1959: Newly passed legislation creates the State Planning Department, broadening its areas of concern to include the state’s water resources and the protection, development, and maintenance of Assateague Island. This legislation gave the first mention of a state development plan by name.
1961: The Maryland Historical Trust is established, the first such state agency in the U.S.
1965: The department completes the first mass-transit study of the Baltimore metropolitan area.
1974: The Land Use Act of 1974 authorizes the secretary to designate areas of critical state concern and allows the department to express the state’s viewpoint in local land-use decisions.
1977: The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation is created, leading to the preservation of almost 270,000 acres through 2008.
1984: The Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas Act is the first time state and local governments jointly address the impacts of land development on habitat and aquatic resources in the bay.
1987: The Chesapeake Bay Agreement starts an interstate effort to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay.
1997: Under Gov. Parris Glendening, the Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation Acts establish Priority Funding Areas (growth areas where state funds would be targeted), the Rural Legacy preservation program, incentives to clean up brownfields, and Live Near Your Work incentives.
2009: Governor O’Malley’s Smart, Green & Growing legislative package represents the most significant new planning law in more than 10 years, fortifying the investment in local comprehensive planning and requiring training for all planning and appeals board members in Maryland.
2010: Creation of the Sustainable Communities tax credit and growth commission increase interagency coordination toward Smart Growth, mirroring steps at the federal level to better integrate housing, transportation, and environmental policy. The Maryland Department of Planning marks the 51st year of state-level planning in Maryland on July 1, 2010.
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