertise and institutional knowledge have been invaluable to a variety of environmental planning projects, and her consultation across departments ensures that environmental stewardship is factored into everything the County does. For these efforts, Susan was also nominated for Howard County's employee of the year.

DPZ's Joy Levy won second place in the Public Customer Service category for her work as administrator of the County’s Agricultural Land Preservation Program (ALPP). Joy has worked with property owners and the Agricultural Preservation Board to process six new properties in 2022, totaling almost 270 acres of land for the County, a record amount. Joy's passion for preserving land in Howard County and sustaining our agricultural economy into the future are reflected in the exceptional customer service that she provides in running the AALP.

Congratulations to Susan and Joy on these well-deserved honors!

DPZ Welcomes Planner Morgan Gillard

This month, DPZ welcomed Morgan Gillard as its new Planner I in the Division of Comprehensive and Community Planning!

Morgan is in her final semester of the City and Regional Planning master's program at Morgan State University, where she successfully worked with various government agencies, members of the public, and other organizations on planning related issues in Baltimore City. She earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the Hampton University and previously worked for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works as a Customer Care Analyst.

Morgan's solid grasp of planning-related issues and knowledge of current events, local government, and issues impacting the planning field will be an asset to the Community Planning Division and the entire Department.

Welcome Morgan!

Agricultural Preservation

The Department of Planning & Zoning oversees the administration of the 285 Howard County properties, totaling 23,115 acres, that are in the agricultural land preservation program, in addition to the acquisition of agricultural easements on other parcels.

Q&A with Kevin McAliley

Planning Board Member

We understand you wear a few hats. Can you describe what this means?

As a community advocate and connector, I attempt to bring organizations and businesses together to partner and create solutions for county residents.

Some of the hats are: the vice-chair of the Howard County Planning Board, vice president of Bike HoCo - Bicycling Advocates of Howard County, co-chair of Howard EcoWorks, chairman of the Wilde Lake Village Community Association Board of Directors, NAACP life member and founder of its farm at Freetown Farm at the Community Ecology Institute, and an avid 6 a.m. participant in Darrell Gough’s popular Basic Training.

As chairman of the Wilde Lake Village Board for several years, in the role of “the mayor of Wilde Lake,”  I humbly address and promote the diversity, equity, and inclusion of ideas offered by our residents, facilitate collaborations to initiate substantive projects, and overall help maintain the vibrancy and value of living in the Wilde Lake Village community.

Our village center is a positive example of residents, government, and businesses working together, using the most recent studies, analysis, and patterns to build for the future. The successful renovation is now used as a model in current articles and reports and has become synonymous with a vibrant village center.

What is the Planning Board?

The Planning Board provides a forum for residents to share their thoughts on development proposals around Howard County. We hold accountable all the organizations, businesses, developers, and individuals who want to do something different with their land including adding housing or other construction projects. We review a multitude of information to ensure that new proposals fit the general plan’s vision. Then we recommend to the County Council and Zoning Board our thoughts. Occasionally we have the final say.

What is your role on the Planning Board?

My role is to hear all voices and consider information presented regarding a plan or request to improve or enhance something that impacts the County or its citizens. I take this responsibility very seriously. There are numerous possibilities and conditions. After discussing the facts, I decide if the petitioner has met the requirements provided in the law. Give everyone the opportunity to be heard. Evaluate the details and vote on a plan that benefits everyone, including the County and the property owner.

I recommend groups and individuals advocate for projects and plans that interest them and start early. Register to receive updates on proposed developments. Ask questions of your elected officials. Volunteer on community boards and committees. Help create solutions for future generations.

I urge everyone to attend our hearings in-person or virtually, then share your thoughts and concerns about how plans may affect you and your family or business.



How long have you lived in Howard County?

I have lived in Howard County for 30 years.

I was born and raised in Iowa then later moved to California. It was quite a culture shock. After 15 years on the west coast, I moved to Colorado, started a family, then moved here. The opportunities to experience development and growth from various vantage points—big growth in CA, a more rural and slower pace in Iowa and Colorado, and now Howard County—have given me a blended approach to my discussions and thoughts.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned?

I recognize the importance of building consensus, seeking diversity in outreach and opinions, helping bring opposing views to the table, and guiding teams toward a mutual decision. It works in business and transfers to the Planning Board.

With the guidance of County laws and the experts in the Office of Law, and an incredible staff of planning and zoning professionals, we bring different viewpoints together, witness what others bring forth in their decision-making process, then negotiate. The root of positive planning and development is the cooperation that allows different facets to come together in the best interest of the community.

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