In his presentation of the HoCo 2030 General Plan to the
Planning Board last night, Bill Mackey shared insights to the challenges facing
the growing county. Bill is the Chief of the HoCo Planning Department Division
of Comprehensive and Community Development.
According to Bill, 41% of our current population of 287,000
is made up of minorities. This is a significant increase from 27% in 2000. We’re
getting older too. 29% of HoCo locos are from the Baby Boom generation. Today,
roughly 10% of the population is 65 or older. By 2030 that is expected to
almost double.
I don’t plan to be one of them. In 2030 I’ll be in my seventies and my general plan is to be in a place “where there ‘aint no snow” by then. Then again, if these recent warming trends continue that could
well be HoCo.
Our regional transportation network is being “challenged” by
this growth. Today, HoCo locos log 3.8 billion vehicle miles annually. 90% of trips to work, school and shopping are done by car.
To turn that statistic around we’re going to need a lot more
walkable communities than Maple Lawn and Columbia Town
Center
Solving just this single issue will take innovative thinking
and bold leadership. I hope we’re up to challenge lest we drown in our own success.
