Annapolis– Environment Maryland released a report today detailing land consumption trends in Maryland between 1970 and 2008. The report, titled, "Not So Smart: Land Consumption in Maryland after a Decade of Smart Growth," shows that since the passage of Maryland's nationally recognized smart growth laws in 1997, low density sprawl development continues to plague the state.
"Clearly our current laws are ineffective," stated Mike Sherling, policy associate at Environment Maryland. "Development is eating up our increasingly scarce meadows and farmlands, and the policies enacted 10 years ago have not made much of a difference."
Where and how we grow in Maryland has been at the center of public debate in Maryland for years. Over the past four decades, Maryland has turned 650,000 acres of farmland and open space into environmentally destructive sprawl. In 1997, the General Assembly passed the Smart Growth Areas Act, sending a clear message that Maryland was committed to improving its growth patterns. Unfortunately, as this report shows, Maryland as a whole has not been implementing Smart Growth. In the past ten years, development steadily consumed vast amounts of land, with practically no change compared with the previous 30 years.
The report comes as legislators have introduced a bill to establish performance standards for local governments. The legislation would add a measure of accountability for local government growth policies.
"Performance standards provide measurable goals and incentives for implementing Smart and Fair Growth," said Senator David Harrington. "As a former mayor and county council chair, it's clear to me that we need to change business as usual, and these are the policies to do that."
The report articulates the failure of the Smart Growth Areas Act as it has been implemented on the ground and highlights the need for improved policy tools at the state level. Chief among the recommendations is the need for more accountability of local jurisdictions. The Smart Growth Visions and Performance Standards Act, pending in the General Assembly this year, has the promise to implement this accountability.
"This legislation will keep us on track to make smart and fair growth a reality," said Delegate Stephen Lafferty.
Low density, sprawl development has limited our transportation and housing choices and overburdened local governments with the upkeep of infrastructure. In 1997, the General Assembly passed the Smart Growth Areas Act, sending a clear message to developers and local governments alike that growing in an intelligent way is something that Marylanders care deeply about. Its impacts, however, have not measured up to expectations.
"We have seen our pastoral landscape turned into strip malls and parking lots," said Janice Wiles, executive director of Friends of Frederick County. "With the current housing market slowdown, it is the perfect time to establish policies that ensure our development is the most efficient and effective to taxpayers – and safeguards our natural resources, public health and schools."
The report details some astounding figures:
Since 1998, the year that the Smart Growth Areas Act went into effect, Maryland has lost 175,000 acres to commercial and residential development. This is an area three times as large as Baltimore City.
The rate of land consumption per new resident from 1998 to 2007 was virtually the same as it was between 1970 and 1997. Residential and commercial development in Maryland consumes approximately three times as much land per new resident as it did in the period from 1950 to 1970.
While some counties decreased their land consumption per new resident, in many counties this figure increased. For example, compared with the previous three decades, in the past 10 years Anne Arundel county has increased its land consumption per new resident by 41%, Harford County by 27%, and St Mary's County by 17%.
Acres per new resident developed outside of Priority Funding Areas (PFAs) are significantly greater than those developed within PFAs. New residential parcels within approved PFAs occupy an average 0.3 acres, and new residential parcels outside of PFAs occupy an average of 2.1 acres.
"Developers have had too much control over this process for too long. They've stymied smart and fair development," said Fred Tutman, the Patuxent Riverkeeper. "These figures show that we need more accountability on local officials if we're going to have measurable change."
Not-So-Smart---Land-Consumption-in-Maryland-After-a-Decade-of-Smart-Growth.pdf