BRAC-related area job and population growth will severely tax a regional infrastructure that already lags existing demands.
One local urban planning consultant said he believes that the way to address this is the reverse of existing development patterns.
“You could accommodate [a projected BRAC-related population surge of up to 90,000 new residents] the old-fashion way,” says economist Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Baltimore?s Sage Policy Group Inc., “which is simply to build on productive farm lands ? destroying what?s left of Baltimore?s rural heritage ? engendering longer commutes, more traffic, more pollution.”
“Or you could adopt a different paradigm,” he adds, “one that emphasizes greater downtown density, one that is more city-centered, and one that allows for a higher quality of life ? not just within the city but also in the suburbs, because of lessened development pressures.”
Basu, who will elaborate his views at a Greater Baltimore Committee business outlook conference Oct. 30, clearly believes the latter course is the one to take. And with a six-year projection of between 40,000 and 60,000 new jobs for the area as a result of New Jersey and Virginia military base adjustments, Basu said he thinks there is an anti-sprawl, value-added dimension to this economic boon for Maryland.
“The goal here,” he says, “is not just to accommodate the jobs associated with BRAC, but to really leverage this into an opportunity to redefine our entire Baltimore metropolitan community.”
A central way of doing this, Basu says, is for decision-makers to fund a first-class transportation hub in downtown Baltimore ? like Washington?s Union Station ? that links all the area?s transit systems and serves as a magnet for repopulation and revitalization of the city center. As part of this move, greater permissible downtown density would also be necessary.
“Downtown Baltimore could be substantially more vibrant economically,” he says, “and the key to that is, of course, people. And people look for convenience. And a transit hub offers precisely the type of convenience that people seek.”
Basu acknowledged that his and other “bold and innovative” ideas are only just emerging on the “new phenomenon” that is BRAC, but J. Michael Hayes, director of Military and Federal Affairs for the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, says that area jurisdictions are already actively engaged in BRAC-related assessment and planning.
