By a vote of 8 to 3, Montgomery County councilmembers adopted a bill that allows for duplexes, triplexes, townhouses and apartments in areas throughout the county that are along public transportation corridors, major roads and town centers.
Zoning approvals for new construction will be approved on a case-by-case basis by the county planning board. The goal of the new zoning text amendment is to increase the housing supply by including more affordable housing.
Adding multiple types of housing that is affordable is known as the “missing middle.”
The zoning measure was introduced by Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Natali Fani-González as part of a larger package dubbed More Housing NOW (New Options for Workers.)
“This proposal is about more housing options for more people so that our teachers, firefighters, police officers, and nurses can afford to live in our community,” said Friedson. “The status quo clearly isn’t working for workers, for our economic competitiveness, or for fulfilling our values as an inclusive, welcoming County.”
Councilmember Dawn Luedtke agreed, posting a statement on social media tht read: “Today, I proudly voted yes on the Workforce Housing [Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA)]. Our teachers, firefighters, police officers, and workers must be able to afford to live in the communities they serve.”
Montgomery County lost 26,000 middle-income residents over the past two decades, Luedtke noted.
When Councilmember Fani-González spoke in favor of the proposal, several people in the audience loudly yelled, “No.”
Council President Kate Stewart admonished the audience members, stating, “I am going to take a moment. We are going to take a breath, because this is Montgomery County, and in Montgomery County, we can disagree respectfully.”
Councilmembers Will Jawando, Kristin Mink and Sidney Katz voted in opposition.
Jawando explained that he voted against the proposal because many of the residents he has spoken to, “have serious concerns, questions, if not outright opposition to the ZTA.” He predicted that this proposal won’t create more affordable housing in the county.
Katz told the audience that he lives in a development in Gaithersburg that includes duplexes as well as single family homes. “It works, but it was built as a single development,” he said, adding, “You knew when you bought it.”
County Executive Marc Elrich expressed his opposition during a media briefing Wednesday,
“Trust me, if I had a veto, I’d veto it,” Elrich said. He appreciates that three councilmembers voted against the ZTA.
“Unlike many other places, this county was prepared to handle future growth, is prepared to handle future growth, and did not need any trespassing into existing neighborhoods in order to accomplish it,” Elrich said. “This is simply done to set the stage for a certain group of developers who want to think of your single-family neighborhood as the next places to build townhouses.”
