Governor Moore Unveils Expanded Platform to Boost Local Community Development

September 3, 2026/Joe Ciccanti

Governor Wes Moore announced the expansion of the Maryland Community Compass (compass.maryland.gov), a free, AI-powered platform designed to streamline local development by centralizing statewide property, zoning, and funding data. Initially launched in December 2025 as the Maryland Community Business Compass—which has already served 15,000+ users and directed nearly $14M in state funding to high-need areas—the expanded tool now targets community developers, small businesses, and local organizations to help eliminate costly consulting fees and administrative delays.

 

Key Platform Features

  • Neighborhood Insights: Interactive mapping using ~60 metrics to evaluate local economic trends and pinpoint high-value investment areas.

 

  • Site Insights: A parcel-evaluation tool analyzing 2.4 million Maryland properties across all 23 counties and 96 municipalities to quickly clarify zoning laws, environmental limits, and buildability.

 

  • Find Funding: An AI-driven database aggregating 2,600+ public and private funding opportunities from over 100 sources.

 

  • Maryland Data Connector: Integrates with AI models like Claude and ChatGPT to query official state records directly via Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Technical & Strategic Partnering
Developed by the Maryland State Innovation Team in collaboration with AI firm Anthropic, the platform uses Anthropic’s Claude AI to aggregate complex funding documents and assist users with navigation. The official announcement was hosted at the Justice Thurgood Marshall Amenity Center in Baltimore.

Maryland small businesses, community development organizations, and developers are encouraged to learn more at compass.maryland.gov.

 

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