Question 1: The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments projects that Montgomery County’s population will increase by 200,000 over the next 30 years. How should the county prepare for future growth?

Transcript: We don't have enough housing in Montgomery County, we especially don't have enough deeply affordable housing. And we won't solve that problem by chance, we can only solve it by choice, by being intentional in the way that we address it through funding, through partnering, through co-locating, and through diversifying. We have to add funding because these projects don't just happen on their own, affordable housing projects require public subsidies. And within these projects, we need even greater subsidies, provide even deeper levels of affordability so that all of our residents can be part of these new projects and these new communities. We need to partner through advocacy organizations and advocates like you pushing us to do more housing and to make sure that we're fulfilling and living out our values out loud. And also by partnering with our nonprofit providers and our other affordable housing providers. Recognizing that government cannot solve this vexing challenge alone. We need to make sure that we're co-locating on public lands because we can't miss a single opportunity to build housing when we are in the midst of a crisis like we are now. And when we realize that land is not being created in Montgomery County, it has to be repurposed to meet the priorities and the values that we share. And we also can take advantage of nonprofit and faith based land as well, working with them to live out their values. And then we have to diversify the type of housing types we have to make sure that we have all kinds of housing for all types of people.