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Montgomery County public hearing draws wide debate over ‘More Housing Now’ zoning and tax pilot
Summary
Hundreds of residents, organizations and developers testified for and against a package of zoning text amendments and a proposal for a 25‑year property tax abatement aimed at converting commercial buildings and allowing denser housing along corridors. No council vote was taken; planning and fiscal work sessions were scheduled.
Montgomery County Council heard more than three hours of public testimony March 3 on a package of proposals dubbed "More Housing Now," which would allow new residential building types on designated corridors, expand options for converting vacant commercial buildings to housing, and create a 25‑year payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes (PILOT) pilot to encourage conversions.
The package’s sponsors and opponents framed the debate around affordable‑housing supply, neighborhood impacts and fiscal risk. Artie Harris, chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board, said the planning board "strongly support[s] the More Housing Now package," urging the council to use the proposals to address a two‑decade decline in middle‑income residents. "Our county has been steadily losing our middle income residents," Harris said, citing planning board figures that the county has lost tens of thousands of middle‑income households over 20 years.
Why it matters: supporters said the changes add practical tools to create workforce and middle‑income housing and to repurpose vacant offices;…
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