Annie Linskey's recent piece entitled "O'Malley touts progress on State Center project" (July 28) highlighted Maryland's move toward a more thoughtful approach to land redevelopment. Optimally, this significant transit-oriented development project will dramatically improve the character of what today is simply just a cluster of concrete office buildings.

By reinventing State Center as a mixed-use development (consisting of commercial, residential and government buildings), Baltimore residents will benefit by having a broad mix of services available in a convenient location, accessible via multiple transit options. The best local success story for the use of transit-oriented development would have to be the transformation that has occurred in downtown Silver Spring. Ideally, the State Center project will also result in the kind of economic and community renaissance that resulted from the rethinking of Silver Spring.

This same model can also produce results in other areas. A similar transit-oriented development is contemplated for the area surrounding the Owings Mills Metro station in Baltimore County. It would be wise for planners to see what can be done to take some of the lessons being learned in State Center and apply them to similar projects.

Jeffrey Smith, Nottingham