The Growth Action Network is very excited about this new channel for reaching you, our members, friends, and supporters. The Growth Action Network, or GAN, is a coalition of community and civic associations, environmental groups, green businesses, and individuals. We are an all-volunteer non-profit dedicated to enhancing environmentally sustainable land use and quality of life in Anne Arundel County.
GAN’s mission is to promote leadership and advocacy among AA County citizens to preserve the environment, secure natural resources, protect our watershed, and ensure managed growth within a fully funded infrastructure to sustain a high quality of life for all.
Yes, that’s a mouthful! And there’s a lot to it. We meet with leaders in the administration, the directors and staff of departments in county government and the County Council to advocate for topics that are important to the citizens of the County.
Our priorities for the next several years include:
Increasing the voice of citizens in the acquisition and planning of county projects, especially in parks
Advocating that all open county meetings be hybrid, allowing citizens from across the county participate in our government without having to trek to Annapolis to hear and be heard
Strengthening stormwater regulations and enforcement
Creating support structures for the leaders of home owners associations (HOAs) who have to manage stormwater and other services that are inherently governmental but that are delegated to HOAs
Greatly increasing citizen support in land use decisions by empowering the Planning Advisory Board to review and make recommendations before consideration by the County Council or OPZ
Sunsetting “zombie” construction permits, granted decades ago, that do not have to comply with current construction and environmental standards.
Assuring that adequate public facilities, like roads and schools, are in place to support the rapid increases in population growth, especially in the northern and western parts of the County
We will be writing about each of these programs over the coming months, including the voices of our board members who have deep expertise on these topics. We hope you will tune in here again for updates. And, we invite you to join GAN as a member, friend, or community association.
Matt Minahan
Chair, Growth Action Network