Welcome! Among other things, our goal is to offer a dynamic and invaluable source of substantive and timely information. Please take a look around, and come back often to read new content. We appreciate your interest. (Please contact us if you're interested in writing a guest blog entry.)
ENVISION ESSENTIALS begins on Saturday, May 18th! Sign up!
Please take a few moments to read about this new program. It might be just what you were looking for,...
Climate Change and Monarch Butterflies
The headline in the April 12, Washington Post article on weather rang out: “Giant storm in Central U.S. has unleashed...
Our Beautiful Blanket of Life
Yesterday’s bike ride was one I've made many times – up Church Hill, right on Woodland Way and then a...
Pop Shop Becomes First Restaurant in Downtown Frederick to Partner With Key City Compost
To express their long-lasting commitment to making Downtown Frederick an even better place, The North Market Pop Shop has partnered...
Oxon Cove Land Swap Discussions Continue
While talks with Washington’s NFL team about building its next stadium at Oxon Cove National Park have ceased, the Hogan...
Envision Frederick County welcomes Barb Trader to our Board of Directors!
I am very pleased to announce the addition of Barb Trader to the Board of Directors of Envision Frederick County....
Three Major Problems with Parking Minimums
Parking minimums are the strange, out-dated, and totally unscientific law that's probably languishing in your city's zoning code. They sound...
Envision Speaker Series: ALICE in Frederick County, with Malcolm Furgol
Far more Frederick County households than you might imagine (roughly four of every ten) are living on the edge, and...
Connect with the Multi-faith Alliance of Climate Stewards of Frederick County
The Multi-faith Alliance of Climate Stewards (MACS) of Frederick County is made up of individuals and faith communities who are...
GREEN DRINKS! March 20: Vermicompost with Linda Norris
On Wednesday, March 20th, join us again, or for the first time, for an enjoyable social hour and an engaging...
Blockbuster year for monarchs, but what lies ahead?
I was at Shepherd University the other day talking to Susie Munnis, who had just returned from San Miguel de...
Good congestion, bad congestion
Our model for traffic congestion is flawed. We need to make the crucial distinction between good and bad congestion and...
Maryland should stop subsidizing pollution from incinerators
Several months ago, Frederick County broke ground on the Ballenger-McKinney Photovoltaic Solar Project — a 5-acre, 1.3-megawatt solar array. This...
Unsprawl: The Agricultural Reserve in Montgomery County, Maryland
Maryland’s Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve comprises 93,000 contiguous acres in the Washington, D.C. metro region set aside for farming and...
Smart Growth Maryland Director Appointed to City of Brunwick’s Preservation and Revitalization Committee
As a part of Smart Growth Maryland’s ongoing efforts to support community revitalization across the state, Kimberly Golden Brandt, the...
Letter about the Monocacy River Plan to elected officials in Frederick and Carroll counties
I sent the following email on Friday, February 15th, to the Frederick County Executive and County Council, and to the...
A Free Market for Parking
I had an interesting conversation with someone last week about the free market as it relates to parking requirements. I...
Opportunities to serve Frederick County on various Boards, Commissions and Committees
PUBLIC NOTICES #1 – Frederick County Ethics Commission The Frederick County Executive is soliciting letters of interest from individuals to...
NIMBY By Any Other Name
“Large swaths of our city are exclusively zoned for single-family homes, so unless you have the ability to build a...
GREEN DRINKS! February 20th: Social hour, and “Edible Landscaping”
In February, Green Drinks is back after a winter holiday break! On Wednesday, February 20th, join us again, or for...
Experience is the new buzzword for walkable town centers
As the retail market becomes less certain, mixed-use developers look to other ways to boost foot traffic and create a...
Frederick County Sustainability Commission accepting nominations for 2019 Sustainability Awards
From the 2019 Sustainability Awards page, on the Frederick County Sustainability Commission section of the Frederick County government website: The...
Envision Frederick County welcomes new member to our Board of Directors!
I am very pleased to announce the addition of Bruce Zavos to the Envision Frederick County Board of Directors. For...
Revitalizing Brunswick: Smart Growth Maryland Assists with New Vision
Serving as a resource for individuals who are working to save places that matter to their community is critical to...
Jeff Speck’s Step-by-Step Guide to Making Better Urban Places
If you are involved in the world of city and neighborhood design, you probably know (or at least have heard...
Join us for a fabulous Farm to Table Dinner at Bar-T Mountainside to benefit Mountainside Education and Enrichment
As someone who personally experiences all the health and other benefits that come from being surrounded by nature, I am...
Gentle density: Making neighborhoods transit-ready
Accessory dwellings can triple the density on a single-family lot while preserving the character of neighborhoods. Fayetteville, Arkansas, is a...
Riparian Buffers – Celebrating Fifteen Years
The riparian buffers on our farm on Middle River are now fifteen years old. Fifteen years ago, the “River Farm”...
Planning for resilience
“What the city lacks right now is some overarching plan.” That’s what Frederick’s new mayor, Michael O’Connor, said the other...
Why Are Developers Only Building Luxury Housing?
"Developers in my city are only building luxury housing. They're not building anything that ordinary people can afford." If you’ve...
Bicycling Infrastructure: The good, the bad and the ugly
Until recently, I’d been a member of the city of Frederick Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). I married a...
Environmentalists and development: a complex relationship in a hyperbolic election season
In election races in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, candidates are claiming they “support the environment” or “are for smart growth.”...
County Executive Announces Legislation to support Accessory Dwelling Units
Frederick County is experiencing a gradually increasing problem and challenge when it comes to affordable housing. It is not an...
Wasted! The Story of Food Waste (free film at Hood College: May 12)
Join us for a very engaging and free film: “WASTED! The Story of Food Waste” "WASTED" aims to change the...
Who is going to pay for ALL this new growth?! And how?! (Public hearing Tuesday evening!)
FINALLY the public hearing on legislation to adjust the inadequate Mitigation Fees ("School Construction Fees") is on the agenda after...