Years from now, I want my grandchildren to enjoy living in Maryland as much as I do. That’s why I support PlanMaryland.
I want my grandchildren to enjoy the beauty of Patapsco Valley State Park and the bustling downtown of historic Annapolis. I want them to be able to eat food grown in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and to find a job here. I want Maryland to be a place they will love.
PlanMaryland will help make sure all these things are possible. On Monday, Governor Martin O’Malley signed an executive order on this long-term growth plan for the state, and I completely support his action.
PlanMaryland will save Maryland taxpayers billions of dollars, including $1.5 billion on necessary road repair. In addition, the Plan will help Maryland avoid $29 billion in road and school construction costs over the next 25 years, which would be needed to keep pace with current trends.
PlanMaryland will stimulate economic development and revitalization in towns, cities and other existing communities. Many of Maryland’s communities have empty storefronts and vacant homes, and PlanMaryland will help bring people back to these places. The Plan will also support 600,000 new jobs in Maryland by the year 2035.
PlanMaryland will help us meet the state’s 21st century needs, accommodating a projected 1 million news residents and 500,000 new households by 2035. And the Plan will do all this while protecting 300,000+ acres of farmland and forest over the next 25 years, natural assets worth over $300 million.
Smart growth strategies like these aren’t new to Maryland, and they have enjoyed a long history of bipartisan support. I encourage members of the state legislature on both sides of the aisle to examine this legislation’s long list of financial benefits and stand in support of them. PlanMaryland will support Maryland jobs, create new options for where to live, and protect agribusiness and the environment. That is important for today – and for the Maryland where our grandchildren will live decades from now.