39th Annual Maryland Planning Commissioners Association Conference
October 25-26, 2022
Frederick, Maryland
The conference theme was Planning for Challenges on the Horizon
The Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) and its Executive Committee would like to thank everyone who contributed to and attended the 39th Annual Conference on October 25-26, 2022. We were especially delighted to gather in person for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Special thanks to our City of Frederick hosts, distinguished panelists, speakers, and tour guides from the Department of Historic Preservation and the Department of Economic Development, for an outstanding training and networking experience.
The MPCA looks forward to our 2023 annual conference celebrating forty years of change and opportunity in Maryland. Be sure to watch for announcements about exciting developments on this website and in the digital pages of the MPCA Corner in Planning's e-newsletter, Planning Practice Monthly in the weeks ahead (to subscribe, click here.)
For questions or to get involved, please contact Joe Griffiths, Local Assistance and Training Planner, at joseph.griffiths@maryland.gov.
Session Presentations and Recordings
Click on the icons below to open the presentation from the conference.
October 25: Day 1
Opening Meetings Act
Frank M. Johnson, Deputy City Attorney, City of Gaithersburg
April Ishak, City Attorney, Havre de Grace
October 26: Day 12
Conference Welcome
Michael O'Connor, Mayor, City of Frederick
Plenary Session - 30 Years of Planning in Maryland - What Have We Learned
Joseph Rutter, Owner, Land Design and Development, Inc.
Steve Kaii-Ziegler, Former Planning Director, Anne Arundel County Office of Planning and Zoning
Pete Gutwald, Director of Permits, Approval, and Inspections, Baltimore County
Uri Avin, Affiliate, University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth
Gerrit Knapp, Professor and Director, University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth
New Water Resources Planning Guidance - Integrating Climate Change
Matthew Rowe, Assistant Director Water and Science Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment
Dr. Jim George, Water Resource Policy Advisor, Maryland Department of the Environment
Jason Dubow, Resource Conservation Management Manager, Maryland Department of Planning
Transportation Planning - Supporting Federal and State Climate Action Strategies
R. Earl Lewis, Jr., Deputy Secretary for Policy, Planning & Enterprise Services, Maryland Department of Transportation
Sandy Hertz, Director for the Office of Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation, Maryland Department of Transportation
Heather Murphy, Director for the Office of Planning and Capital Programming, Maryland Department of Transportation
Conference Addresses and Citizen Planner Recognitions
Jan Gardner, Former Frederick County Executive
Robert McCord, Former Secretary, Maryland Department of Planning
Keynote Address - Walkability Roadblocks and the Montgomery County Experience
Eli Glazier, Multimodal Transportation Planner Coordinator, Montgomery County Planning Department
Plenary Session - Determination of Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan
Lisa Ghezzi, Commissioner, Talbot County Planning Commission
Keith Lackie, Regional Planner, Lower Eastern Shore Regional Office, Maryland Department of Planning
Chris Drummond, Municipal and County Attorney, Chestertown, Denton, Secretary, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's
Sharon Suarez, AICP, MPA, Planner, City of Frederick
Eric E. Soter, AICP, Principal, AICP/ECO-District AP, Rodgers Consulting
Jill Baker, Director, Washington County Department of Planning
The Community Challenge of Emptying an Empty House of Worship
Dr. Howard Kucher, Associate Professor of Social Innovation, Graduate School of the University of Maryland at Baltimore
Rick Reinhard, Principal, Niagara Consulting Group
Citizen Planners Role in Planning for Housing over the next 20 Years
Ellen Moss, Board Member, Jessup Improvement Association and Growth Action Network of Anne Arundel County
Paul Christensen, Board Member, Growth Action Network of Anne Arundel County
Gary Mauler, Board Member, Jessup Improvement Association and Growth Action Network of Anne Arundel County
Marsha Jackson, Affordable Housing Developer and Manager
Matt Minahan, Board Member, Growth Action Network of Anne Arundel County
