Housing Authority briefs commissioners on $16 million in investments, neighborhood rehab and voucher demand

The St. Mary’s County Housing Authority presented an overview of its recent activity and financing to the county commissioners on Sept. 11, describing roughly $16 million in investment and acquisition activity over the previous three years to preserve affordable and workforce housing.

Authority leaders said the financing window (including tax‑exempt bond deals and rehabilitation funds) allowed property acquisition and rehab that private buyers would not pursue otherwise. The authority described multiple projects (noted in its slides and discussed orally) including townhouse renovations near the Lexington Park library (marketed under the “New Phoenix” name), rehab work on multi‑family properties such as Fox Chase Village and other portfolio preservation efforts, and use of mixed public/private partnerships to maintain modest rents.

Officials noted the authority’s administrative operation is funded through project revenues and that staffing and operating costs run roughly $1 million annually; the authority’s direct staff count was reported as 22 employees. Commissioners and authority members discussed project pacing and capacity, with the authority saying it tries to limit new commitments until current projects complete and to be prudent in leveraging debt against rental revenue.

The presentation also touched on the region’s distinct housing streams: while St. Mary’s historically distributed more Section 8 housing vouchers than neighboring counties in raw counts, other counties may receive federal subsidies through different mechanisms (e.g., project‑based subsidies tied to new developments). The authority said it maintains a waiting list that numbers in the low thousands (transcript references 2,400 applicants) for vouchers and that it routinely applies for additional federal NOFAs when they become available.

Commissioners and authority members discussed mobile‑home parks and possible state engagement to identify incentives for park improvements and preservation; Secretary Ray Skinner (Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development) was scheduled to visit the county the following week to see mobile‑home park conditions and discuss policy.

Ending: The commissioners agreed to continue dialogue with the Housing Authority and to host site visits and discussions with state officials to explore options for preserving workforce housing, improving mobile‑home parks and coordinating infrastructure needs that support neighborhood revitalization.