New housing measures introduced in Council

[This is an update from the PRA Committee on Housing, formerly the AHS Committee]

On Tuesday, February 4^th, Councilmembers Friedson and Fani-Gonzalez introduced several measures to address the housing challenges the county currently faces.  In response to the feedback they had received from residents regarding the recommendations of the Planning Board in its Attainable Housing Strategies Report, CMs Friedson and Fani-Gonzalez developed proposals that differ in significant ways from the approach taken by the Board.

The proposal is comprised of five parts:

1. Allowing more residential building types, including duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, and apartment buildings in the R-40, R-60, R-90, and R-200 zones along growth corridors [see note 1 below] if they meet a workforce housing requirement [see note 2 below};
2. Providing $4 Million to initiate funding intended to incentivize the construction of workforce units;
3. Creating an expedited approval process for projects that convert high-vacancy commercial properties to residential use;
4. Establishing a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for conversion of high-vacancy commercial properties to residential use; and
5. Doubling the County’s investment in the Homeowner Assistance Program from $4 million to $8 million.

Note 1:  Growth Corridors. The corridors referenced above in item 1 include Boulevards, Downtown Boulevards, Downtown Streets, Controlled Major Highways, and Town Center Boulevards that have a master-planned width greater than 100 feet and 3+ existing travel lanes.  By these definitions, we are assuming that neither Cedar Lane nor Parkwood Drive are considered corridors and that multiplexes would therefore not be permitted in Parkwood.  Connecticut Avenue and Rockville Pike are considered growth corridors, but this should not affect Parkwood directly.  For clarity, we will ask that the legislation on housing specify the names of these growth corridors.

Note 2:  Workforce housing requirement.  15% of the units, with a minimum of 1 workforce housing unit if an application included at least 3 units, must meet the requirements for workforce housing, which is defined as 120% of average median income (AMI) in the County Code.

These measures are cosponsored by Council President Kate Stewart, Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke, Marilyn Balcombe, and Laurie-Anne Sayles.  The two primary sponsors and four cosponsors represent a majority of the Council’s 11 members.  

Councilmember Stewart has indicated that she will be available to discuss these proposals with residents. The PRA will post information about her meeting plans when they are available.

Public hearings by the Council on these measures are tentatively scheduled for March 11, 2025, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. 

The PRA AHS Committee will continue to keep Parkwood residents informed as more information becomes available. 

Additional details are in this document.