What Planning and Growth Management can offer you
The recent county government reorganization and former director’s retirement have brought new changes and opportunities to the Department of Planning and Growth Management. The department added transit services to its existing service areas — land development, planning, and capital improvements. Each division works on specialized services, but coordinates similar tasks and functions for a more efficient county government.
The Codes, Permits, and Inspections Services Division handles engineering, construction, planning, and inspections for building projects. The division works to protect the health and safety of residents by ensuring quality housing and commercial construction, and permit review. Recently, the division begun using EnerGov, a public portal that allows residents and businesses to follow their permit process and receive feedback. EnerGov users can see when permits are reviewed and approved, which makes it a useful tool.
The planning division prepares and maintains comprehensive plans, sub area plans, and special purpose studies. This division works closely with the Transit Division to integrate transit operations and planning services. Public transit will play an important role in the Waldorf Urban Redesign, Hughesville Revital- ization, and the new College of Southern Maryland Hughesville campus, where transit services are in the planning stages. In fact, the new college campus is being considered as a hub for all three Southern Maryland transit agencies.
The Resource and Infrastructure Management Division plans and coordinates public infrastructure related to water supply, sewage, public school capacity allocations, and transportation. This division works collaboratively with the transit division on transportation needs.
The Transit Division is responsible for VanGO bus service, which transports more than 900,000 passengers annually. VanGO operates fixed-route and specialized, door-to-door services. Regional transportation is available through links to Prince George’s County The Bus and St. Mary’s Transit System. VanGO services are available online and through the new Double Map bus tracker mobile app. Download the Double Map app to your mobile device to view VanGO bus locations along routes and estimated arrival times. Visit http://VanGo. Double Map.com, select your desired routes, and select a stop nearest you to view estimated arrival time. To access on your smartphone, search for “Double Map Bus Tracker” in your app store, download, and select a system from the Charles County list.
As the new director of planning and growth management, I bring to Charles County Government more than 28 years of experience with local and regional land use planning, project management and special studies expertise. It is a privilege to serve residents in this capacity and work alongside county staff to keep our county a great place to live, work and play. If you would like additional information on the Department of Planning and Growth Management, visit www.CharlesCountyMD.gov/PGM.
Steve Kaii-Ziegler is the director of Planning and Growth Management for Charles County Government.