Howard and Anne Arundel officials are creating a planning group that is expected to include the public on decisions to handle the impact of the job influx at Fort Meade.
Officials have refashioned the Meade Transportation Zone, a five-mile planning radius around Fort Meade to deal with road and transit issues, to include other factors the Base Realignment and Closure process will have on the region, such as housing, public safety and health services.
“There is a much broader impact than just transportation,” said Bob Leib, Anne Arundel?s BRAC coordinator.
“How do we get our arms around these measures to make it successful? … We do it by keeping our efforts small.”
A subcommittee of the Fort Meade regional planning committee will deal specifically with the zone, and that group will consist of members of the public as well as local government officials.
“Our meetings are open, our files are open, and we?re open,” said Kent Menser, Howard?s BRAC coordinator.
But that same transparency will not exist with Fort Meade planners. Bert Rice, executive officer of Fort Meade, said the public is not included on its internal studies but fort officials are working with local governments.
The zone also would have single points of contact for developers and planners to prevent inefficiencies or haphazard planning.
AT A GLANCE
Gov. Martin O?Malley?s Base Realignment and Closure subcommittee will release a draft copy of the BRAC action plan today at www.gov.state.md.us/BRAC. A public hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Monday at the Department of Housing and Community Development in Crownsville.
