From the Harford County Department of Community Services:
(Bel Air, MD) – The Harford County Department of Community Services is pleased to announce that Edgewood, Maryland has officially been designated as a “Sustainable Community” by the State of Maryland.
The Smart Growth Subcabinet recently approved the designation, covering 4,278 acres in the Edgewood community. It makes Edgewood one of the largest designated Sustainable Communities in the state. Some of the major revitalization plans in the application submitted to the State by the Department of Community Services’ Division of Community Development included: plans for the completion of the Route 755 streetscape plan, support for commercial growth on Route 755, improved lighting, roads and housing stock in stressed neighborhoods, and commercial and residential façade improvements.
This umbrella designation, created by the Sustainable Communities Act of 2010, consolidates the targeting of State revitalization resources into focus areas where it is needed most. “The designation for Edgewood will allow the county, community nonprofits, and/or business owners to apply for funding under certain State Programs that it would not have access to otherwise,” says Elizabeth S. Hendrix, Director of the Harford County Department of Community Services.
The programs include: Community Legacy, Sidewalk Retrofit, Maryland Bikeways, Community Safety and Enhancement, Neighborhood BusinessWorks, and other tax credit and incentive programs.
“The County’s goal is to increase the sense of community in Edgewood through revitalization and reinvestment. We are excited that the State will be partnering with us in this endeavor,” Hendrix added.
Community Development is a division within the Department of Community Services. The Harford County Department of Community Services was established in 1979 via Executive Order and works daily to meet the needs of seniors, youth, disabled and those struggling to overcome addiction. The Department works with federal, state, local and private agencies to ensure our county continues to evolve and remains dedicated to providing the best possible services for our citizens and community.
36% of the Sheriff’s calls for service/ crime is reported in the Edgewood area.
Of course Edgewood is sustainable. A big part of the Edgewood economy involves the buying and selling of illicit drugs!
@Bill G— Porn shops, easy of access and active drug trade factor into the crime stats for the area. What the stats don’t show is the address of all those criminals. I bet a good portion of them are from out of the area as well. In fact, while 30% is pretty high percentage, the fact is that Edgewood is a large area relative to Aberdeen, Havre de Grace and Belcamp. The ease of access by way of RTE 40 and I95 make it even more attractive to those seeking to purchase, trade or commit crimes against people or property. Still, 70% of all crime takes place somewhere else in the county!!
These initiatives actually show that the local govt is trying to fix what it can but it is no substitute for having your own local jurisdiction which Edgewood should attempt to create. Yes, it will cost the residents there more in taxes, but the ability to have a police force and your own local resources to reduce crime or improve the community would be better targeted. People in Fallston and Bel Air don’t really care if drugs are being purchased in Edgewood as long as their subdivisions are left alone to worry about stray dogs, and the mundane type of petty incidents that are seen on the police blotter as long as Edgewood is painted as the only problem area and source of crime.
So if they want to start up a police force….just look at port deposit. Edgewood cannot support a police department because all the drugs are not taxed. I’m sure we have seen Eagle 1 in the air. It was supposed to be paid for by seizing drugs and using the proceeds to pay for the upkeep. All areas of Harford County are easy access to i-95 and can be in DC or philly in an hour. So since i live in the “stray dog area”. We have drugs in our area too. Oh and why not stop making it seem that you are the red headed step child and pull up your big boy pants and get to work.
I’m sure the people don’t live in the community and are basing it on drive by’s…Oh did i say that? The only one who spends more time there is running for re election and needs the votes to get another term.
Edgewood has a lot of areas that are good neighborhoods. Most of the crime we read about is in one general area. We need to give more credit to the communities that ban together to promote good areas to live in.
Having worked with community-based programming in Harford County, I can tell you that the Department of Community Services could care less about Edgewood or any other area for that matter. Their goal is to build their bureaucracy as large as possible because it involves more money. They gather folks together in the name of getting community input and then turn around and do what they want anyway. Its all smoke and mirrors to look good in the state’s eyes. The most distasteful thing about that office is that you have a bunch of Craig and Chance cronies that think they know what is best for county citizens, smiling through their teeth, all the while looking down on them.
“Stressed neighborhoods”, is that the new PC for Ghetto?