Additional Comments: Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative

Montgomery County Planning Board
2425 Reedie Drive, 14th Floor
Wheaton, MD 20902

April 10, 2024

Additional Recommendations: Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative

Dear Commissioners of the Montgomery County Planning Board:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of the Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative on March 21, 2024. Montgomery for All was proud to offer our comments on behalf of our over 200 members who support more welcoming, inclusive, and sustainable communities in Montgomery County.

As you prepare to begin your worksessions on the initiative, we would like to ask that you consider the following recommendations:

1. Allow medium-scale attainable housing by-right in select locations instead of under the optional method of development, and expand to allow in a greater number of locations suited for transit-oriented development.

The site plan review process required under the optional method of development can add significant time and cost to projects, which runs counter to the goal of producing attainably priced homes. We recommend allowing medium-scale attainable housing in specific transit-oriented locations by-right, rather than under an Attainable Housing Optional Method (AHOM).

In addition to the locations specified in the draft AHOM recommendations, we recommend also allowing medium-scale attainable housing in R-60 and R-90 zones in the following transit-oriented locations, where many could greatly benefit from a greater number of attainably priced housing options:

• One mile from Red Line stations

• One mile from planned Purple Line stations

• One mile from Silver Spring, Kensington, Garrett Park, and Rockville MARC stations

 2. Condition by-right duplex development in R-200 zones on transit proximity.

Transit proximity is an important consideration for housing attainability. Households benefit from lower transportation costs for transit-oriented attainable housing. Transit-oriented homes are also more accessible to people of different ages, abilities and incomes who may not own a car. In contrast, households located far from transit may be burdened by high transportation costs even in attainably priced homes, and locating homes far from transit can increase vehicle trips and harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

While many R-200 zoned areas have access to public transit options including MARC stations and Ride On local routes, a select few are located in the Agricultural Reserve and have no convenient access to public transit—suggesting that new households in these locations would be by necessity largely car-dependent. 

We recommend including a transit proximity measure as a condition of by-right duplex development in R-200 zones.

3. Identify a clear timeline for Pattern Book development, and consider the cost and feasibility of required design elements.

To ensure that the creation of a Pattern Book does not inadvertently delay the implementation of attainable housing recommendations, we ask that you identify a clear timeline for the creation of a Pattern Book. We also ask that you specify that decisions about any required design elements for attainable housing will take into consideration how these requirements would affect the cost and feasibility of the homes produced.

4. Be as specific as possible in recommendations to the County Council, including producing draft zoning text amendments (ZTAs).

Producing more housing at attainable prices is an urgent priority for Montgomery County. Specific, policy-oriented guidance from Planning will facilitate the process of implementing attainable housing changes that align with existing county development and housing policies. We ask that you be as specific as possible in your policy recommendations to the Council, including producing draft ZTAs reflecting the recommendations of the Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative.

Sincerely,

Brandi Panbach
Carter Dougherty
Carolyn Lampila
Christopher Nellis
Dan Reed
Don Slater
Jane Lyons-Raeder
Martin Posthumus
Michael Larkin
Mike English
Richard Marker
Zachary Weinstein

Montgomery for All Steering Committee