AUGUST 23

Crownsville, MD – DHCD has begun the application process for the new Strategic Demolition and Smart Growth Impact Fund, an initiative established this year by the legislature to help communities revitalize areas recommended in PlanMaryland, the state’s first comprehensive blueprint for growth and development.

The agency has up to $2.5 million for fiscal year 2013 to provide grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations for projects that accelerate economic development, job production and smart growth in existing Maryland communities.  Since funds are limited, awards will focus on those smart growth projects that can have a high economic and revitalization impact in their existing communities.

 Through the fund, the state aims to improve the economic viability of “greyfield development” which often faces more barriers than “greenfield development.”

In the rainbow lexicon of Smart Growth, planners use greyfield to describe previously developed properties – such as an abandoned shopping mall – that may appear rundown or obsolete, but have great potential through strategic development. Unlike brownfields, greyfields typically have little or no environmental contamination. Greenfields typically describe preserved open space, farmland or environmentally protected land.

Visit DHCD’s website to learn more about the Strategic Demolition and Smart Growth Impact Fund, including the application process and training schedule.