<< backHousing Plan Profile: Montgomery County, MDPlan title: Report and Recommendations of the Affordable Housing Task Force [PDF], available on the Department of Housing and Community Affairs website.
Issued: March 2008
Overview: This plan was prepared by the County's Affordable Housing Task Force in response to an Executive Order issued by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett in February 2007. Task force members included housing experts and advocates, business owners and employers, community members, and County staff. Each served on one of five subcommittees: Case Studies, Community Support, Finance, Incentives/County Land, and Zoning/Regulatory/ Legislative. The plan was developed in an effort to expand the scope and effectiveness of the County's affordable housing programs and to better address growing affordable housing need. An appendix of Technical Papers at the end of the report provides detailed information and best practices case studies for 7 of the recommendations.
This plan builds on the Montgomery County Housing Policy, Montgomery County: The Place to Call Home, which was prepared in 2001 by the Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Click here to view a profile of the 2001 Housing Policy.
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Photo credit: Christy Bowe - ImageCatcher News Service 2006, courtesy of Montgomery County |
Click here
[PDF] to view a presentation on developing a comprehensive strategy and
action plan delivered by Elizabeth Davison, former Director of Housing
and Community Affairs, Montgomery County, MD.
Selected Strategies:
Strategies identified in the 2008 plan are organized under six broad issue areas: Preserve Affordable Housing, Create Affordable Housing, Adopt Regulatory Reform, Achieve Community Acceptance of Affordable Housing, Goals for Affordable Housing Preservation and Production (assessing achievement of goals laid out in the 2001 County Housing Policy), and Home Purchase Assistance for Public Employees. Specific recommendations include:
Preserve Affordable Housing
- Create a short-term property acquisition fund to facilitate purchase of at-risk rental properties by organizations committed to their preservation and support the County’s right-of-first-refusal for purchase of older rental housing
- Create a revolving equity fund, supplemented through the issue of long-term taxable revenue bonds, to provide long-term or permanent gap financing for acquisition, preservation, and construction of affordable housing units
- Create an “early warning system” and tool kit to predict and enable an aggressive response to the potential loss of affordable housing units
Create Affordable Housing
- Make sure that “increasing affordable housing” is identified as an objective in all future master plans, helping to create a policy environment that supports this goal (including development of zoning codes that allow higher density and mixed use development in appropriate areas)
- Investigate and assess an affordable housing impact fee for new non-residential development on the basis of square footage, to fund development and preservation of affordable homes
- Provide incentives that encourage developers to exceed minimum requirements for affordable housing, including design flexibility, an expedited review process, density bonuses, and fee waivers
- Reduce parking requirements for housing developments in order to reduce development costs and increase affordability; and allow parking spaces to be rented or purchased separately from dwellings and/or shared with nearby businesses
- Develop and maintain an inventory of publicly-owned property and assess the sites’ viability for development or redevelopment that includes affordable housing
Adopt Regulatory Reform
- Expedite regulatory review and approval processes for all housing projects with major affordability components
- Amend zoning codes to allow accessory dwelling units as-of-right in appropriate areas
- Identify a centralized authority to coordinate County-led affordable housing efforts
Achieve Community Acceptance of Affordable Housing
- Promote strong design standards and implement a community outreach and support campaign to foster increased public acceptance of affordable housing
Goals for Affordable Housing Preservation and Production
- Establish goals for the preservation and production of affordable housing based on initial benchmarks established in the 2001 County Housing Policy, and annually assess progress towards those goals
Home Purchase Assistance for Public Employees - Assist county employees in purchasing a home within the County through tax abatements and fee waivers
Financing Sources Identified:- Montgomery Housing Initiative, the County's housing trust fund
- Percentage of the real estate transfer tax
- Bonds
- Private financial institutions, foundations, organizations and individuals
Background:Written by the Montgomery County Affordable Housing Task Force.
The lead agency is the Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Other public partners include the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) of Montgomery County, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County Council, and the Montgomery County Departments of Economic Development and Permitting Services.
A timeline is not identified, although each recommendation includes an “implementation” section specifying next steps. Production goals are not specified, although review and assessment of previously-established production goals is identified as a recommendation by authors of the plan.
