Baltimore County Affordable Housing Work Group Issues Interim Report For Public Comment

TOWSON, MD — The Baltimore County Affordable Housing Work Group, convened in 2021 by County Executive Johnny Olszewski, today released a draft interim report, which includes 36 recommendations to bolster the County’s ongoing efforts to expand equitable access to affordable housing.

The public will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the recommendations until Wednesday, April 27, and may submit comment by email to AHWG@baltimorecountymd.gov. A final report will be issued following completion of the public comment period.

“Our administration has made significant progress in our work to expand access to quality, affordable housing across Baltimore County, and we convened this work group to sustain that progress in the years to come,” Olszewski said. “I thank all the County employees, community leaders, and thought leaders who have worked to put together these recommendations and look forward to additional input from our residents. Together we will continue to expand access to quality housing for every resident of our County.”

Under the 2016 Conciliation Agreement and Voluntary Compliance Agreement (VCA) between Baltimore County and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Baltimore County committed to supporting and incentivizing the creation of 1,000 affordable rental housing units by 2027. To date, 544 units have been approved.

Since its creation in April 2021, the Affordable Housing Work Group has reviewed the County’s progress, examined ongoing challenges, and developed actionable recommendations to further support and incentivize the creation of affordable housing units into three primary areas:
 

1. More affordable housing developments in Opportunity Areas.
2. Investing in place-based strategies in existing, older communities where affordable housing is present to address housing needs and to improve opportunities.
3. Investing in older affordable housing that is in danger of becoming market rate or is substandard.

The Work Group’s interim recommendations released today include, among other items:

• Formally defining the term “Affordable Housing” in the Baltimore County Code.
• Adopting inclusionary zoning practices.
• Allowing multifamily developments in select commercial and industrial zones.
• Exploring the use of capital funding to build out public infrastructure and perform demolition to support affordable housing development sites.
• Conducting a Housing Needs Assessment to support strategic planning and other efforts.
• Identifying County-owned land, or explore purchase of additional land, for developers and/or builders.
• Establishing a pre-development fund to help smaller, less-established minority or women developers gain access to capital.
• Developing a policy for reserving and/or acquiring units in existing multi-family housing developments for voucher holders.
• Considering establishing a quasi-governmental housing authority.
• Establishing a Housing Board to advise and support affordable housing and related County initiatives.
• Expanding the availability of housing options for persons with disabilities.
• Adopting a “place-based strategy” to address housing conditions in existing neighborhoods that are not in Opportunity Areas.
• Hosting a Developer’s Roundtable to identify impediments and new strategies.
• Expanding community education, outreach and engagement efforts.

The Baltimore County Affordable Housing Work Group’s Interim Report and full list of recommendations is available here.

For questions or more information about the Baltimore County Affordable Housing Work Group, please visit the work group’s webpage.