ESLC Announces Expanded Work with Towns
Non-Profit Welcomes Salisbury Native to Staff
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is pleased to announce the addition of Jacob Day to its staff.
Day, who is originally from Wicomico County, joins the staff as a Town Planning Manager, to offer assistance to the Eastern Shore’s towns on growth and planning issues.
He will be responsible for launching a small town planning initiative that aims to make available the most applicable and effective town planning tools, techniques, services, and models of how healthy, strong communities grow sustainably. As a primary part of this, Day will also provide immediate support to local governments who are addressing the new comprehensive plan elements of MD House Bill 1141, namely the water resource element and the municipal growth element.
“We are so pleased to add Jake to our staff to fill this critical need here on the Shore ,” said Amy Owsley, ESLC’s Director of Land Use Planning. “Jake’s background and expertise are ideally suited to help understand the land use planning needs of Eastern Shore small towns and villages and create important partnerships to help build the capacity of local government planning.”
This planner position is not intended to replicate or replace the services of the MD Department of Planning circuit riders, or the direct technical services provided by consultants that some towns are hiring to write the 1141 comp plan elements.
“Our Eastern Shore towns are at the heart of sound land use planning—the growth towns select today will define our region for generations,” said Owsley. It’s going to take all hands on deck to give towns the resources they need, and this position is one piece of that help.”
A Salisbury native, Jake has focused much of his previous work on sustainable economic, energy, and land development on the Delmarva Peninsula. He previously served as President and Chairman of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS). Jake has also served as National Student Director on the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors and in other capacities within AIA, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Presently, he is Editor-in-Chief of the architecture and design journal Crit. Jake graduated from the University of Oxford with a Master’s in Environmental Policy. He also holds a Master of Urban Design from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the University of Maryland. He currently resides in Salisbury with his wife, Alison and their dog, Baxter.