Realizing how important a mix of land uses — like the ability to add a corner store to a residential neighborhood — can be to creating complete, livable communities, the Maryland Department of Planning added a new small commercial component to the state Sustainable Communities Tax Credit when the program was reauthorized during the 2014 General Assembly session. We were gratified that the General Assembly approved the small commercial program to make it easier for owners of mom-and-pop businesses to get financial help for renovating their historic structures. For two decades, we've found that historic renovation has a positive spin-off effect in communities. When a great old building is renovated and reused, good things tend to follow.