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Process and Timeline
 

The plan was drafted based on the input we received from residents, and once completed, it was shared for public comment to get additional feedback. Those comments were used to make revisions before drafting a final version of the plan. The next step is for City Council to adopt the plan. More information on City Council Bill 24-0583 here.

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Key events in this final stage include:

  • Planning Commission Briefing, Thursday, September 26th, 4pm.  Recording

  • Planning Commission Recommendation, Thursday, October 10th, 4pm. The Planning Commission will vote on the plan.  This hearing will be conducted in-person in the Department of Planning main boardroom at 417 E. Fayette Street, 8th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202.

  • City Council Hearing, Ways and Means Committee, Tuesday, October 15th, 10am. City Hall, 100 Holliday St, Baltimore, MD 21202.

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Below is the timeline and details of each of the four phases.

Spring 2022 – Listening: 

Establishing Vision and Topics

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The City and our engagement partners collected community input and ideas to develop the plan’s key topics, visions, and goals. 

Fall 2022 – Creating:  Developing Recommendations

 

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Residents, city agencies and stakeholders were engaged to develop and refine goals, strategies and recommendations to address the topics identified in the listening phase. 

Fall 2023 & Spring 2024 – Drafting & Reviewing:

Writing and Revising Plan 

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Residents, city agencies and stakeholders were engaged to provide feedback on the drafted policy recommendations. A full draft of the plan was completed.​​​

Summer & Fall 2024 Finalizing the Plan: Public Comment, Review & Adoption

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2 month public comment period for the completed draft, final review by city agencies based on public input, and process for adoption of the plan by City Council.​​

Phase 4: Final Review & Adoption

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During the fourth phase, our goals included:

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  • Providing the public with opportunities to review the full comprehensive plan document

  • Doing a final review of the plan and introducing the input of the public comment period

  • Adopting the plan through a City Council Bill

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During this phase of engagement, the Department of Planning provided an opportunity for public comment on the complete draft of the plan from May 30 to July 30, 2024. On May 30, the plan was presented at a joint meeting of the Planning and Sustainability Commissions with roughly 200 people in attendance, both in person and online. Open houses were held throughout the city during this time and people had to the opportunity to comment on the plan and land use maps online. In August 2024, we worked collaboratively with other City agencies and key stakeholders to revise and finalize the plan based on public input and agency expertise.

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The adoption stage is from September to December of 2024 when the Planning Commission and City Council will review the plan and recommend it for adoption through a City Council Bill.​

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​​Phase 3: Drafting & Reviewing

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During the third phase, our goals included:

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  • Drafting the full comprehensive plan

  • Ensuring that the public's comments and input are included in each part of the plan

  • Obtaining addit​ional feedback on the draft plan from a range of stakeholders

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During this phase of engagement, the Department of Planning worked collaboratively with other City agencies and key stakeholders to refine the recommendations based on public input and agency expertise. The Department of Planning also used this time to lead the drafting of the rest of the plan. The full draft plan was available for another round of public input through Konveio and a series of open houses around the City.

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Please see the chart below to see the individual sections of the draft plan:

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Introduction: 

Purpose of the Plan, Key Elements of the Plan, Planning Process, Vision Statement, Equity Framework, Regional Context, and Accountability and Implementation

Livable Communities: 

Equitable Neighborhood Development, Affordable Housing, Vacant Housing, Public Spaces and Placemaking, Historic Resources

Healthy Communities:

Environmental and Climate Justice, Trees and Forests, Neighborhood Cleanliness, Designing for Public Safety, Public Health Disparities Related to Extreme Heat

Plans Shaping the City:  

City-Managed Plans, Community-Managed Plans, Planning Efforts Reshaping our City

Planning for Growth and Retention: 

Housing Market Typology, Community Development Framework, Middle Neighborhoods, Impact Investment Areas, Green Network, Land Use Map, Transit Oriented Development Opportunities, New Residential Construction Opportunities, Major Redevelopments, and Infrastructure

Equitable Access: 

Transportation Equity, Food Access, Digital Access and Equity, Access to Parks and Open Space

Inclusive Economy:  

Small Business Ecosystem and Neighborhood Retail, Workforce Development, Freight Movement

Appendices:  

Policy Recommendations, Additional Plans, Water Resources Element, Glossary of Terms, References, and more

Other Plans

​​​Phase 2: Creating

 

During the second phase, our goals included: 

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  • Generating recommendations for each priority topic identified during Phase 1

  • Adding recommendations to "a menu of potential recommendations" that will be released to the public for further refinement

  • Developing a tool for analyzing and prioritizing recommendations received, with equity at the forefront

  • Feeding recommendations into the plan draft document, to be written in 2023 and 2024

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During this phase of engagement, the Department of Planning hosted geographic workshops around Baltimore between October - December 2022. At these workshops, the goal was to generate recommendations for each priority topic. The workshops were co-hosted collaboratively by Community Planners for each Planning District and members of the Community Engagement Leadership team.

 

Additional focus groups were organized as a means to reach residents less likely to attend our geographic events. These were led by members of our Community Engagement Leadership team and other partner organizations.

 

The public was also able to participate virtually and add their ideas via our Konveio platform. 

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Phase 1: Listening

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During the first phase, our goals included: 

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  • Identifying priority topics for further study and exploration – the topics that matter most to residents today 

  • Defining equitable development – we heard that equitable development was of great importance to residents, and we wanted more input into what this term meant to Baltimore 

  • Developing vision statements – we wanted to work with residents to build vision statements for each of the themes in our plan 

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Through 3 in-person open house events and engagement led by our Community Engagement Leadership team across Baltimore, we gathered public input and worked towards these goals.

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For residents unable to attend in-person events, we also hosted an online Open House and offered a survey as a tool for submitting input. The survey also included questions about accountability - an important theme throughout public input that residents expressed concerns about.

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Listening Phase materials and reports

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Contact Our Team

Stephanie Smith, Assistant Director: stephanie.smith@baltimorecity.gov

Sara Paranilam: Chief, Policy & Data Analysis: sara.paranilam@baltimorecity.gov

Alex Bauer: Equity Planner: alex.bauer@baltimorecity.gov

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The Advisory Council for Our Baltimore, consisting of a cross section of Baltimore residents, will help shape the Comprehensive Plan process. Please follow this link to learn more about the Advisory Council members.

2006 Plan Status
Contact Our Team
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