The Charles County Commissioners are pleased to announce that Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Raymond A. Skinner and Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Richard E. Hall have announced the designation of La Plata and Waldorf as sustainable communities under the state’s Sustainable Communities Act of 2010.
A Sustainable Community Area is initially identified by a municipality or County that has a specific local area in need of revitalization and has created a comprehensive strategy to encourage and guide local investment. The comprehensive Sustainable Community strategy aims to increase economic, transportation and housing choices as well as the quality of the local environment.
Ten years after a tornado devastated La Plata, the town is poised to continue their extensive revitalization efforts with a number of strategies. In their downtown, where they are studying the feasibility of using a Main Street approach as a community economic development strategy, La Plata will promote mixed-use development, rehabilitating vacant or underused buildings. They hope to connect housing and commercial areas with new transit stops, and continue to promote green initiatives such as adopting LEED building practices.
Waldorf’s Sustainable Community vision emphasizes a shift away from cars, with several planned bicycle lanes linking the city. Charles County imagines a vibrant, attractive downtown, implementing mixed-use development. To achieve this, the county is considering applying for a State Enterprise Zone designation, enabling businesses in Waldorf to attain tax credits and other incentives. The county has hopes for increasing public transportation choices for all of its residents that commute to the DC job market.
More information about Sustainable Communities is available by visiting the Neighborhoods page on the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development website: www.mdhousing.org as well as the Maryland Department of Planning website: www.mdp.state.md.us.
