Anti-sprawl leader to give talk Former Maryland governor favors ‘smart growth’ movement

PORTLAND – A newly formed group working to change development patterns in the state is bringing one of the nation’s leading anti-sprawl experts to Maine to talk about sprawl.

Former Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening will speak Tuesday in Portland at an event sponsored by a group called GrowSmart Maine, which seeks to reform land use policies and promote regional approaches to planning and development.

Glendening is considered the godfather of a movement known as “smart growth.” He is now spokesman for a national anti-sprawl group called Smart Growth America.

“Maryland is a leader in the country in terms of what state government can do on the issue of sprawl,” said Alan Caron, chairman of GrowSmart. “That’s why we think it’s worth listening to what [Glendening] has to say.”

The nonprofit GrowSmart Maine, with an office in Yarmouth, is a coalition of conservationists, developers and local and state officials. It is planning a series of events in the coming months that focus on problems associated with low-density sprawl development, the predominant development pattern in Maine for the past 30 years.

As governor, Glendening was widely credited with preserving open space and reinvigorating cities and towns. He did so using financial incentives to encourage development in settled areas and away from farmland.

For example, Glendening pulled state support from highway bypass projects and refused to extend roads or sewers to areas not designated for growth. He also spent state and federal highway funds to fix up downtowns in an effort to lure investment and homebuyers.