Expanding affordable housing continues to make progress in Montgomery County as a groundbreaking for a new apartment complex with 30% of units being offered at below market rate took place in Derwood last week.
The Sage, located off of Crabbs Branch Way, will have 413 units with 125 designated as affordable.
County Executive Marc Elrich acknowledged the number of affordable units are “not a mountain of housing … [but] it’s a significant amount of housing in a development.”
Qualification for affordable units is based on the county’s median income for the area, which is $163,900 for a family of four as of June 2025. Elrich said units will be affordable down to incomes around $35,000-40,000.
“There are a lot of apartments and housing that’s vacant because it’s just too expensive,” said County Councilmember Will Jawando. “We need to build more projects like this that are mixed-income, because if you just build the high-end luxury stuff, people can’t afford that.”
Council President Natali Fani-González said people are struggling to make ends meet right now.
“Especially if you are a family and you have young kids and you’ve got to pay for childcare,” she said.
The project is financed by the Housing Opportunities Commission’s Housing Production Fund which was approved by the county council. EYA is the developer.
The Sage is scheduled to open in about two years, according to EYA President and CEO McLean Quinn.
Located close to the Shady Grove Metro Station, the development will also include a new public library.
