The Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan

About the Program

Category: Planning (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

The Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan (2020) provides policies and implementing actions for protecting and enhancing flood-impacted Ellicott City, Maryland and the surrounding Tiber-Hudson Watershed. To accomplish this protection and enhancement, the master plan integrates strategies for community character and placemaking, flood mitigation, environmental sustainability, economic development and transportation and parking for this almost 250-year old town. Because Ellicott City’s built and natural environments are closely interwoven, every action is interrelated with and dependent upon other actions – warranting a menu of options and flexible approach. Community input was considered, alongside technical analysis and national best practices, to help define a comprehensive, community-driven vision for rebuilding a stronger and more resilient Ellicott City. The watershed-wide recommendations directly respond to catastrophic floods in 2016 and 2018, and the County’s vision for a future Ellicott City that exists in closer balance with the hydraulic forces that have shaped the town through the generations. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay brought national attention in a 2-hour “Save Our Town” special episode spotlighting the town’s resilience. Though Ellicott City will never be without flooding risk, the recommendations in the Plan will help generate a more resilient response to flood events should they occur again in the future.