chesapeake bay trust

Here you’ll find updates on the Trust’s Green Street grantees. Every two weeks, we will highlight the progress being made by one of our grantees as they move forward in transforming their streets into green streets. To learn more about our Green Streets grant program, click here.

Forest Trends has completed a Green Streets Financing Project Report at the request of the Town of Bladensburg. This report consisted of three sections: 1) a comprehensive green infrastructure inventory and plan, 2) an assessment of community capacity, 3) closing the capacity (funding) gap. Drawing upon on the ground analysis, engagement with local and regional developers as well as other stakeholders, and the best practices from around the country, Forest Trends made a number of recommendations on how to approach and finance the development of green street infrastructure.

Acknowledging that green street retrofits can meet multiple goals--stormwater management, improving livability, and economic development—the report recommends the following to meet those goals:

· consideration of use of taxes or tax rebates

· the development of business improvement districts to help finance the green street retrofits

· financing through stormwater fees

· leveraging other financing and funding programs available at the county, state, and federal levels

· incentivizing private investment and redevelopment to help improve the livability of the town.

The connection of the last point to the implementation and construction of green streets is not entirely intuitive. However, in the context of Maryland’s (and perhaps throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed) stormwater management practices, it makes sense: as new developments and redevelopments are required to include state-of-the-art stormwater management on site, any development in Bladensburg would help the town meet its green infrastructure goals. Likewise, an investor looking to develop property might find that meeting they can meet their stormwater management requirements easier if the property is situated on a green street.