Preservation Maryland

Preservation Maryland’s Director of Government Relations Elly Cowan joined Senator Katie Fry Hester and Isaac Meyer from Compass Government Relations Partners in Annapolis May 16, 2022 as the Historic Revitalization Tax Credit – Funding and Extension (SB289/HB27) was signed into law by Governor Hogan, Senate President Ferguson, and Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones.

Much of Smart Growth Maryland’s work involves advocacy at the local level. In Maryland, where and how a jurisdiction grows – and does not grow – is decided locally through a comprehensive planning process. Public involvement is a critical part of that process, with plans reflecting the vision and goals for the community’s future expressed by residents. Local elected officials adopt these plans and implement them through a variety of means including zoning, so local elections can play a large role in the future of smart growth issues in a county.

The 2022 Legislative Session of the Maryland General Assembly will come to a close on Monday, April 11, 2022. After 90 days of championing key bills and testifying on many other pieces of important legislation, it is safe to say that Preservation Maryland had one of its busiest legislative sessions in the organization’s history. With Session adjourned until January 2023, we are proud to report that we were able to make significant policy advances for preservation and smart growth in Maryland, while also securing an unprecedented amount of funding for preservation across the state.

City residents, preservation proponents and rail enthusiasts alike gathered in Brunswick on April 2, 2022 to watch the culmination of ten years of advocacy, determination, and planning. On that very crisp and sunny morning, the historic West Brunswick Tower—an early-20^th century two-story frame structure from which Baltimore & Ohio Railroad workers ensured the safe movement of trains—was moved by Wolfe House & Building Movers about 100 feet up the rail yard banks to a new location out of harm’s way.