Community Planning

The Community Planning Division is organized into three geographic sectors (northern, eastern, western) and serves as the primary contact for planning-related matters.

Current Initiatives

A number of community planning initiatives are currently underway. Your engagement is needed for these studies.

• Essex Technical Assistance Panel (TAP)—A Technical Assistance Panel was recently held to identify improvements to Eastern Boulevard in Essex. During the TAP, experts were invited to tour the area, meet with key stakeholders and share their findings, conclusions and implementable recommendations. 
• Reimagine Security Square—Baltimore County hosted a design charrette, engaging Woodlawn-area residents and community leaders to reimagine the future of Security Square Mall. Review the closing presentation.
• Community Development Organization for Liberty Road—Baltimore County has retained the services of the Nelson Ideation Group (TNIG) to engage community stakeholders in forming a nonprofit community development organization (CDO) that builds on the strengths and investments present in the central node including Northwest Hospital, Community Colleges of Baltimore County (CCBC), County resources including the library, the senior center and the new STEAM Center.
• Community Planning Institute—The Department of Planning has announced the creation of the Community Planning Institute (CPI), an initiative to increase engagement with community members and stakeholders countywide, regarding planning, land use and development. The CPI will be held twice a year, with the anticipated size of the first class of participants at 20 to 25 individuals. The Institute will consist of weekly, in-person sessions for a total of five weeks. Applications will be available in late March.

Main Street Maryland

The Main Street Maryland program is a place-based designation that strives to strengthen the economic potential of Maryland’s traditional main streets and neighborhoods. Learn more about the County's approved main streets in Dundalk, Reisterstown and the Towson affiliate designation.

Sustainable Communities

The Sustainable Communities Program is a place-based designation offering a comprehensive package of resources that support holistic strategies for community development, revitalization and sustainability.

Dundalk, Hillendale-Parkville-Overlea and Reisterstown Sustainable Community renewal designations are currently being pursued. The state requires local government to renew Sustainable Communities designation every five years. This renewal application provides an opportunity for local governments to involve the community in developing a five-year vision for their area, to outline new strategies and set new priorities.

The Arbutus Sustainable Community, originally designated in 2021, is currently requesting an expansion to include the primary areas of Lansdowne and Baltimore Highlands to foster a more unified region. Expanding the boundary of the existing Sustainable Community area will enable these communities to benefit from additional revitalization projects funded by various State programs.

View a list of approved sustainable communities​​.

The goals of developing and renewing a Sustainable Community designation are:

• Involve the community in developing a long-term vision for that area
• Define policies and actions that will guide how the area should be maintained or changed in the future
• Identify future land uses in an overall community-wide context
• Recommend future infrastructure improvements
• Provide design guidance and implementation guidance for private and public investments and strategies that should be pursued to realize the vision for the area

Some recommendations in the Sustainable Community Area Plan may take the form of:

• Land use and zoning amendments
• Plans for open space
• Future transportation studies and projects
• Capital projects
• Renderings and sketches depicting urban design guidelines for the area
• Items requiring further study

Watch the training from Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and  representatives about the various state revitalization programs and funding available to communities located in the Sustainable Community designation and Main Street designation.

Contact Your Community Planner

To learn more about your sector or current initiatives happening within your community, contact the planner listed below.

Western Sector

Eastern Sector