Has Maryland's Growth Management Law Exacerbated Sprawl?

In more than half the counties in Maryland, growth-management laws -- intended to "steer new development to existing urban areas to preserve open space" -- "are being misapplied by local officials in ways that inflate housing prices" and "divert new housing from areas designated for development under the state's Smart Growth law" adopted in 1997, according to a new study released by the University of Maryland. Researchers believe that "the so-called adequate public facilities ordinances have become de facto building moratoriums" and "seem to be frustrating the intent" of the Smart Growth law.