Baltimore County officials outline Small Area Plan 11, seek more survey input and flags connectivity, waterfront and mall redevelopment as priorities

Baltimore County planning officials on Monday presented early findings and outreach plans for Small Area Plan 11 in a virtual public meeting, walking residents through the county's approach to applying the countywide Master Plan 2030 at a local level and urging more people to complete an open survey before it closes next week.

The presentation, led by Megan Oliver, community planner for District 6, framed Small Area Plan 11 as the first of 12 small area plans the county intends to produce to translate the countywide Master Plan 2030 into place-based recommendations for neighborhoods including White Marsh, Middle River, Essex and Bowleys Quarters.

Officials said the county will use community feedback to produce short-term "early wins," longer-term "big moves," and policy and program recommendations to make proposals implementable. Oliver said the county has collected background data, conducted interviews and focus groups, held intercept interviews and an in-person public meeting two weeks earlier, and has run an online survey since February. "This is the first small area plan that the county is creating. It's 1 of what will be 12," Oliver said.

Why it matters: county planners told attendees that Small Area Plan 11 will refine Master Plan 2030 recommendations at a neighborhood scale and help direct county resources more equitably across communities. The plan area spans the southeast corner of Baltimore County, crosses three councilmanic districts and lies both inside and outside the county's urban-rural demarcation line, giving rise to different land-use challenges and opportunities…