The Baltimore Sun

Construction of a new university bookstore in downtown Baltimore is seen as a critical piece of the downtown's rebirth. City officials are looking at offering tax incentives to ensure the bookstore deals comes through.

For the third time, the city of Baltimore is considering a zone change that would allow live-in drug centers to be located in residential areas. Residents are opposed, but the Department of Justice has threatened to sue unless changes are made.

The state has launched a revamped home buyer assistance program that provide grants to employees who buy a home within 10 miles from their work.

In 2008, Maryland voters will consider a plan to allow slot gambling machines in the state. But local zoning regulations could trump the state law, giving communities control over whether the machines are allowed or not.

An enormous Iraqi dam that was "fundamentally flawed" when constructed is on the verge of failure, according to a recently released audit.

Residents say the state's smart growth policies have done little to reign in sprawl, though questions remain about what action to take.

Though former governor Parris Glendening is often seen as the father of smart growth, studies indicate that even with the state's efforts, little progress has been towards reigning in sprawl.

Two buildings in Baltimore were recently approved by the city's historic preservation commission as being worthy of historic designation. The only problem is that the owners don't want it.

Transit advocates in Baltimore are calling on regional officials to throw out an $8.7 billion traffic congestion plan because it relies too heavily on highway projects and not enough on transit options.

The real estate market is reportedly down in many major metropolitan areas, but within them pockets of high-value properties are flourishing.

Planners and officials in Baltimore are looking to recreate one of the city's major streets as a vibrant tourist and retail area. But opinions differ on how to do it and where to look for examples.

The Baltimore City Council has approved an inclusionary housing bill requiring developers to designate a certain portion of new developments as affordable. Proponents say the measure is flawed, but a good first step.

With relatively affordable housing stock and an increasingly desirable urban environment, Baltimore has attracted single female homebuyers at twice the national average.

A controversial inclusionary housing bill is up for approval in Baltimore, Maryland, that would eventually require all new residential projects with 30 or more units to have a certain percentage of affordable housing.

Experiencing a rebound of smart growth and urban development, Jersey City, New Jersey, is becoming an example for other growing cities.

Plans to build affordable housing in Baltimore have incited local residents to collect hundreds of signatures in opposition to what they fear will destroy their neighborhood.

Immensely divergent interests collide as Howard County struggles with the thorny question of development.

One in four new schools approved for state funding in the past four years is being built beyond designated growth boundaries.

Amid a new regulation that limits development based on the amount of water municipalities can provide, a city in northern Maryland will receive additional allocations of water to allow new development, ending a 6-month building moratorium.

The mayor of Annapolis, Maryland, wants to overrule a bill that delays all building until adequate infrastructure is in place. Lifting the ban, she says, would streamline planning in the city, but many worry that it would allow too much development.