Fact Sheet

A series of unique community exercises that will address some of the most pressing problems facing the State of Maryland as it adds 1.5 million people by the year 2030.

Participants will negotiate a blueprint for regional and statewide growth based on actual demographic, geographic and economic data assembled specifically for these events. Diverse groups will discuss stakeholder priorities, local and regional planning issues and how to best accommodate anticipated growth in each region.

More than 1,000 political, business, environmental, real estate and civic leaders from the state’s four regions:

• Western Maryland – Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington Counties
• Southern Maryland – Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's Counties
• Eastern Shore – Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties
• Central Maryland – Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George's Counties

The effort is jointly led by the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education at the University of Maryland, the Urban Land Institute’s Baltimore District Council and 1000 Friends of Maryland.  Over 100 other organizations and business are contributing to the effort, including the Home Builders Association of Maryland and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Reality Check Plus differs from previous visioning exercises because it is privately led, statewide in scope and action-oriented.

Following the four regionally-based Reality Check Plus exercises, the results will be integrated into a comprehensive vision for the future of Maryland. That vision will capture the collective wisdom of exercise participants through a series of maps that will illustrate where future jobs and households are desired – and where they are not. The results will be compared against current development trends and policies.

Reality Check Plus will identify specific tools and policy changes at the state and local levels that can produce the desired change. In addition, a public awareness campaign will be launched to build support among elected leaders for this Blueprint for a Livable Maryland.

The four regional events will be conducted over four consecutive weeks late in the spring of 2006:

• Eastern Shore – Thursday, May 25, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina in Cambridge
• Western Maryland – Friday, June 2, 2006 at Hagerstown Community College
• Central Maryland – Friday, June 9, 2006 in Baltimore
• Southern Maryland – Thursday, June 15, 2006 at St. Mary's College of Maryland

www.realitycheckmaryland.org

Jason Sartori
240-305-9402