Housing Victory!
Thank you PATH for providing council testimony, showing up by the dozens at hearings, and sending hundreds of emails to support HoCo by Design (also known as the Howard County General Plan). The Council passed the plan this week. We greatly appreciate our partnership with the Housing Affordability Coalition in this work.
The plan includes:
Increased Affordable Housing:
The council supported 20% of all new development being affordable homes, including a goal to produce 340 affordable homes annually. Combined with what is already mandated, the plan has the potential to produce over 500 affordable homes each year.
Improvements for Seniors and People with Disabilities:
The new plan requires a minimum allocation of homes for seniors and people with disabilities in any project that receives county support. The plan also incentivizes the production of affordable Disability Income Housing.
Detached Accessory Dwelling Units:
The Council rejected an amendment that would have prevented detached Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) from being built. ADUs can play a role over the coming years to house seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable members of our community.
Gateway Redevelopment Remains Viable:
The Council rejected an amendment that would have prevented redevelopment of the Gateway area as a regional activity center. These actions preserve the opportunity to add significantly more housing stock to Howard County, including affordable housing.
Christiana Rigby and Liz Walsh Led as Vocal Champions of Affordable Housing:
Ms. Rigby (District 3) and Ms. Walsh (District 1) each submitted amendments that vigorously supported the expansion of affordable housing. Open Jones (District 2) provided helpful suggestions that led to the annual allocation of 340 affordable homes. Ms. Walsh also focused on clarifying ambiguous language in the plan involving affordable housing (e.g. “strive for” rather than “require”). We appreciate and are heartened by the leadership from both Ms. Rigby and Ms. Walsh on affordable housing.
